DeTOUR℠ tickets include museum admission. Space is limited.
Under MAGsocial, we are conducting a monthly DeTOUR℠ on the third Thursday of each month. DeTOURs℠ are an exclusive themed tour that is both engaging and entertaining. These tours focus on some of the amazing personal lives of artists, the inspiration and method to their creativity, and lesser-known facts about some of the works in our collection. Each tour includes activities, personal connections, and mind-blowing facts! And, upping our MAG DeTOUR℠ game, we are now including some Rochester Rocstar guest Tour Guides.
Thursday, May 11 | 6-7 pm | SOLD OUT
Who decides what art goes on view in an art museum? How do museums get new works of art? What is the role of a Museum Director? Spend an hour with Grant Holcomb and find out! For 29 years, Grant helped visitors connect with art, engage with MAG, and enlarge the museum’s collection. On May 11, you can hear about some of Grant’s favorite works, the secret stories of their acquisition, and dazzling, fun facts about our artists and Gallery-related events during his tenure.
Thursday, April 13 | 6-7 pm | SOLD OUT
Joan Lyons (born 1937) has been making pictures continuously for more than six decades. She has been a fearless innovator in a wide range of historical and contemporary image-making processes, as well as newly invented reproduction technologies of the 1960s–1980s. Lyons embraces chance and uncertainty as opportunities for discovery. She has said, “Every idea, every kind of work needed a different way of making it. And the way of making it suggested new directions for the work as it evolved.” Join Joan on a tour of her work in several galleries at MAG.
Thursday, March 9 | 6-7 pm
In honor of Women’s History Month, this MAGsocial DeTOUR℠ will celebrate the women in our collection who made MAGnificent muses, painted perfect portraits, and altered our perceptions of feminism, the art world, and who fought to give women the rights of agency. We will talk about lesser-known heroines, reveal the secret lives of females from our past, share fun facts about present-day artists, and celebrate all the wonders women have provided the art world and beyond. We hope you’ll leave feeling proud, inspired, and also unashamed of your unshaven legs (that’s the best part about winter #amirite)!
Thursday, February 9 | 6-7 pm
The origins of Black History Month date back to the summer of 1915 in Chicago, however, it took another 61 years before it became officially recognized in the United States. On this MAGsocial DeTOUR, we are celebrating Black History Month by highlighting some of the Black artists in our collection. Join us with Calvin Eaton from 540 WMain as we look at Black History in America and learn more about Black arts and culture.
Thursday, January 19 | 6-7 pm | SOLD OUT
What happens to a work of art when the exhibition is over? How do paintings travel from other museums to MAG? What secret sculptures are hidden from the public eye? On this super special MAGsocial DeTOUR℠, MAG Curatorial Assistant Lauren Tagliaferro (aka MAG secret agent of the arts), will guide us through the winding halls of MAG’s art storage areas and show us some of the sacred treasures only few have seen. She will answer all of your burning questions about what it takes to restore a painting, the importance of foam (very underrated), and more. Join us for this super exclusive experience!
Thursday, December 15 | 6-7 pm | SOLD OUT
Mummies, mysteries, the curse of King Tut’s tomb, and more – Ancient Egypt is shrouded in excitement, wonder, and drama. On this MAGsocial DeTOUR we will be joined by Archaeologist, Dr. Alex Smith and Egyptologist, Dr. Rozenn Bailleul-LeSuer as we learn about the history and culture of the Ancient Egyptians, mummification practices of the past, the power of names, and more!
Thursday, October 20 | 6-7 pm | SOLD OUT
Spooky season is in full swing, which means it’s the perfect time to team up with our favorite Archaeologist, Dr. Alexander J. Smith* from the Archaeological Institute of America’s Rochester Society, to dig up all the fun facts about dead objects in MAG’s collection. Alex will take us on a mind jostling journey back in time to see how people lived, died, how their bodies have been preserved, how to differentiate between a decayed piece of garbage vs. an invaluable ancient artifact, and all the mysterious/eerie/dead things he’s discovered in the field. Join us if you dare!
Space is limited.
*Dr. Alexander J. Smith is an archaeologist and a Professor of Anthropology at SUNY Brockport where he specializes in survey and landscape archaeology, Western New York History, and colonialism in the Western Mediterranean (Iron Age to the 20th century). He is the director of Frost Town Archaeology in Naples, New York and co-director of the Torre d’en Galmes Archaeological Project in Menorca, Spain. He teaches ten different courses at SUNY Brockport, has published over a dozen articles, has done digs all around the world, can speak Italian, and in his free time he enjoys hiking, reading, opera, art, and leading DeTOURs℠ for MAG.
Thursday, September 22 | 6-7 pm
You’ve seen his photos of murals and public art, but now you have the chance to meet him in person! Join us and Cocktails with Creatives Alum and #magmeme aficionado Quajay Donnell as he teaches us about his favorite works from our collection, shares some of his award-winning photos of Rochester and beyond, and talks about his passion for public art.
Thursday, August 25 | 6-7 pm
Have you ever thought of art as “boring”? If so, it doesn’t have to be that way! On this MAGsocial DeTOUR℠, we’ll discuss the basics of understanding and appreciating art. What is art? Why does it matter? Why should we care? We’ll give you enough info and tools so that you can look at a work of art, squint your eyes, turn your head to one side, and confidently say, “Wow. So subversive.”
Thursday, July 14 | 6-7 pm
July is Pride month here in Rochester, and we’re celebrating all things LGBTQIA+! Join us on Thursday, July 14, with special guest Dr. Margaret Sheble, as we talk about the origins of Queer theory, its relationship to the art world, artists in the collection who identify as Queer, ways to be an ally, and more. It’s going to be fab!
Thursday, June 16 | 6-7:15 pm
Contemplation. Relaxation. Stimulation. These words are all associated with the harmony of art and the amity of yoga. On this special MAGsocial DeTOUR℠, we combine art and yoga and give you an evening of mindfulness, meditation, and more at MAG with Yoga Instructor Linda Lawrence. We will stroll through our Museum grounds, focusing on works portraying balance, awareness, perseverance, and perspective while releasing tension and reducing stress.
Please bring your yoga mat and water, and wear comfortable clothing. In case of rain, we will move yoga indoors.
Thursday, May 19 | 6-7:30 pm | CANCELLED
Though art tries to engage all the senses, scent is often overlooked. Scent has a very strong link to memory and connects to the emotional regions of the brain more directly than other senses. On this enhanced MAGsocial DeTOUR℠ we are teaming up with our friends from Scents by Design to give you an immersive experience that will dazzle your eyes and your nose. The DeTOUR℠ will start out at Scents by Design where you will be able to make your own unique candle based on your favorite fragrances and then we will head over to MAG where we will look at works of art and imagine what aromas (or odors) the artists were trying to convey.
Join us for a night of fun as we make sweet (or floral or citrusy or woodsy) memories that will linger in your living room and last in your brain.
