MAG offers exciting ways to bring our collection to life and to connect students and teachers with art from around the world. Bring your students to MAG for docent-guided or teacher-guided tours of our collection and/or our temporary exhibitions. School tours provide opportunities for engaging with content and standards across subject areas and grade levels. If accommodations are needed for any student, please let us know! Requests for tours in American Sign Language are welcome.

We are excited to offer free school tours! Reservations must be made in advance through the school tour request form.



Important Information

Teacher Tour Tips

In addition to reviewing the information below, you can also download and print out tour tips, a tour checklist, and the chaperone guidelines.

Tour Checklist

Before Your Visit

  • Receive MAG Confirmation 
  • Schedule bus(es) 
  • Assign chaperones (1 per 8–10 students) and make a plan for dividing your class into groups based on number of docent guides 
  • Touch base with Contact Docent (2–4 weeks prior to tour) 
  • Share Social Story, For Your Students, and For Your Chaperones Information 
  • Send update on estimated attendance numbers to tours@mag.rochester.edu (1 week prior to tour) 

Day of Visit

  • Divide students into groups based on number of docent guides 
  • Arrive at MAG 15 minutes before tour start time  
  • Meet with tour coordinator to verify number cohorts, exit time and location 
  • Enjoy the tour! 
Length of Tour Time Slots
  • Grades 3 & up – 75 min. total (60 min. tour with 15 min. for welcome and transition) 
  • Pre-K–2 – 60 min. total (45 min. tour with 15 min. for welcome and transition) 
  • Tours will not be extended due to late arrival. If your group will be arriving late, please call (585) 276-8974 to let us know. 
  • Additional visit time beyond your scheduled tour slot must be requested in advance. 
What Students Will See
  • During the tour your students will not all see the same pieces of art. They will, however, all be encouraged to engage with art through observation and conversations led by MAG’s trained docent guides. 
  • If there is something you want your students to see and learn about, please communicate this to your contact docent. Artwork is rotated, and objects may not be on display during your tour. 
  • The MAG has over 5,000 years of world art, which includes some artists’ depictions of the human body. Students may see a variety of artistic expression in passing as they move throughout the galleries, and sometimes this may include nude figures. We are prepared to address questions that may come up and then redirect students’ attention to the artworks that are a part of their focused tour plans. If you have any questions or concerns about content, please contact learning@mag.rochester.edu to connect with a museum educator. 
Chaperone Expectations, Ratio, and Goals
  • We require 1 chaperone per 8–10 students and request chaperones do not bring additional children. 
  • Make sure your chaperones understand the importance of their role to the visit’s success. Sharing the museum guidelines along with ideas on how to handle any disruptions can help chaperones feel confident and supported. 
  • We request chaperones do not use their cell phones other than to take pictures while on the tour or communicate with other group leaders, so their full attention is given to the students, and they are present in the experience.

We ask that chaperones:

  • Always stay with your assigned group in the museum 
  • Actively supervise student behavior 
  • Keep students together as a group 
  • Refrain from being on your phone during the tour 
  • Do not bring other children with you on the tour
Beyond Your Tour

MAG does not have dining facilities for school tour groups. We have beautiful outdoor spaces for picnic lunches, weather permitting. Please plan accordingly and have a rain plan. 

Cancellation Policy

Please let us know as soon as possible if you need to cancel your tour. Our volunteer docents’ time is very important to us. The sooner you can contact us, the more likely we can find another visit date. 

Transportation Reimbursements

MAG is pleased to provide transportation reimbursement, up to $200, to eligible public schools based on their free and reduced lunch status on a first-come, first-served basis during the 2024–25 school year. Please indicate your interest in receiving this reimbursement when you complete the School Tour Request Form. Contact Allison Goodwin, Director of Academic & Community Programs, at agoodwin@mag.rochester.edu for more information.

Tour Themes

Tours can be personalized for your class needs, or you can choose from one of these popular tours that we have found successful. 

Learning to Look: An Introduction to the Gallery

Grade Level: Elementary, Secondary 
What is an art museum? What can you learn by looking at artwork? Explore the Galleries finding details, learning new vocabulary and sharing your observations. 

Standing robot made out of nine old-fashioned portable televisions.

Nam June Paik, Bakelite Robot, 2002, mixed media. Maurice R. and Maxine B. Forman Fund, Marion Stratton Gould Fund, Clara and Edwin Strasenburgh Fund, Lyman K. and Eleanore B. Stuart Endowment Fund, and Thelma M. Knapp Fund, 2018.34

Passport to the Past

Grade Level: Secondary 
Explore universal themes of civilization such as writing, religion, and burial customs through artworks and artifacts 500 to 5,000 years old.

Rusted Corinthian helmet.

Greek artist, Corinthian Helmet, late 7th century BCE, bronze. Maurice R. and Maxine B. Forman Fund, 2008.70

Animals in Art

Grade Level: Elementary 
Explore animals’ amazing attributes, homey habitats and roles in significant stories from many cultures.

Painting of two people with a pair of oxen on a beach.

Joaquin Sorollo y Bastida, Oxen on the Beach, 2010, oil on canvas. Gift of Mrs. James Sibley Watson, 1914.8

Art and ELA: Storytelling

Grade Level: Elementary 
Look for clues to setting, characters, plot, action, and outcome in artworks, and use critical thinking skills to “read” the story in a work of art.

Art History

Grade Level: Secondary 
Trace the numerous styles, themes and materials explored by artists of many cultures.

Genesee Journey

Grade Level: Elementary, Secondary 
Follow the stories of upstate New York, Rochester, and the Memorial Art Gallery itself through artworks in the Gallery’s collections.

Many Faces, Many Places

Grade Level: Elementary 
Come face-to-face with artworks such as masks, paintings and statues representing cultures from major world regions.

Sacred Stories, Myths, and Legends

Grade Level: Secondary 
“Listen” to artworks with a story to tell, “hear” how culture influences art and “see” how beliefs and stories pass down through narrative and symbolic art. 

Current Temporary Exhibitions

Grade Level: Elementary 
MAG has several temporary exhibitions at any given time. These exhibits cover many different themes and styles. Currently on exhibit.


The Memorial Art Gallery’s School Programs are sponsored by Louis Valinoti, an anonymous foundation, and ESL Charitable Foundation, with additional support from an anonymous donor, Peter J. Papadakos, and Jane Colangelo. Funding is also provided by New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

School tours are provided free of charge with support from an anonymous donor, David Figlio and Anne L. Ford, Katherine K. Cove, and Marcia J. Lowry.

Transportation reimbursement for school tours is generously supported by Joseph Dimino and an anonymous donor.

Additional support for School Programs is provided by the John C. and Elsa L. Beach and Eileen M. Sullivan Education Endowment, the Elizabeth Brayer Family Endowment, the Elizabeth L. and Donald M. Cohn Endowment Fund, the Docent Endowment Fund, the Emma Jane Drury Education Fund, the MAG Education Endowment Fund, the Patricia S. Fishman Educational Endowment, the Joanna M. and Michael R. Grosodonia Fund, the Frank Grosso and Diane Holahan Grosso Fund, the Mary Sue Jack Endowed Fund, the Marion Lord and John L. Swierkos Education Endowment, the Memorial Art Gallery Community Access Endowment, the Powers Family Endowment, the Mary Ann Monley and William D. Rice Education Endowment, and the Josephine Tota Endowment.

The McPherson Director of Academic Programs is partially endowed by an anonymous donor and supported by the MAG Director of Education Fund and the Joan Feinbloom School Programming Fund. Support for the Estelle B. Goldman Museum Educators is provided by the Estate of Estelle B. Goldman.

ESL Charitable Foundation logo
New York State Council on the Arts logo