Guided Tours:

Docent-led group tours are available anytime during museum hours, but must be scheduled at least three weeks in advance. Please call (316) 268-4929 to schedule your tour (or register online).

Tours of special exhibitions can be arranged or choose from the following theme tours:

Learning to Look

Grades K-12

[45 minutes, K-5] and [1 hour, 6-12]
The elements and principles of design are basic to understanding and appreciating art. We adapt our tours to the curriculum requirements for your grade level.

People & Places

Grades 1-8

[45 minutes, 1-5] and [1 hour, 6-8]
Discover how artists paint individuals, families, and workers in their environments. Discuss differences between urban and rural scenes and industrial and agricultural ways of life.

The American West

Grades K-12

[45 minutes, K-5] and [1 hour, 6-12]
Works by Charles M. Russell, Frederick Remington, and others reveal how artists and audiences perceived the American West. Look at the works in conjunction with your discussions on the settlement of the West and consequences of expansionist policies.

200 years of American Art in 60 Minutes

Grades 9-12

[1 hour]
Take a whirlwind tour of American art history by studying some of the major movements and their practitioners. Topics include colonial portraiture, 19th century landscape painting, American Impressionism, Ash Can School, early modernism, Regionalism, and Abstract Expressionism. You’ll probably want an extra half hour to write or sketch in the galleries. Then, schedule another visit to look at a subject in depth.

Self-guided Tours

Teachers are always encouraged to lead their students on their own specialized tour of the museum; however, we are happy to work with teachers to help prepare worksheets or lesson plans for their students’ visit. Leaders of self-guided tours still need to schedule their group at least one week ahead so that we can accommodate their needs and those of others who might be visiting.

Guidelines for all tours:

Chaperones

One adult chaperone is required for every ten students throughout the Museum. Kindergarten groups should have one adult for every five children. In order to ensure a quality experience for the groups, chaperones are asked not to bring preschool aged children. Tour contact people will receive a handout by mail called “Museum Manners” that details acceptable behavior for groups and individuals in the art museum. Chaperones and students must all be informed of the rules before arriving for the tour. Chaperones are responsible for their students’ behavior and enforcing a proper code of conduct.

In the Galleries

WAM can provide clipboards and pencils for writing in the galleries, just request these before you arrive. No pens, markers, or any wet writing medium is allowed in the galleries.

Food, drink, and chewing gum are also not allowed in the galleries. While WAM does not have a lunchroom for school groups, students may bring sack lunches to eat outside on the Museum grounds. Lunches and any large bags or backpacks will need to be left in vehicles or checked in the cloakroom upon entering.

Please do not run or jump in the galleries, for your safety and that of the art.

Voices

Discussion and talking is encouraged in the Museum, but keep in mind that it is a place of contemplation and learning, so voices should be kept at a respectful level.

Tour Registration Form >

For Guided Tours

A docent will call you before your visit to reconfirm the date, time, and content of the tour, and to determine a final count. On the day of the tour, have students wear name tags. Your guide is there to educate and inspire the group, but it is the chaperones’ duty to make sure children use proper museum manners.

Be prompt! Docents will wait no longer than 30 minutes for a tardy group. Remember, docents are volunteers who give selflessly of their time to share their passion and knowledge, so treat them with respect. If you must cancel a visit, please do so by calling the education department as far in advance as possible so the docent leader can be notified.