School Tours

Overview

Photo: Orange Photography

We are always pleased to welcome student visitors. SFMOMA offers a variety of free tours designed to appeal to students of various levels and to promote an understanding of modern and contemporary art.

School groups must arrange their visits in advance in order to schedule a tour and receive free admission. Unscheduled groups with a sufficient number of chaperones are welcome to visit SFMOMA independently during regular museum hours, but they must wait in the general admission line. Chaperones pay museum admission; children 12 and under are admitted free. Groups of older students are eligible for a group admission discount.

All school groups must be accompanied by chaperones. See our Tour Procedures for more information about leading students through the galleries.

For more information about school tours and outreach programs, email the Docent Tour Scheduling Office or call 415.357.4095.
 

Types of School Tours

Docent-Led Look, Learn, Create Tours

Kids tour the gallery
Photo: Orange Photography

Look, Learn, Create tours for grades three through eight are led by docents who guide small groups of students through the museum's permanent collection galleries. These interactive tours engage students in active viewing, dynamic discussion, and creative hands-on activities. Each museum tour is preceded by an in-school docent orientation that prepares students for their visit. This program is free of charge.

When and Where

Look, Learn, Create tours are offered on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays beginning September 27, 2010, and continuing through May 27, 2011. Tours for grades three through five take place from 10 to 11:30 a.m.; tours for grades six through eight, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. The maximum group size is 35 students. There must be one chaperone for every 10 students. No more than eight chaperones may accompany a group. All groups must enter through the Minna Street entrance, where they will be greeted by a museum representative.

Scheduling

To schedule a tour, complete the application and return it to the Docent Tour Scheduling Office by the deadline indicated. Requests are not accepted by phone or fax. Due to the high volume of applications, we may be unable to fill all tour requests. You will be notified by mail whether or not your class is scheduled. If your class cannot be scheduled, we suggest you request a docent Art Express outreach visit.

Thinking Through Art Tours

These innovative tours are designed for students in grades five through eight who have completed at least lessons one through three of the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) program in their classroom. Students break into small groups to tour the museum's galleries with docents using the VTS facilitation method to discuss a series of artworks selected for their developmental appropriateness. Each museum tour is preceded by an in-school docent orientation that prepares students for their visit. This program is free of charge.

When and Where

Thinking Through Art tours are offered on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays beginning February 1, 2011, and continuing through May 27, 2011. Tours are conducted from 11 a.m. to noon and 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. The maximum group size is 35 students. There must be one chaperone for every ten students. No more than eight chaperones may accompany a group. All groups must enter through the Minna Street entrance, where they will be greeted by a museum representative.

Scheduling

To schedule a tour, complete the application (PDF) and return it to the Docent Tour Scheduling Office by the deadline indicated. Requests are not accepted by phone or fax. Due to the high volume of applications, we may be unable to fill all tour requests. You will be notified by mail whether or not your class is scheduled.

Teen Tours for High School Students

Photo: Orange Photography

Tours of the museum's collection or special exhibitions can be tailored to complement curriculum topics in the humanities, social sciences, language arts, and fine arts. We recommend that teachers use the theme-based lessons and activities from the museum's online curriculum site, ArtThink, to prepare students for their museum visit.

To schedule a Teen Tour, download an application (PDF) or call the Docent Tour Scheduling Office at 415.357.4095. Teen Tours are offered free of charge. We can accommodate a maximum of 45 students per tour. Please note that there must be one chaperone for every 10 students, and that no more than eight chaperones may accompany a group.

Art Express Outreach Program

The Art Express outreach program is designed for classes in kindergarten and higher that are unable to visit the museum. Docents travel to your classroom to lead a 30- to 45-minute discussion and hands-on art activity that introduces key concepts of modern and contemporary art to your students. To schedule an Art Express session, complete the application (PDF) and return it to the Docent Tour Scheduling Office by the deadline indicated. This program is free of charge.

Certified Self-Guided Touring Workshops

Ideal for high school and eighth grade teachers who would like to tour their students without a docent, this workshop acquaints educators with SFMOMA's collections and touring procedures. Participants receive materials to prepare students for their museum visit and are eligible to schedule self-guided tours for their classes free of charge. Teachers are required to be recertified every three years. Visit the Teacher Programs + Events page for details on upcoming workshops.

Summer Youth Tours

June 25 - August 17, 2012
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

SFMOMA is pleased to offer Summer Youth Tours of Selected Histories: 20th-Century Art from the SFMOMA Collection. Summer Youth Tours are designed to engage young visitors through inquiry-based tours and creation. Participants break into small groups to tour the museum's galleries with a docent. The tour concludes with a hands-on art project in SFMOMA's studio classrooms.

To schedule a Summer Youth Tour, download the application (PDF) or call the Docent Tour Scheduling Office at 415.357.4095.

School Tour Procedures

Kids tour the gallery
Photo: Orange Photography

SFMOMA requests that teachers divide their classes into several smaller groups, each with a dedicated chaperone. School groups will be admitted to the museum only if they have the requisite number of chaperones: one adult per 10 students for grades 3 through 12. Chaperones must remain with their subgroups (in the same gallery or in close proximity) throughout the duration of the visit and take responsibility for the group's behavior.

The maximum number of students admitted to the museum at once is 35; groups of more than 35 students may visit the museum in shifts at half-hour intervals. While one group is visiting SFMOMA, the other group may visit the Yerba Buena Gardens across the street until it is their turn to enter the museum.

Students are asked to leave their backpacks at school or on the bus. Otherwise, all backpacks must be left at coat check. Students should observe all general museum rules, including:

  • Do not touch the art.
  • Speak quietly.
  • Walk — do not run — in the galleries.
  • Stay behind the black line on the floor in front of artworks.
  • Use only pencils in the galleries; pens are not permitted.

Most of all, have fun and enjoy the museum! Thank you for your careful consideration and adherence to these policies.