Muskegon, Museum of Art

THURSDAY OPEN PUBLIC TOURS 

Drop in to for tours on Thursdays, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Thursday admission is free. Reservations are not required. MMA docents will be on hand to lead tours of featured exhibitions.

GUIDED GROUP TOURS

Student Artwork

 

Visitors view Hubble Space Telescope photos.

Artist Jim Nawara and student discuss art.

Students take part in "Write Way to See" program.

What constitutes a group tour? This is a guided tour offered to eight or more people by our experienced docents. Self-guided tours are permitted, however, these should also be scheduled with our tour coordinator to avoid over-crowding in the galleries. 

Click here for 2010-2011 School Tour Guide poster

Click here for 2010-2011School Tour Program Information

TOUR PREPARATION PACKETS
After scheduling a tour, you will receive a set of anticipatory and follow-up materials to help make your class’s experience meaningful and lasting. These can include helpful activity sheets, suggestions, or links to websites.
Formal Elements of Art
Pre-visit powerpoint
Landscapes
Pre-visit powerpoint

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

Pre-visit powerpoint

HOW TO SCHEDULE A TOUR:

• Select three possible dates and times for your group to visit the museum. If you are combining your visit with a nearby facility, such as the Hackley Public Library, Muskegon County Museum or the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts, be sure to contact that organization to verify its ability to accommodate your group at your desired time. We cannot make these arrangements for you unfortunately.
• Determine which of our tours works best for your group, including desired length.
• Docent lead tours can be scheduled October through June. Most tours can be scheduled between the hours of 10:00 am and 3:00 pm, Tuesday through Friday.
• Tour groups must bring one Chaperone for each ten students scheduled to visit the museum. Groups of 30 or less can reserve the museum classroom for lunch. In warm weather large groups can reserve Hackley Park for lunch by calling 231.724.6704.
• Phone our tour scheduler Monday through Friday between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm at 231.720.2571 at least two weeks in advance of your visit.

COST
School Tours: Admission for students is free, as is the admission for their tour chaperones. Adult Non-School Tours: Each adult in a group tour pays regular adult admission price. Thursday adult admissions are free. There is no tour fee beyond museum admission price for any group tour.

SCHOOL GROUP TOUR PROGRAMS
Make art exciting! Visiting the Muskegon Museum of Art is a great way to provide your students with an opportunity to discover the world of art. Students can explore the Museum's permanent collection of American and European artwork or experience a wide range of artistic genres by visiting our temporary exhibitions.

OPTIONS

GENERAL SCHOOL GROUP PROGRAMS

1.  Formal Elements of Art
• Adaptable for students in grades 3–12
• 1 hour
• Available September—June
• 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
• Pre-visit PowerPoint available on the MMA website
Over 100 years ago Charles Hackley bequested funds to collect “pictures of the best kind” for the citizens of Muskegon. What eventually became the Hackley Picture Fund helped form the MMA’s spectacular collection of art. From this great collection students will explore artworks on display and be introduced to the basics of line, shape, color, value, form, texture, and space. These formal elements are a great way learn to appreciate art in every artistic style.
Coordinates with Lakeshore Museum Center Philanthropic Program.

 2.  Color My World
• Pre-K and Kindergarten
• 45 minutes (includes hands-on activity)
• Available September—June
• 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Students will learn about the world of color by looking at paintings in the Museum galleries and reading about three mischievous mice that get mixed up in paint. After a gallery tour, students will create their own colorful mice by mixing primary colors. This is a great way to explore the senses and introduce color into the classroom.
Supports GLCE
Science: K-S.IP.E.1

3.  The Changing American Scene
• Landscapes from the MMA Permanent Collection
• Grades: 3–8
• 1 hour
• Available September—June
• Pre-visit PowerPoint and Teacher Packet available on the MMA website
From Manifest Destiny to industrialization, works from the permanent collection will demonstrate how the American landscape, and artists’ interpretations of it, has significantly changed over the centuries. Students will learn how agriculture, waterways, and urbanization changed the landscape and the people of America.
Coordinates with Lakeshore Museum Center Walking Tour.
Coordinates with NEA Picturing America and Michigan Humanities Council, Picturing America in Michigan. Grant funds available for participating Picturing America Schools.
Supports GLCE
Social Studies: 2-H2.0.4, 2-G4, 3-H3, 3-G2, 4-H3, 6(7)-W12, 6-G1.2.4

4.  Art Talk: Poetry and the Permanent Collection
• Middle & High School
• 1 hour, 15 minutes
• Available September—June
• Limited to 30 students per group
Each work of art has its own voice, story, and meaning. In this tour, students will be inspired to add their own unique voice to a work of art in the MMA’s permanent collection by expressing it through written word. Students will learn about “imagery” and how it is used in written word as well as visually in artwork. Students will spend time with their work of choice and then begin to write their own “imagery” for the work.
Supports GLCE
English Language Arts: W.GN.06(07;08).01, W.PS.06(07;08).01, S.DS.06(07;08).01, S.DS.06(07;08).03, S.DS.06(07;08).04, L.CN.06(07;08).01, L.CN.06(07;08).02, L.RP.06(07;08).01