Today at the Museum


K-12 Docent-Guided Visits

Summer Tour Topics
Kindergarten-6th Grade Visits
Museum Collection Visits

Docent-guided visits allow students to form meaningful connections with works of art through close looking and interactive gallery experiences, including sketching, writing, group discussion, and more. Led by trained volunteers, these visits encourage critical and creative thinking while addressing all learning styles. A typical docent-guided visit includes five to six works of art. Guided visits are presented appropriately for each group’s grade level and subject interest and are aligned with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.

The Dallas Museum of Art tour calendar is now full for the month of May. Only self-guided tours are available in May.

Summer Tour Information

  • Available June 20-August 16, 2013
  • Offered Tuesday–Friday at 11:00 a.m., noon, and 1:00 p.m.
  • Guided visits last one hour; groups may also schedule self-guided time in addition to the guided portion of their visit.
  • Summer tours are led by the DMA's Teen Docents. 
  • Guided visits are offered in English. If needed, please bring teachers or parents that can assist with translation for bilingual or ESL students.
  • Minimum of 10 students required; maximum capacity for each tour is 45 students.
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Summer Tour Topics
  • Animal Safari  Recommended for grades K-3. Set off on a safari to search for animals in works of art! Discover the ways that artists from around the world portray animals and discover what they may symbolize in works of art. 
  • Summer Vacation  Recommended for grades 4-6. Travel the world without ever leaving the Dallas Museum of Art! Make connections between your favorite summer vacation activities and those you see in works of art in the DMA's collection. 

Please e-mail us to schedule your tour.

Docent-Guided Visit Topics

Kindergarten-6th Grade Visits

  • Dive into Art at the DMA Recommended for kindergarten; limited to 60 students. Make works of art come alive with multisensory activities, stories, and conversations. This program is offered only at 10:00 a.m. and only during the spring semester.
  • Me and My World Recommended for 1st grade; limited to 60 students. Explore people and places in art through stories, clues, and gallery activities. If your school is within Dallas city limits, we recommend that you follow this Museum visit with a related Go van Gogh program in your classroom.
  • Searching for Faces Recommended for 2nd grade; limited to 60 students. Look for clues—including faces, clothing, and gestures—that tell us about figures in works of art.
  • Stories in Art Recommended for 3rd grade; limited to 60 students. Have fun learning to “read” stories in art from a variety of times and places.
  • A Looking Journey Recommended for 4th grade; limited to 90 students. Take an interactive journey through the magical world of art by looking carefully, thinking critically, and paying attention to what you feel.
  • Arts of the Americas Recommended for 5th grade; limited to 90 students. Explore the arts of ancient American peoples, American Indian cultures, the Spanish and British colonies, and modern Mexico and the United States.
  • Ideas Take Shape Recommended for 6th grade; limited to 90 students. Travel the globe as you look at the ways in which diverse peoples and cultures communicate their values and beliefs. 
Museum Collection Visits
Topics that do not list a specific grade level are recommended for grades 4-12.
  • Past to Present: Arts of Mexico and Central and South America Limited to 45 students. Ancient times to the 20th century
  • Ancient American Art Limited to 45 students. Mexico and Central and South America
  • Colonial to Modern American Art Limited to 45 students. 17th- to 20th-century United States
  • Arts of Europe Limited to 60 students. Classical times to the 20th century
  • The Classical World Limited to 30 students. Ancient Greece and Rome
  • Arts of the Ancient World Limited to 30 students. Bring the past to life by examining works from Egypt, the classical World, Asia, and the Americas.
  • Arts of Africa, Asia, & the Pacific Limited to 90 students
  • Arts of Africa Limited to 30 students
  • Arts of the Pacific Limited to 30 students
  • Arts of Asia Limited to 30 students. India, Southeast Asia, China, and Japan
  • Contemporary Art Limited to 60 students. 1945 to the present
  • Collection Highlights Limited to 60 students. Treasures throughout the Museum’s collections
  • Custom Visits Limited to 60 students. Request a theme or idea you would like explored during your visit