School Tour in Gallery

School Tours

Download our Visit Guidelines

Download our Tips for your Teacher-led Tour

Download our Scheduling Guidelines

Pre-Visit Video:
Discover and Learn | Your Group Visit to the Nelson-Atkins


The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art's school tours offer students the opportunity to view original works of art. Skilled docents use a variety of interactive, inquiry-based approaches in their gallery teaching, encouraging active looking, analysis and critical thinking.

School groups may visit the Museum on their own. All teacher-led tours must be scheduled three weeks in advance. Visit Teacher-led Tours for more information.

To learn more about the school tours we offer, choose from the list below.

Grades
School Tours
 
Highlight Tours: an introductory experience
3-6 My Art Museum
7-12 Ancient to Modern
 
Collection Tours: explore a specific area of the Museum
3-8 African Art
4-12 American Art: 1776-1900
4-12 American Art: 1900-1945
2-12 American Indian Art
5-12 Art of Early Western Civilizations
3-12 Chinese Art
5-12 European Art: 17th and 18th Centuries
5-12 European Art: French Revolution through World War II
5-12 European Art: Middle Ages through the Renaissance
3-12 Kansas City Sculpture Park
9-12 Photography
 
Thematic Tours: exeriences that link collections
3-12 A Tactile Tour for the Visually Impaired: The Human Figure in Sculpture
3-12 A Write Way to Art
7-12 Language Tours: For Spanish, French and German language classes


Using Missouri and Kansas State Standards as the foundation, tours are designed to meet specific grade level expectations. Teachers may select from a variety of tour types.

Highlight Tours are designed to provide students with an introduction to the Museum’s overall collections; Collection Tours explore one area of the Museum’s collection; Thematic Tours are an experience that link collections and Featured Exhibition Tours bring the Museum’s outstanding collection of art together with magnificent works from private collections and world-renowned art institutions.

School tours are FREE, one hour and 15 minutes in length and are available for grades 2-12.

Lunch

Rozzelle Court Restaurant offers $7.50 box lunches for school groups. Orders must be placed and paid for in advance. Call 816.751.1234 or e-mail events@nelson-atkins.org.

School groups may bring sack lunches and picnic on the grounds of the Kansas City Sculpture Park; there are no facilities for students to eat sack lunches inside the Museum. Teachers are responsible for making alternate arrangements in inclement weather

Click here for a menu of box lunch options

Please note there is no indoor facility where school groups may eat sack lunches.

Please note that one adult must accompany every 10 students.
School Tours are made possible in part by Sprint and Blue Cross Blue Shield.