The workshop materials provided here are intended to be used exclusively for educational, non-commercial purposes. Your respect of and willingness to honor these guidelines make it possible for us to more comprehensively share these resources with you on this website.
National Museum of Asian Art/Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Artful movement uses mindfulness techniques with movement routines, story-telling and open-ended questions to encourage close looking at a work of art. You will learn how movement during school tours (whether in-person or virtual) can facilitate meaningful conversations and new connection with a work of art.
Presenters: Lindsay McAuliffe, Jenn Reifsteck
Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida
Learn how to engage early learners through touring strategies that use hands-on team activities to focus on the “Language of Art” (e.g., color, line, shape), and concepts such as landscape, still life and cityscape.
Presenters: Kim Friend, Paige Willis
Rancho Los Alamitos Historic Ranch & Gardens
Learn how a 4th-grade school tour called Footprints on the Land was transformed successfully into a virtual program that served more students than the original in-person program.
Presenters: Donna Rogahn, Katie Lowe
Carnegie Museum of Art
Discover how virtual tool kits, including 80 videos scripted by and starring docents, connect art to curricular priorities on teacher-requested topics. From concept to evaluation, learn how the kits expand museum reach and support K-12 learning.
Presenters: Sue Cavanaugh, Kathleen Green, Diane Ramos
Weatherspoon Art Museum
Incorporate mindfulness practices and slow looking at selected art works to encourage development of emotional intelligence. These tour strategies can be learned virtually and in person.
Presenter: Cheryl Beeson
Art Institute of Chicago
Be introduced to the 5 parts of the Art + Science tour through the demonstration of this interactive experience targeted to middle schoolers. This tour emphasizes the numerous connections between art and sciences and how students might become practitioners of either role. Artists of various ethnicity, gender and cultural backgrounds will be introduced in the demonstration.
Presenter: David Blecher
Toledo Museum of Art
Be introduced to a collaboration between docents and K-5 educators that led to the design of cross-curricular STEAM tours using the Museum’s art collection. This interactive session includes docent-modeled tours specific to STEAM strategies so students’ engagement with art will inspire critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity.
Presenters: Kateri Walsh, Grace Toth
The Walters Art Museum
Touching objects in the museum is a vital learning opportunity for audiences of all ages. Discover
how our docents developed a hands-on collection for touring—and how docents in other institutions
can do the same as we show you how to give your visitors a kinesthetic experience to engage,
excite and delight.
Presenters: Jill Reynolds and Sharon Edlow
The Walters Art Museum
Giving very young children a fun, comfortable museum experience is an important step in
encouraging them to return as they grow. Lern how to develop and deliver tours for the pre-K set
and their adults, have fun as you experience activities employed in touring with this audience. We
provide a model for creating new tours as well as outlines for existing pre-K tours.
Presenters: Carol Doctrow, Theresa Varipatis, Sharon Edlow
Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science
Attract more visitors by taking your museum to the community. This interactive presentation
showcases portable tour activities designed to entice future visitors of all ages. Demonstrations
cover a variety of subjects and will inspire you to take your museum on the road.
Presenters: Nan Benedict, Peg Ehlen, Madeline Harris