Group Tours

Make Galveston Arts Center part of your cultural education program!

GAC welcomes school-age learners and adult groups. We invite you to request either a guided tour led by trained museum educators or a self-guided visit, which allows you to lead your own students through the exhibitions. 

Please request your guided tour no less than three weeks in advance of the requested visit date, or your self-guided-visit no less than two weeks in advance. We will do our best to accommodate your request(s). However, your visit is not confirmed until you have received a confirmation by email.

Scheduling Tip #1: Before submitting your request, please consult your school's administration and calendar regarding bus maintenance days, testing days, school holidays, and half days. When selecting date and time preferences for your visit, please consider approximate travel time from your school, as well as any guidelines your school may have regarding bus departure and return times.

Scheduling Tip #2: GAC does not have designated parking, however, visitors may be dropped off and picked up at the entrance. If you choose to park first, please plan extra time for parking and walking several blocks, especially during peek tourism season. Click here for parking information.

Guided Tours

Guided tours offer eye-opening opportunities for your students to make the most of their encounters with contemporary art exhibitions at Galveston Arts Center. Museum educators and trained volunteers engage students in lively, inquiry-based conversations that strengthen curriculum connections and encourage critical thinking skills. Guided tours are exhibition-based and therefore vary thematically. Please refer to the Future Exhibitions page for a preview of scheduled exhibitions. Educators are strongly encouraged to preview exhibitions themselves before bringing groups of children. A live virtual preview and discussion can be scheduled with the Director of Education prior to booking.

• Galveston Arts Center tours are recommended for students who are at or above a second-grade level in school.

• Guided visits last about 45 minutes. Groups are free to explore the exhibitions on their own after the tour.

Art Workshop Add-on

Think like an artist! This optional add-on pairs a 45-minute in-gallery deep-looking/inquiry session with a 45-minute art-making experience in our on-site Studio Classroom. After exploring and discussing different works of art in the galleries, students create their own unique creations to take home. Materials and supplies are provided by GAC.

• Studio Art Workshops can accommodate no more than 24 students at a time.

• Art Workshops MAY require up to 6 weeks’ advance notice.

• Each student may make one art project. Chaperones and teachers are asked to help monitor students during the activity. 

• Optional: Students may bring bag lunches to eat in the classroom before or after the activity. (Up to 30 minutes.)

Self-Guided Visits

Teachers and their students may explore our exhibitions independently, however Self-guided group visits also require appointments. Please be aware that lectures may not be suitable for groups larger than 15-20 individuals due to space.

Group Size
Self-guided groups at Galveston Arts Center may have no fewer than ten students and no more than fifty students, with one chaperone required for every ten students.  Groups larger than twenty-five will be asked to split into smaller groups before entering the upstairs galleries.

Advance reservations are required for all groups of ten or more students.

Visit Schedule
With enough advance notice, self-guided tours may be scheduled for any date except federal holidays. Monday through Friday, 9:30AM–4:15PM, Saturday and Sunday 12:00-4:15pm

Trip Tips for Educators

1. Set clear expectations. Establish rules before you enter the gallery.

2. If necessary, direct students to sit or stand in a particular way so that your entire group can see the work you are discussing.

3. Use a theme or essential question to focus students’ looking and thinking.

4. Repeat or paraphrase students’ comments to ensure that everyone heard it before you reply.

5. Since they cannot touch the art, consider bringing sample items that students can touch to better explore unfamiliar materials or objects that may be featured in the exhibition.

6. Have students explore the gallery and find works of art on their own that they think are interesting.

7. Read the artist’s Statement posted at the entrance to the gallery. Stop to explain any unfamiliar vocabulary or concepts.

8. Explain how to read the artwork labels. (Sometimes these are posted near the entrance as well, rather than next to each work, especially for an installation.)

9. Ask students to compare and contrast works of art made by different artists.

10. Ask students to describe the “mood’ of the work or exhibition. Discuss what causes an emotional response in art - is it the subject? Colors? Application? Scale? Materials?

If you are interested in forming an educational partnership with Galveston Arts Center for a special project, please contact our Director of Education with your proposal, time frame, budget estimate, and any potential sources of support.