SCHOOL TOURS
School tours are free and available for students in grades 3–12. Our docent-led school tours are designed to enrich, extend, and support classroom learning while offering students the opportunity to explore 5,000 years of human creativity through original works of art. Aligned with state and national learning standards, these interactive experiences teach students about art, improve visual literacy and observation skills, and contribute to 21st–century learning, empathy, and critical thinking skills.
Schoolwide Title I schools in the Kansas City metropolitan area are eligible for the Nelson-Atkins’ Incentive Grant Program. The Incentive Grant Program provides a $200 stipend to offset trip expenses and underwrites workshop fees for classified schoolwide Title I schools in Missouri and Kansas. A minimum of 25 students is necessary to receive the funding. Maximum group size depends on the individual tour and workshop.
Please note: Incentive Grant Schools will no longer be prompted to enter their Schoolwide Title I Status on their school tour or workshop registration. Validation of Incentive Grant benefits for qualifying visits will be included with your confirmation email. Please visit Title I Resources for more information.
Details and Scheduling
The following details are standard for all school tours:
- Cost: Free
- Length: Standard tour length is 75 minutes.
- Group Size: Minimum of 6 students, and maximum of 60 students per tour unless otherwise noted.
- Chaperones: 1 chaperone per 10 students is required for school tours. The ideal chaperone assists with group behavior management and gallery transitions. No more than 2 chaperones per 10 students; paraeducators cannot be a chaperone. Children and siblings under 18 years of age are not eligible to be chaperones.
- When to book: At least three weeks advance notice is required. After submitting your request, you will receive a request acknowledgement email.
- Tour Confirmation: Tours are not confirmed until a confirmation email is received. Confirmation will arrive within 10 business days.
- NOTE: For clarity of communication, each teacher needs to register for their own class. Please do not schedule for others.
DOCENT–LED SCHOOL TOURS
Docent-Led school tours are free, interactive gallery experiences offering learner-centered activities and open-ended discussion inspired by works of art.
- Days: Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays.
- Times: M/Th/Fri: 10:15 am, 11:15 pm, 12:15 pm, 1:15 pm and 3:30 pm; Sat/Sun: 10:15 am, 11:15 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm.
- How to book: Click the registration button below and select a Docent-led Tour for your chosen subject. Please submit only one tour or workshop request per order. Additional requests can be submitted separately.
TEACHER–LED SCHOOL TOURS
Teachers interested in leading their own self-guided experience with students should schedule a Teacher-Led tour. These can be booked along with a Docent-Led tour.
- Days: Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays.
- Times: M/Th/Fri: 11:15 am, 1:15 pm, 3:30 pm; Sat/Sun: 10:15 am, 11:15 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm.
- How to book: Click the registration button below and select a Teacher–Led Tour for your chosen subject. Please submit only one tour or workshop request per order. Additional requests can be submitted separately.
- Use of galleries: To avoid traffic jams and provide the best experience for all our guests please select the galleries you plan to visit with your group. While traveling through the museum, please avoid areas with other scheduled groups to ensure optimal experience for all visitors.
Tours
ANCIENT ODYSSEYS TOUR
Grades 6–12
This tour introduces students to the cultures of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome. By using both primary and secondary sources, students are encouraged to think carefully about how ancient art objects communicate cultural beliefs and practices that are still relevant to the modern world.
Find tour details and pre-/post-tour resources by clicking below.
ART IS ELEMENTARY – TOUR A
Grades 3–5
Art is Elementary – A is the perfect introductory tour to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art for grades 3–5. On this tour, students will visit the Asian and European art galleries.
Find tour details and pre-/post-tour resources by clicking below.
ART IS ELEMENTARY – TOUR B
Grades 3–5
Art is Elementary – B is the perfect introductory tour to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art for grades 3–5. On this tour, students will visit the African and Contemporary art galleries.
Find tour details and pre-/post-tour resources by clicking below.
BEYOND THE BUFFALO
Grades 3–8
This tour familiarizes students with the material culture of Native American peoples from the Woodlands, Plains, Southwest, and Northwest Coast regions of North America.
Find tour details and pre-/post-tour resources by clicking below.
CHINESE ART TOUR
Grades 6–12
Students will have the opportunity to study China’s unique and enduring visual culture on this tour. By examining authentic primary sources, students will be exposed to the philosophical, artistic, and technological accomplishments of Chinese civilization.
Find tour details and pre-/post-tour resources by clicking below.
MAKING OF AMERICA
Grades 4–8
This tour visits the museum’s collection of American art from colonial times through the mid-twentieth century. Students will explore questions of identity and representation, as well as the interdependent relationship between artists and the country’s changing history.
Find tour details and pre-/post-tour resources by clicking below.
SACRED AND SECULAR
Grades 6–12
The Sacred and The Secular: European Art from 1100 – 1700 introduces students to four different periods of European art from 1100 – 1700. Students will learn how art is a reflection of the time and place in which it was made while looking at works from the Medieval through Baroque periods.
Find tour details and pre-/post-tour resources by clicking below.
SCULPTURE PARK TOUR
Grades 3-12
This tour introduces students to the wide variety of sculpture in the museum’s 22-acre Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park. Focusing on modern & contemporary sculpture, students will explore a variety of artistic concepts and discuss the different ways in which artists convey meaning through their works.
Find tour details and pre-/post-tour resources by clicking below.
SECONDARY EXPLORATIONS
Grades 6–12
Secondary Explorations is the perfect introductory tour to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art for grades 6–12. On this tour, students will visit the African, Contemporary, and Photography galleries.
Find tour details and pre-/post-tour resources by clicking below.
SEEN AND UNSEEN: IDENTITY IN PORTRAITURE
Identity is a deeply personal and multifaceted concept. Artists have long used art to celebrate and probe the depths of identity. During this tour, students will explore the art of portraiture and consider its role in revealing, concealing, and complicating identity. Historical and contemporary portraits will serve as a springboard for examining the concept of identity and its relevance in our lives. During Spring 2024, this tour will include a stop in the exhibition A Layered Presence/Una presencia estratificada, an exhibition of works by Kansas City artists with ties to Latin America.
Find tour details and pre-/post-tour resources by clicking below.
Registration
How to Book: Click on the REGISTRATION button below to access the School Group Tours registration page. Please review the booking details on that page, select the type of tour you would like to book, and complete the Tour Request form for your chosen subject.
NOTE: Each teacher needs to register for their own class. Please submit only one tour request per order. Additional requests can be submitted separately.
When to Book: We require at least three weeks’ advance notice. After submitting your request you will receive a request acknowledgement email. A separate tour confirmation email will be sent within 10 business days once the tour is confirmed.
Title I School Booking: If your school is classified as a schoolwide Title I school, enter the promo code TITLE1 and click “submit” at the top right corner of the registration screen before entering any other information. Requests from groups falsely claiming Title I status will be cancelled.
CANCELLATIONS OR CHANGES
Tour cancellations are requested at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled visit.
All changes to the date and time need to be submitted through a new tour request. At least three weeks’ advance notice is required for submitting any changes.
To cancel or make a change to your scheduled tour, please email tours@nelson-atkins.org. Please include your name, phone number, confirmation number, name of school, and date and time of your scheduled visit.
Visitor Guidelines for Schools
We look forward to meeting and learning with you!
When you are ready to book, click the REGISTRATION button below.
Additional Questions?
For additional information please email tours@nelson-atkins.org.