Gallery Tours

For an exciting, educational field trip, fabulous group meeting or inspiring event for your club, the Arkansas Arts Center is the place to visit! Knowledgeable, friendly museum docents conduct the tours. Forty-five minute tours focus on up to three exhibitions and are tailored for your group's needs and ages, from 2nd Grade to adults.

School Tours

School tours are available by appointment Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Reservations are required 2 weeks in advance for guided tours. Tours are designed to introduce students to the richness and diversity of the visual arts, and to stimulate creativity, critical thinking and judgment skills in students. Guided tours place visual arts in context with history, social studies and science. All tours address the Arkansas State Department of Education's Fine Arts Curriculum Strand 1: Inquire/ Explore/ Discover and Strand 3: Reflect/ Respond/ Rediscover. The teaching process on tours is interactive, designed to provoke thoughtful reactions from your students.

Tour groups are limited to 15 people. Large groups are required to sub-divide into groups of no more than 15.

Self-Guided Tours

Any group is invited to tour the galleries on their own at any time. Large groups are encouraged to submit a tour registration form to avoid unnecessary overcrowding.

Visual Arts

Drawing, painting, clay, Impressionism, masks - give your students a true art experience! Add a hands-on art making workshop in our Museum School studios to your exhibition tour. Art projects can be general, coordinated to meet your classroom curricula or correlated with the theme of the exhibition - it's your choice!

Performing Arts

Improvisation, stage, combat, pantomime - now your students can enjoy a one-of-a-kind experience learning basic theatre techniques while visiting the Arts Center. Theatre workshops improve social and speaking skills as well as stimulating creativity.

The Art Experience

The Art Experience is a chance for creative interaction led by our experienced artist-educators. Art Experiences last approximately 30 minutes and may be added to a tour. Art Experiences are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Cost is $6 per student, teachers and chaperones free.

Parlez-vous français?

Guided tours of exhibitions featuring French artists are available in French. Tours may be given entirely in French or at the French 1 level and must be booked at least three weeks in advance. French tours are available Tuesday - Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Art Experiences may be booked. Art Experiences may be booked, last approximately 30 minutes and cost $6 per student.

To Book a Tour or Workshop:

Book a Group Tour online at least two weeks in advance. Click here.

Call 1-800-264-ARTS or 501-372-4000 at least two weeks in advance to book a group tour (guided or self-guided) or workshop. Tell us the requested date and time, number and grade level of students and any requests or concerns, including specific exhibitions you would like to tour, physical issues, etc.

After Your Tour or Workshop is scheduled:

Have at least one adult chaperone per 15 children.

Call us with any changes. Our Docents are volunteers who arrive at the Arts Center only at the specified time of tours. If a group is over 20 minutes late without notifying the Arts Center, Docents are released.

Meet your Docent or workshop instructor in the Atrium of the Arkansas Arts Center on your scheduled date and time.