Tours
Please note, the galleries will be closed for Christmas on Thursday, December 24, and Friday, December 25; and Friday, January 1. The Museum is now open with updated hours, Wednesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm, required free timed tickets to encourage social distancing, and increased health and safety procedures including required cloth masks. Learn more about these updates in this video or at ncartmuseum.org/covid19. Museum from Home programming continues, including the NCMA Virtual Exhibitions Subscription and virtual events.
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
Currently we are not leading public tours or scheduling guided tours.
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.
At this time we are not leading family tours. Please send questions to help@ncartmuseum.org, as our policies will evolve.
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.
At this time we are not leading any public tours. Please send questions to help@ncartmuseum.org, as our policies will evolve.
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.
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.
Interactive and fun virtual tours of four or five objects from the Museum’s collection and special exhibitions are available for up to 15 adults. Options include Highlights of the Collection, Docent’s Pick, and Golden Mummies (starting February 10, 2021).
The virtual tours are facilitated by an NCMA-trained docent using Zoom and Google Slides. Each tour lasts one hour. Available times are Tuesday through Friday at 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1 pm, or 2 pm.
Reservations are required at least four weeks in advance and are confirmed by a payment of $54.70. To request a tour, please complete the adult tour request form on our Tours page. For more information call Jennifer Coon, (919) 664-6820.
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.
At this time we are not leading public tours or scheduling group visits or tours. Please send questions to Jennifer Coon, as our policies will evolve.
Guided tours are booked to capacity through April 2020. Groups of fewer than 40 should inquire about availability by calling (919) 664-6820 before filling out the 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.
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.
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.
Beginning October 7, self-guided groups of 10 to 20 students or youth may visit the permanent collection, Wednesday through Friday at designated hours. Smaller groups do not need a reservation but do need free timed tickets. One adult chaperon for every 5 students is required. During your visit please divide into groups of 5 students and stay in separate galleries, following the arrows on the floor.
First, order your free student group tickets, including those for your required chaperons. After your student group tickets are confirmed, complete the Self-Guided Student Group Request Form.
Free special exhibition tickets may be ordered for groups of 10 to 20 students on a school-sponsored field trip. Availability is limited by capacity restrictions. To inquire, call (919) 664-6820 or email Jen Coon.
As part of your planning, please review our current health and safety measures. Wearing a cloth mask is required for the duration of your visit.
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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