Teachers and school children may select from an interesting array of school tours. Tours are available on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings at 9:15, 10:15, and 11:15 a.m. and are approximately 45 minutes long. Tours are 30 minutes for prekindergarten and kindergarten students. Tours are led by specially trained Exhibition Interpreters.
Questions about planning a tour, reserving a tour, or tour pricing? Please mail or fax your K-12 school tour request form to the museum four weeks prior to your desired tour date. No requests can be made by phone or email.
Public tours are offered on the first Saturday of every month at 1 p.m. or public groups (University, community, etc.) can schedule a tour by filling out the non-school tour request form.
SCHOOL PROGRAMS 2007-08
Learning to Look: An Introduction to the Museum
Recommended grades: kindergarten through twelfth grade
An introductory, inquiry-based tour designed to provide students with strategies to discuss paintings, sculptures, photographs, prints, and other art media. Optional post-tour studio activity: Explore a mixed-media studio art project based on the elements of art.
Animals in Art: Multicultural Fauna
Recommended grades: kindergarten through fifth grade
The captivating theme of animals in art is the basis for this cross-cultural, inquiry-based exploration of the museum. Optional post-tour studio activity: Create a work of art inspired by the animals viewed on your tour.
Explore Asia!
Recommended grades: kindergarten through twelfth grade
An inquiry-based tour that explores life in historical and contemporary Asia through art and artifacts in the museum's Chinese, Japanese, and Korean galleries and current exhibitions. Optional post-tour studio activity: Create art based on objects and themes experienced on your tour.
Portraits, People, and Places
Recommended grades: kindergarten through twelfth grade
An inquiry-based tour that investigates art depicting people and places across the times and cultures represented in the museum collection and special exhibitions. Optional post-tour studio activity: Create a mixed media masterpiece based on the portraits or landscapes viewed on your tour.
Special Exhibition Tour
Recommended grades: sixth through twelfth grade
An inquiry-based tour that focuses on the special exhibition currently on view.
Fall |
NewArt Northwest |
October 6 - December 30, 2007 |
Discover new works by contemporary artists living in the Pacific Northwest. |
Winter |
Buddhist Visions |
January 19 - April 13, 2008 |
Explore diverse artistic representations of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and Buddhist beliefs from different cultures and historical periods. |
Spring |
MFA Exhibition |
May 3 - June 15, 2008 |
Experience art produced by students graduating from the University of Oregon’s Master of Fine Arts program. |
Optional Post-Tour Studio Activities
Post-tour studio activities offer the opportunity for students to engage in a hands-on art production experience. All studio activities are led by an art educator and draw on themes and images from your tour and the museum’s collection.
Please fax or mail a K-12 School Tour Request Form to schedule a tour.
What to bring: Sketchpads, notebooks, and #2 pencils are allowed into the galleries. We kindly remind guests that food, beverages, backpacks, shopping bags, umbrellas, and other large items may not be taken upstairs. Lockers are available for a quarter, which is returned when you retrieve your belongings. Thank you for helping to keep the artwork preserved for everyone to enjoy.
PLANNING A TOUR
Scheduling a Tour
Tours are available on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings at 9:15, 10:15, and 11:15, and are approximately forty-five minutes long. Studio activities are an additional forty-five minutes.
- Please fax or mail the included Tour Request Form to schedule a tour. Phone requests will not be accepted. Contact information is on the Tour Request Form.
- Tours are led by specially trained exhibition interpreters (docents).
- Tour fee: $2.00 per student. Studio activities are an additional $1.00 per student. Payment is expected a week prior to your tour date. We accept checks, Mastercard, or Visa.
- Our commitment is to make the museum accessible to all. Scholarships are available for schools with 50% or more students on a subsidized lunch program. Please contact the Tour Coordinator for information.
Before the Tour
- Once a tour has been scheduled, the lead exhibition interpreter for your tour will contact you to discuss your class’ needs and arrange an optional pre-visit to your classroom. A classroom visit by an exhibition interpreter is an excellent way to prepare your class for a field trip to the museum. The pre-tour visit lasts 20-30 minutes and is at no additional cost to you.
- One adult chaperone is required for every six students for grades K-3, and one chaperone for every eight students for grades 4-12 for both the tour and the studio. Chaperones are admitted to the museum free of charge and are expected to assist with tour and studio activities.
- Tour cancellation requests must be received at least forty-eight hours in advance of a scheduled tour.
- The museum will send a confirmation packet once your tour is booked.
After the Tour
- Art activities in the museum’s studio are optional; cost is $1.00 per child.
- Each student will receive a free, one-time family pass to use at a later date.
- To help us serve you and your students better, please return the tour evaluation form that we will provide in your confirmation packet.
Other Programs
- Outreach Kits: Art resources on loan for classroom use.
- Teacher Professional Development: Annual workshops for teachers to earn professional development units and learn to incorporate art into classroom curriculum.
- Dragon Theater Puppet Group: The museum’s multicultural puppet shows, performed in school and community settings, feature a variety of performances relating to curricular units on folktales, celebrations, and studies of Asian and Native American cultures. Cost is $1/child. Contact the Tour Coordinator for more information.
- Children’s Art Classes: Afterschool art classes during the school year and art camps during school breaks held in the museum’s art studio.
- ArtsBridge America: An innovative program that pairs University of Oregon student art scholars with teachers to develop term-long continuous art programs that enhance classroom curriculum.
- Educator Membership Discount: Educators are eligible for $20 discount on any membership level. Contact debbiews@uoregon.edu to join today!