Walker School Tour Program
An Enriching, Expanded School Day
Broaden learning beyond your classroom through the arts! Walker School Tours are more than just a fun field trip or culminating activity—they’re an impactful source of support for your teaching efforts year-round. Designed by Museum Educators and Curriculum Specialists for students across the heartland and beyond, each tour offers a range of benefits for a unique experience:
- Aligned with K-12 curriculum standards, STEAM-friendly, and able to be tailored to your classroom’s needs.
- Completely free of cost. We’ll even provide reimbursements for transportation and substitute teachers for on-site tours, and free sack lunches for guided tours.
- Easy for teachers to coordinate and take away new strategies to use in their classrooms.
- Engaging, accessible, and inclusive of all learning styles, offering memorable moments for students of all backgrounds and abilities to make creative connections with school subjects.
All tours focus on four to five works of art and are themed around an essential question. Each tour stop uses a specific guiding question to scaffold the conversation back into the theme and standards of your classroom.
NEW: Workshop Add-On
In preparation for our upcoming gallery and studio expansion, we are piloting add–on experiences that complement and enhance our K-12 tours. These hour-long workshops are completely free and take place after the guided tour and lunch. Activities will vary depending on your tour, but could include individual or group artmaking as well as age–appropriate demonstrations. Availability may vary depending on your preferred date and time. Please indicate your interest in a workshop when you book your tour.
Seasonal & Special Tours
Exquisite Creatures
What is is about the natural world that fascinates you? Discover the connections between art and science in this exhibition by artist, naturalist, and author Christopher Marley.
See dazzling displays of beetles, butterflies, and bold mosaics of ocean life. Marley uses sustainable and responsible collecting methods, reclaiming specimens after dying of natural or incidental causes. He arranges the organisms in patterns inspired by nature—or presents them alone, with captivating results that increase our appreciation.
Career Days
Join Crystal Bridges staff on a Tuesday when the museum is closed to the public for a behind the scenes look at the variety of careers it takes to keep a museum open and running smoothly. From culinary to accounting; graphic design to horticulture; the career possibilities are endless. Career Day tours last one hour and include lunch and reimbursement for transportation and substitute teachers. While available for all ages, career days are designed to aid school counselors and career orientation instructors reveal a myriad of careers associated with arts, culture, and creative economies.
NEW: Mindfulness Tour
Today’s fast-paced world often causes students to struggle to slow down and notice the beauty of the world around them. The practice of mindfulness and slow looking at art can help combat this struggle and foster a sense of personal well-being. Crystal Bridges offers students the tools needed to combine the aesthetic appreciation of art with the practice of mindfulness. Students will experience deep looking techniques which help to calm the mind and body and create a connection between art and wellness.
Visitor Voices
“What a fabulous experience for our Grade 4 students! They all came back telling me all of the things they saw—so excited!” —School Principal
“I was inspired. I want to go again!” —Student
“The students had a phenomenal experience. Wonderful tour—they are still talking about it!” —Elementary School Teacher
“Muchas gracias por habermos invitado. Fue muy interesante, es un lugar muy bonito.” —ESL Student
Looking for After-School Tours or College Tours?
Sponsored by:
GoGo Squeez, Kimberly-Clark, and BoozmanHof Regional Eye Clinic & Optical Shop