Tours
Let Us Be Your Guide
What better way to experience the permanent collection and special exhibitions at the North Carolina Museum of Art than through a guided tour? Whether you’re taking a public or private guided tour, please let your docent know what accommodations would make your tour more relevant and enjoyable.
Public Tours
Try the free mobile tour via this link. Choose from three thematic, self-guided tours that we call “Lunch Break,” “Curator’s Choice,” and “Date Night.” Each tour takes less than 30 minutes.
Explore the Collection
Tuesdays–Fridays, 1:30 pm
Saturdays and Sundays, 11:30 am and 1:30 pm
Free; no registration required. Meet at West Building Information Desk.
Take an hour to discuss art, cultures, and ideas with a docent in this introductory tour of the Museum's collection in both buildings. For individuals and groups smaller than 10.
Ask Me docents are available to answer questions you may have or to share a story about a work on display.
Ask Me docents are available in the African gallery (East Building) on Saturdays from 1 to 3 pm and in West Building on Sundays from 1 to 3 pm.
Saturdays and Sundays 10:30 am
Free; Sign up that day; first come, first served. Meet at West Building Information Desk.
Half-hour tours of permanent collection for kids age 5–11 and their adult companions. Join a Museum guide for a lively discussion and activities in the galleries.
Themes change monthly.
Free; no registration required. Offered on select Saturdays; check the Museum’s calendar for times and dates.
Are you interested in contemporary art, sustainability, natural history, or a little of all these things? Park tours are 60 to 90 minutes long and focus on the interaction of art and nature.
The route is approximately two miles long, with variations in surface and incline. Walking shoes, hats, and water bottles are recommended.
Park tours between September and May begin at 10:30 am. Park tours in June, July, and August begin at 9:30 am.
To schedule a private guided tour of the Park, go to Adult Group Tours. Park tours are $50 per guide; each guide serves up to 10 people.
Adult Group Tours
Want to explore the Museum or Park with friends, family, or colleagues and a trained volunteer guide? Talk with each other about art, artists, and the creative process in a one-hour tour of the permanent collection, a special exhibition, or the Museum Park. Schedule four or more weeks in advance. See suggested options below.
Let your docent know if you’d like to use any of the following:
- An assistive listening system (headphones and neck loops available)
- Audio description of two-dimensional works of art for people who are blind or have low vision
- A tactile tour for people who are blind or have low vision
- Touchable materials and manipulatives for people with developmental disabilities
- Need or want something else? Tell us more.
Choose from the featured special exhibition or a variety of themes in the permanent collection. Tours are $50 per docent; each docent serves up to 10 people. For larger groups, multiple docents are possible. Paid tickets are required for certain exhibitions. Tour fee is due upon scheduling.
Please make reservations at least four weeks in advance.
For reservations please complete this form. Staff will respond to your request.
Discover a world of art in this welcoming introduction to the Museum’s permanent collection. From Egyptian mummy cases and Italian Renaissance masterpieces to thought-provoking modern and contemporary works, this tour has it all. Let us tailor the tour to meet your group’s needs, and enjoy all the Museum has to offer!
Tours are $50 per docent; each docent serves up to 10 people. Schedule multiple docents for larger groups. Tour fee is due upon scheduling.
For reservations please complete this form. Staff will respond to your request.
We invite you to discover the riches of African art and its influences and traditions. Marvel at the beauty of traditional African ceremonial objects and masquerade costumes, and explore the powerful influences African art continues to have on artists across countries and time.
Tours are $50 per docent; each docent serves up to 10 people. Schedule multiple docents for larger groups. Tour fee is due upon scheduling.
For reservations please complete this form. Staff will respond to your request.
Is your group fascinated by contemporary art, sustainability, natural history, or a combination of these? We’ll design an experience based on your group’s interests and abilities. Tours last one to two hours and focus on the interaction of art and nature. The route is approximately two miles long, with variations in surface and incline. Walking shoes, hats, and water bottles are recommended. Tours are $50 for up to 10 people. Schedule multiple docents for larger groups. Tour fee is due upon scheduling.
Tours are $50 per docent; each docent serves up to 10 people. Schedule multiple docents for larger groups. Tour fee is due upon scheduling.
For reservations please complete this form. Staff will respond to your request.
Planning a self-guided visit with a group? Please let us know you’re coming so that we can ensure the best Museum experience for you and your group. A tour coordinator can tell you the galleries that will be busy on the day of your visit and answer other questions about the NCMA and the Museum Park.
For reservations please complete this form. Staff will respond to your request.
Student and Youth Group Tours
Every work of art has its own story. Guided tours encourage learners to uncover these stories through shared looking, discussion, and experiences. Select a theme that relates to the North Carolina curriculum, or choose a highlights tour for your group. On most themed tours, you can expect to consider four to eight works of art and participate in gallery activities that invite closer looking and discussion. The Museum’s volunteer guides look forward to creating an engaging and enjoyable visit for your students. Look below for more information, or schedule a tour here with our Tour Request Form.
Reservations for school groups must be made at least four weeks in advance. Tour requests will be filled in the order received, with the aim of serving as many groups as possible.
School group tours are one hour long and led by volunteer guides or docents. Some special exhibitions require paid tickets. School groups may receive free entry to exhibitions if scheduling a guided or self-guided tour in advance. Check with the tour coordinator for details.
To request a tour reservation for a student or youth group, please complete this form.
Self-guiding groups are encouraged to make reservations to avoid overcrowded galleries. Please schedule all self-guided visits at least 10 days in advance by completing this form.
There are no indoor dining facilities for large groups at the NCMA. Coolers and food containers are not allowed in either building; please leave them in vehicles during tours. Please see this map for picnic table locations. Picnic tables are first come, first served, and may not be reserved.
School bus scholarships are available to public schools with 60% or more students who receive free or reduced lunches. Eligible schools 50 miles or less from the NCMA receive $150 for each bus; those more than 50 miles from the NCMA receive $350 per bus. Each bus must serve at least 40 students. Request a school bus scholarship in the “please describe” box on the tour request form.
Teachers, group leaders, and chaperons, please read these guidelines before your visit.
This presentation can help you prepare students for their visit to the Museum.
Are you ready for your upcoming visit? To be sure, please read this checklist for guided groups or this checklist for self-guided groups.
Highlights of the Collection (K–college, maximum of 100)
Let us select an intriguing selection of works for you to explore and enjoy, representing different cultures, time periods, and media. Work with a Museum educator to plan your visit. Send an email or call (919) 664-6853. Group size may be limited.
This tour meets in the West Building Lobby. To prepare your students for their visit, use this program.
Parts of Art (K–2, maximum of 100 students)
Where can you find circles, rectangles, squares, triangles, and patterns in every color imaginable? Students will recognize and talk about the elements of art on this lively tour and apply some math skills, too.
This tour meets in the West Building Lobby.
Collection Connection (K–college)
Do you want to link the Museum’s collection to your classroom curriculum, but you are not sure what’s possible? Work with a Museum educator to plan your visit. Send an email or call (919) 664-6853. Group size may be limited.
This tour meets in the West Building Lobby.
Patterns in African Art (K–5, maximum of 40 students)
Students explore and identify patterns in African art and consider what these patterns meant to the artists and their communities. After analyzing the patterns on display, students have a chance to create their own.
This tour meets in the West Building Lobby.
Look Here! (Grades 3–5, maximum of 100 students)
How do artists tell us what’s important or interesting? By what they create! Students investigate art with varied subjects and the choices artists make to get our attention.
This tour meets in the West Building Lobby.
Forces of Nature (Grades 3–5, maximum of 100 students)
Wind, rain, snow. Volcanic eruptions! Misty mountaintops and sunny summer days. Students explore landscapes, sculptures, and other art to learn how artists capture and use the forces of nature in works of art.
This tour meets in the West Building Lobby.
Considering Characters (Grades 3–5, maximum of 100 students)
Portraits and narratives offer insight into a person’s personality, culture, and values. Students investigate works of art to uncover clues about the subject’s identity.
This tour meets in the West Building Lobby.
Patterns in African Art (K–5, maximum of 40 students)
Students explore and identify patterns in African art and consider what these patterns meant to the artists and their communities. After analyzing the patterns on display, students have a chance to create their own.
This tour meets in the West Building Lobby.
Collection Connection (K–college)
Do you want to link the Museum’s collection to your classroom curriculum, but you are not sure what’s possible? Work with a Museum educator to plan your visit. Send an email or call (919) 664-6853. Group size may be limited.
This tour meets in the West Building Lobby.
Making Math Artistic (Grades 6–8, maximum of 60 students)
Discover the creative ways artists apply mathematical concepts in their work. Through three-dimensional sculpture and two-dimensional works on the wall, students explore ideas of scale, ratio, perspective, symmetry, and proportion.
This tour meets in the West Building Lobby.
Faces, Figures, and Forms (Grades 6–12, maximum of 40 students)
By examining sculptures of figures from different cultures in Africa, Europe, and America, students learn about artists’ choices and the cultural values that guided them. Students work with others to identify what makes a culture’s art distinctive and what it shares with other cultures.
This is a dual-building tour that meets in the Education Lobby of East Building.
Ancient Cultures (Grades 6–8, maximum of 40 students)
Students dive into the ancient cultures of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. After considering form and function in everyday and ritual art, students reflect on what these works tell us about how ancient people thought and lived.
This tour meets in the West Building Lobby.
Collection Connection (K–college)
Do you want to link the Museum’s collection to your classroom curriculum, but you are not sure what’s possible? Work with a Museum educator to plan your visit. Send an email or call (919) 664-6853. Group size may be limited.
This tour meets in the West Building Lobby.
What Is Art? (Grades 9–12, maximum of 60 students)
Explore the world of art with challenging and thought-provoking questions such as: What makes art “art”? Does art have to be beautiful? Does art have to mean something? And who decides?
This tour meets in the West Building Lobby.
The Power of Art (Grades 9–12, maximum of 50 students)
What symbolizes power? How do people rise to power in different cultures? Students examine how political and social hierarchy, media, communication, and changes in technology influence the depiction of power. Using portraits, ceremonial objects, and other works, students consider how artists through the centuries have represented power.
This tour meets in the West Building Lobby.
Collection Connection (K–college)
Do you want to link the Museum’s collection to your classroom curriculum, but you are not sure what’s possible? Work with a Museum educator to plan your visit. Send an email or call (919) 664-6853. Group size may be limited.
This tour meets in the West Building Lobby.
Tours for Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection exhibition
Frida, Diego, and Friends
Explore the world of Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and other Mexican artists working in the first half of the 20th century. Learn how these artists depicted each other and the cultures that influenced them through photography, painting, and drawing. Recommended for 3rd–8th graders. Tour times: 12:15 pm, and 1:15 pm
Frida, Diego, and Mexican Identity(ies) in Art
How did Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and other Mexican artists influence modernist art of the early 20th century? See how artists reflected and promoted varied Mexican cultures through their work. Recommended for 6th–12th graders. Tour times:12:15 pm and 1:15 pm
Tour and Studio
This program is SOLD OUT.
Self-Guided Student and Youth Group Visits
For groups of 10 or more, please complete a form 10 or more days in advance. One adult chaperon per 10 students or youths is required. If the tour times listed are not convenient for you and your students, consider scheduling a virtual field trip of the exhibition.
The NCMA offers a variety of virtual field trip programs. We can also design a custom program according to your curricular needs. Learn more and request a program here.
School group reservations to visit Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism are no longer available.
Planning a self-guided visit with your school or youth group? Please let us know you’re coming so that we can ensure the best Museum experience for you and your group. A tour coordinator can tell you the galleries that will be busy on the day of your visit and answer other questions about the NCMA and the Museum Park.
For groups of 10 or more.
Chaperons are required. Make reservations at least 10 days in advance.
To schedule a self-guided visit for school or youth groups, email the coordinator or call (919) 664-6820.
Are you ready for your upcoming visit? To be sure, please read the checklist for self-guided groups.
Tactile Tours
The North Carolina Museum of Art offers docent-led tours for visitors with vision loss. Tours include tactile explorations and audio descriptions of selected works in the permanent collection. Ancient figurative sculpture and numerous bronzes by Auguste Rodin are highlighted during these 1- to 1.5-hour tours. Service animals are welcome.
For more information or to schedule a tour, email Michelle Harrell or call (919) 664-6853. Administrative fees may apply. More about Accessibility at the Museum.
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