Friends of the Museum of Art have several exclusive opportunities each year to join excursions out of town to visit special exhibitions and sites of artistic interest. The Friends of the Museum is an organization of over 1,000 individual and corporate members who provide crucial support for programs, acquisitions, and special exhibitions while enjoying a personal relationship with their museum. Members may also take part in a variety of volunteer services, including participation in one of the Friends' committees. The Museum of Art houses 13,000 objects from the ancient past to the present, representing the highest cultural achievements of the European, American, Asian and African traditions. Docents are trained, dedicated volunteers who guide school, youth, and adult groups through the Museum's collection and special exhibitions.
All docent tours are free of charge.
Docent Tours Docent tours help visitors of all ages feel at home in the Museum and comfortable with works of art by building looking skills and confidence, and encouraging visitors to discover for themselves the aesthetic pleasure, cultural information, and personal meaning in works of art. Fun as well as factual, docent-led tours provide relevant information on artists, subject matter, materials, and context. Docent tours for school groups complement teachers' efforts to meet current curriculum objectives, with customized tours to support art, humanities, social studies, language arts, science, math, and multicultural curriculums. School tours also create interactive experiences that build critical thinking skills such as observation and analysis. Tour Times Tours for both school and adult groups are offered Tuesday through Friday mornings and Tuesday through Thursday afternoons, September through May. Special tours may be scheduled at other times, depending on volunteer availability.