School Groups
Students visiting the BMA will see the work of artists from all around the globe who have used their hands and minds to create splendid paintings, sculptures, masks, furniture, mosaics, textiles, and more.
By sharing ideas about how, when, and why each artwork was made, students will learn how to look closely at a work of art, and come to understand that common everyday materials can be transformed into beautiful objects that have great significance and power. Students will see how objects from centuries past may relate to their own lives and inspire their own artwork.
As they make their way through the BMA’s elegant galleries, from the classical court, to the glass-walled atrium and contemporary rotunda, they’ll discover that the creative urge has always been a fundamental part of the human spirit.
Guided Tours
Guided tours are offered to groups of 10 or more elementary, middle, high school, and college students Wednesday through Friday beginning at 10 a.m. Tours generally last one hour. If your school group is large, it will be divided into smaller touring groups of 10-15 students.
Each touring group will be led by a Docent, a volunteer educator who has been trained by museum staff. Each Docent will follow his/her own path through the galleries, stopping to discuss four or five objects along the way. With well-focused questions, friendly nudging, and enthusiastic encouragement, Docents will help students pay close attention to aspects of artworks that they might not notice on their own.
Tour Topics (PDF)»
Self-Guided Tours
Self-guided tours are led by school teachers, homeschool parents, or community leaders. You may schedule a self-guided tour if you do not wish to have a Docent-led tour, if guided tours are not available on the day you plan to visit, or if your students will be carrying out an assignment in the galleries.
Self-guided tours must be scheduled in advance to ensure availability of gallery space. We strongly recommend scheduling self-guided group tours in the afternoon to allow for maximum freedom in the galleries. Please note that BMA Docent-led tours have priority access to Museum galleries. Teachers are encouraged to visit the BMA before their scheduled self-guided visits in order to make plans.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a fee?
Tours for school and homeschool groups are always FREE.
What will a BMA tour be like for my students?
Your tour will last about one hour and will be led by a Docent (gallery teacher). The Docent will actively engage your students through questions, dialogue, and looking, writing, or drawing activities. All tours are designed to help students sharpen observation and critical thinking skills and make connections with prior knowledge and experiences.
What are the tour topics?
Please consult the Tour Topics (PDF) chart.
Do I need to schedule in advance?
Yes, all groups must schedule their visits six weeks ahead of time. Tours are booked on a first-come first-served basis.
May I guide my students through the galleries myself?
Yes, you may schedule a self-guided tour. Please prepare for your tour by visiting the Museum before you bring your students. Self-guided tours must be scheduled in advance to ensure availability of gallery space.
How many chaperones do I need to provide?
Please provide one teacher or adult chaperone for every 10 students. Chaperones are required to stay with students and encourage good behavior.
What should I do if I need to cancel my tour?
Please notify the Education Coordinator as soon as possible. Voicemail is available 24 hours a day at 443-573-1821.
Are lunchroom facilities available for students?
Unfortunately, there are no student lunch facilities in the Museum. In good weather, groups may eat bag lunches in the BMA Sculpture Gardens. (Please make arrangements to use the garden for lunch when you book your tour with the Education Coordinator.) Students must keep food and drinks away from the sculptures and refrain from touching or climbing on any part of the artwork including its base. Students should dispose of all trash and leave the area as they found it.
Can we bring bags or backpacks?
The Museum encourages visitors NOT to bring backpacks or other large bags to the Museum. If a bag is larger than 11 x 14 inches, it must be checked. Free lockers are available in the coat room near the Visitor Entrance.
Is the BMA wheelchair accessible?
The BMA galleries and sculpture gardens are fully wheelchair accessible.
Is parking available?
Information about parking, including maps and directions, will be sent to you along with your tour confirmation materials. Buses may park along Art Museum Drive on a space available basis.
Is photography permitted?
Visitors may take photographs in collection galleries as long as no flash, lights, or tripod are used. However, artworks in temporary exhibitions and artworks on loan may not be photographed. Videotaping is not permitted in the galleries. Photographs may not be reproduced, distributed, or sold without permission from the BMA.
Scheduling a Tour
All school tours of the BMA are FREE!
Tours are booked on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend that you book your tour at least 6 weeks prior to the date you are requesting.
7 Easy Steps
1. Consult the Tour Topics (PDF) and choose the tour that best meets your curricular needs and your students’ interests.
2. Select possible dates and times that you would like to bring your group to the Museum. Guided tours are offered Wednesday through Friday beginning at 10:00 a.m. Remember to consult your school’s vacation, testing, and activities calendars!
3. Fill out the Tour Request Form (PDF) and contact the Education Coordinator 6 weeks in advance. Since date, time, and other details of your request may have to be adjusted, please do not assume a date is reserved for you until you receive confirmation.
By Phone at 443-573-1821, Tuesday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
By E-mail to tours@artbma.org
By Fax to 443-573-1581
By Mail:
School Tours, Education Department
The Baltimore Museum of Art
10 Art Museum Drive
Baltimore, MD 21218
Please inform the Education Coordinator if:
- Your students would like to eat lunch in the Sculpture Garden
- You have students with special needs
- Your students are part of an ESOL or ESL program
4. After your visit is scheduled, you will receive confirmation by mail. Your tour is not confirmed until you have received:
- Confirmation sheet with information about arrival procedures, parking, and map.
- Nuts & Bolts (PDF), includes driving and parking directions as well as guidelines for eating lunch in the Sculpture Garden, storing coats and bags, and taking photographs.
- Museum Manners & Chaperone Guidelines (PDF)
5.
About a week before your visit, a Museum Docent (gallery teacher) will contact you to learn about your goals and expectations for your tour. This brief conversation will help your Docents plan a learning experience tailored to the needs of your students.
6. Prepare for your visit by reviewing the Museum Manners and Chaperone Guidelines (PDF) with all students and chaperones. Students have the best museum experience when they know what to expect and what is expected of them.
7. If you must cancel your tour, please notify the Education Coordinator as soon as possible. Voicemail is available 24 hours a day at 443-573-1821.
Tours for ESOL/ESL Groups
Wonderful works of art can enliven and enrich English-language acquisition and practice at any age level by providing opportunities for listening, speaking, writing, and creative thinking in a new and stimulating museum environment.
Tours for ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) / ESL (English as a Second Language) groups use gallery activities such as guessing games, treasure hunts, interviews, posing, role playing, and storytelling to encourage students to converse and interact with each other.
Selected artworks and activities support current ESOL and ESL curricular standards in Maryland and beyond.
Close Encounters: Partnership with Baltimore City Public Schools
Close Encounters is a sequential learning program for fourth-grade classes in the Baltimore City Public School System. It is designed to bring the BMA into students’ lives through rich experiences centered on the Museum’s outstanding and diverse collection. The program provides students with multiple experiences including four Museum visits complemented by visits to the classroom by BMA educators.
Extended contact with works of art helps young people “learn to look” so that they have confidence in their ability to enjoy and learn from artworks on their own. To become a Close Encounters school, please call School Programs Manager, Suzy Wolffe at 443-573-1824.
Developing Language & Literacy Through the Arts
Developing Language & Literacy through the Arts (DLLA) is an early learning program administered by Baltimore County Public Schools. It is designed to expand the communication skills of four- and five-year-olds by actively engaging them in discussions about art and artists. Selected artworks from The Baltimore Museum of Art’s collection form the core content of the six- to ten-week DLLA curriculum units (DLLA I for Pre-K and DLLA II for K). With units that draw on a variety of disciplines and encourage parent-child activities, the program successfully fosters language development.
The DLLA units culminate with a specially designed age-appropriate docent-led tour at The Baltimore Museum of Art in which the students encounter the actual works of art that they had already studied in depth. For more information, please contact the Office of Fine Arts, Baltimore County Public Schools, 410-887-4030.
Henry Moore. The Three Rings. 1966.
The Baltimore Museum of Art: Gift of Ryda and Robert H. Levi, Baltimore, BMA 1987.225 ©The Henry Moore Foundation. This image must not be reproduced or altered without prior consent from the Henry Moore Foundation.
