School and Youth Group Guided Tour Options

In this rich, two-hour program, gallery instructors lead a one hour tour focusing on your choice from below. During the second hour, studio art instructors lead an art project so students better understand the creative process.

All tours in this category support Arts Learning Standards for Visual Arts 1–5, in addition to the Curriculum Frameworks relevant to tour content.

School Year Hours (Oct 1, 2012–Jun 13, 2013)

Mon–Thu 10 am; 11 am–2 pm every 15 min.
Fri 10 am–2 pm every 15 min., subject to guide availability

Summer Hours (beginning Summer of 2013)

Mon–Fri, 10 am to 2 pm every 15 min.

The MFA’s Greatest Hits tours are ideal for first time visitors or classes interested in a cross-cultural approach to art. Explore a variety of objects from each of the Museum’s five major collection areas, in different mediums throughout the ages. Students will look closely and discuss works of art in a fun and engaging way. Teachers may choose one of the following seven options -- please indicate in the “Special requirements or notes for this reservation” section of the online request form which tour you prefer.

(Link to Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks: Various)

• Storytelling (elementary)
• Animals in Art (elementary)
• Children in Art (elementary)
• Myths and Heroic Tales (secondary)
• Relationships (secondary)
• Identity (secondary)
• MFA’s Greatest Hits (all ages)

School Year Hours (Oct 1, 2012–Jun 13, 2013)

Mon–Thu 11 am–2 pm every 15 min.
Fri 10 am–2 pm every 15 min; subject to guide availability

Summer Hours (beginning Summer of 2013)

Mon–Fri, 10 am to 2 pm every 15 min.

Even after the fall of Rome, the values and aspirations of the classical world continued to influence generations of artists and thinkers. The Ancient Legacy tour will explore how subsequent groups of artists reinterpreted and appropriated the ideals of the ancients for their own times.

(Links to Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks HSS 7.24 – 7.43)

Creating an American Identity: Art from the Early Republic to World War II

9:30 (early entry), 10:30 am

The American Identity tour illustrates the events of the 1800s and early 1900s and how they shaped how Americans perceived themselves. Students will explore the impact of industrialization, westward expansion, the Civil War, immigration, and the American role in international relations. They will see examples of painting, sculpture and decorative arts from that time period that reflect those changes. This tour is recommended for high school classes studying United States history and culture of the 19th and 20th centuries.

(Link to Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks: HSS US I, US II)

What Artists Do Option
Our country’s unique identity is comprised of languages, food, fashion, style, art, and music from many cultures. Mix images from print with acrylic paint on canvas to create your own version of the American Identity.

Exploring the New World: Art from the Ancient Americas, Colonial America, and the New Nation

9:45 (early entry), 10:45 am

The New World tour offers a chance to explore the earliest art of the Americas. Portraits, furniture, silver and gold tell stories about life in the pre-Columbian era, colonial North America, and the new nation. This tour is recommended for students who are interested in the history and culture of the Americas before 1820.

(Link to Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks: HSS 5.1–5.2, 5.4, 5.6–5.11, 5.17–5.18)

What Artists Do Option
Native Americans and colonists both used clay to make practical, beautiful vessels to carry water and store food, developing different designs and images for decoration. Build clay objects in the style of Native Americans or the early colonists.

Understanding Massachusetts History: The Art and Objects that Illustrate its Distinctive Past

9:45 (early entry), 10:45 am

The Massachusetts tour provides a window into the American Revolution and daily life in the 17th and 18th centuries. Students will visit period rooms from both rural and urban houses and become familiar with everyday objects and artifacts. They will see paintings of revolutionary leaders and the events with which they are associated. This tour is recommended for students who are interested in the history and culture of Massachusetts.

(Link to Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks: HSS 3.1-3.7, 3.12)

What Artists Do Option
Neighborhoods are as vibrant and colorful as we are. In this exploration, choose what makes your neighborhood unique—a favorite place or activity, neighbors and friends, and then paint your neighborhood’s portrait with acrylics on canvas.

Art of Asia

10:15 am

The MFA’s collections of Asian art span thousands of years, across multiple countries and regions, including India, China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Illuminate your study of world history by examining art from one or more cultures.

(Link to Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks: HSS 4.4 – 4.7, World History I, World History II, Foreign Languages Cultures Strand)

What Artists Do option
Learn the techniques of Chinese calligraphy or Japanese sumi-e to create your own hanging scroll.

Art of the Silk Road

See how trade transformed cultures, bringing Buddhism to “the east” and Chinese style to “the west,” along with other spicy transactions as you examine art from India, Iraq, Vietnam, China, Korea, and Japan.

(Link to Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks: HSS 4.4–4.7, World History I, World History II, Foreign Languages Cultures Strand)

Art of Europe

9:45 (early entry), 10:45 am

Our European collection includes masterpieces by the greatest artists in history from the 12th to the 20th century. Please indicate one of the following options in the “Special requirements or notes for this reservation” section of the online request form.

Small Kingdoms to Emerging Nations: Art of Europe from 1100 to 1700

The Small Kingdoms to Emerging Nations tour will include 12th through 17th century art reflecting how European culture acquired practices and forms rooted in church and state. Students will look at and talk about paintings, sculpture and decorative arts from this time period such as princely portraits, luxury goods, monks, and stories from mythology.

(Link to Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks: HSS World History I)

What Artists Do Option
Inspired by 12th-century paintings, paint a tempera panel in bright colors and gold paint.

The Enlightenment to Modernism: The Art of Europe from 1700 to the mid 1900s

The Enlightenment to Modernism tour will include 18th through mid 20th century art illustrating the emergence of modern Europe through art that reflects this time period. Students will look at and talk about sculpture, decorative arts, and paintings – including the MFA’s unparalleled Impressionist collection.

(Link to Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks: HSS World History II)

What Artists Do Option
Look at 18th-century sculpture, then build a clay bust of a current important figure in the manner of 18th century busts, create a self-portrait, or a bust of a friend.

Three Centuries of French Art: Classicism to Cubism

9:45 am (early entry)
The French Art tour will include 17th through 20th century art by covering a number of artistic styles, including but not limited to Classicism, French Rococo, Romanticism, impressionism, post-impressionism, pointillism, and Cubism. Students will discuss socio-political factors and the influence of other cultures on French art. This is an English language tour.

(Link to Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks: HSS World History I, World History II, Foreign Languages Cultures Strand)

What Artists Do Option
Original Cubist works serve as inspiration to create Cubist assemblages or paintings.

The Art of Spain from Medieval to Modern: Patrons, Princes and Picasso

10:45 am

The Art of Spain tour will include art from the 12th through the 20th century, and will illustrate Spain’s influence on the art of other cultures. Students will look at decorative arts, sculpture, and paintings spanning this time period and discuss how state religion, patriotism, and cultural practices are depicted by master artists. This is an English language tour.

(Link to Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks: HSS World History I, World History II, Foreign Languages Cultures Strand)

What Artists Do Option
View paintings of European monarchs and religious figures, then create a royal self-portrait—as a king, a princess, or even an austere monk.

Art Redefined: Contemporary Works, 1955 to the Present

10 am

During the Contemporary tour, students will engage in lively discussion as they experience art from many different cultures in the newly installed Contemporary galleries in the Linde Family Wing. They will see how contemporary artists use unconventional materials, innovative techniques and new technologies. They will also explore how Contemporary art reflects the rapidly changing global world of today and often redefines our ideas of what "art" can be.

(Link to Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks: Arts Connections Strand Standards 6–10)

Photography: Daguerrotypes to the Digital Age

10 am

The Photography tour highlights photographic art from the 1800s to modern day and focuses on selected works from the MFA’s special exhibitions on photography. Students will explore the photography as an art form and discuss artists in terms of photographic intent, styles and techniques used to express the intent. Using a framework to analyze photography, students will engage in conversations about composition, light and movement in this medium. This tour is recommended for all ages interested in photography and design.

(Link to Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks: Arts Connections Strand Standards 6–10)