SCHEDULE

Scheduling four or more weeks in advance of your desired tour date helps us find the best gallery teacher for your group. Contact Betty Carr at 919.843.3688 or bcarr@email.unc.edu or Beth Shaw McGuire at 919.962.0479 or bethsmcguire@unc.edu to develop and schedule a tour.

Tours for Adults

Learn more about a special exhibition or explore the Ackland’s diverse permanent collection with a skilled gallery teacher or docent. Tours last approximately one hour, unless otherwise noted or requested. If desired, tours can include activities that allow group members to select tour content and participate in conversations about works on display.

Tours for K-12 School and Homeschool Groups

At the Ackland Art Museum, your students will carefully examine original works of art using an array of interactive approaches. The collection of about 15,000 works of art — spanning 2500 years and many continents — allows your students to discover the variety of expression that exists in the world. Tours address North Carolina Standard Course of Study goals and objectives while providing a fun and memorable experience so that students will want to return to the Ackland and other art museums.

Tours consist of 2 - 4 activities in different galleries within the Museum. Gallery activities are designed to help children connect art in the collection to their personal experiences and knowledge, as well as to what they are learning in the classroom. Click here for examples of gallery activities that have been successfully expanded and tailored for different grade levels to complement language arts, social studies, and science curricula.

We suggest a 60-minute visit for grades K-2, 75 minutes for grades 3-5, and 90 minutes for grades 6-12. We require that elementary students be accompanied by one adult per 8 children for K-2, one per 10 for grades 3-5, and one per 15 for older students.

Teachers are encouraged to become familiar with current exhibitions by visiting the Ackland in advance of your group visit or exploring the exhibitions and collection at www.ackland.org.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Tours for school-aged children:

help students feel welcome and comfortable in the Museum.
offer experiences with 6-10 works of art from different times, places, and cultures, including objects from the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions.
provide a variety of opportunities for participation, including stimulating questions and active approaches to the collection.
coach students toward careful looking and thoughtful interpretations of original works of art.
are available for up to 60 students in a given hour.