Experience Interactive, Inquiry-based Learning
Picture your students coming face to face with works by Rubens, Picasso, and Remington. Watch history come alive as they investigate art from the Renaissance, Latin America, or the American West.
School Tours
- Look & Learn: Enhance visual literacy through discussion and examination of highlights from the museum's collection.
- Destination Europe: Meet ordinary and extraordinary people from Europe from the 1500s to 1700s and learn about the culture in which they lived.
- America/Americas: Investigate modern and contemporary works from North, South, and Central America.
- Story Time Tour: Discover the basics of art and the magic of children's literature by exploring well–loved stories in relationship to artwork in the Blanton's collection. Recommended for Pre–K to 2nd grade.
- Art Now: Learn why contemporary artists express ideas about the past as well as the world live in today. Recommended for 6th – 12th grade.
- Self–Guided Tour: Lead your own experience at the museum. See the Preparing for Your Tour section for downloadable lessons to help you conduct your own tour. Recommended for 4th–12th grade.
- Made to Order Tour: Create a one–of–a–kind tour in collaboration with Museum Education staff specifically aligned with your class curriculum and students' needs.
Support for education programs at The Blanton is provided by The Brown Foundation, Inc. Education Endowment and the Burdine Johnson Foundation Education Endowment.
Preparing for Your Tour
- For guided tours, we can accommodate up to 75 students per hour starting at 10 AM. Groups larger than 75 people can be scheduled for back–to–back tours.
- For self–guided tours, we accommodate 35 students per half hour, starting at 10:30 AM.
- Guided tours are 50 minutes in length and are available Tuesdays – Fridays from 10 AM to 3 PM.
- K–12 groups must bring one adult chaperone for every eight students. Chaperones must stay with the group.
- School tours are $2 per student, including Thursdays. Required chaperones and teachers accompanying school groups are free. Additional adults pay regular admission price of $7.
- Bus parking is available. For detailed instructions, download the Blanton Parking Map (pdf – download adobe reader).
- Review museum guidelines with students visiting the museum before your trip:
- Please do not touch works of art.
- Use only pencils.
- Walk slowly.
- Food, drink, gum, and large bags are not allowed.
- Self–Guided Tour Materials: To maximize your students' learning at the museum, download our pre–visit materials for the following tours:
- Art is Relationships for 4th–6th grade (pdf – download adobe reader)
- Art is Identity for 4th–6th grade (pdf – download adobe reader)
- Though each tour is a little different, they are designed to support TEKS (pdf – download adobe reader) objectives in language arts, humanities, social studies, science, and visual arts.
To schedule a tour, contact the Department of Academic and Public Programs at least three weeks in advance. Please click here to fill out our online form.
Art Central Program
- Art Central allows 4th–6th graders to learn about museum careers and to practice describing and analyzing art.
- The program's four lessons are: The Artist's Tools, Messages in Art, The Magic and Mystery of Museums, and Mastering the Museum.
- Pre–and post–visit lessons are taught by participating teachers to reinforce ideas explored during museum visits.
- Art Central schools receive free transportation and admission, teacher training, and resources to implement the program.
- Space in the program is limited and by application only.
- Click below to access the following:
- Art Central Information brochure (pdf – download adobe reader)
- 2010 Art Central Application - applications for the 2010-2011 school year now being accepted
Support for education programs at The Blanton is provided by The Brown Foundation, Inc. Education Endowment and the Burdine Johnson Foundation Education Endowment.
Educator Exclusives
- Educator Membership: K-12 educators receive all the perks of membership plus these special offers:
- $10 Educator discount on any membership level
- 20% off teacher workshops
- 20% off teacher manuals and resources
- Educator Resources
With Workshops on Demand create tailored professional development for your group of 20 or more teachers. Workshop fees are $20 per teacher for a half day, $30 for a full day experience.
Art + Online is a multimedia resource that offers educators and students dynamic connections between art and another discipline through lessons, images, videos, and student interactives.
Art + Teacher Manuals provide educators with resources to make meaningful connections between the visual arts and include images and a selection of lessons aligned with TEKS standards. Manuals are $30–50.
Support for education programs at The Blanton is provided by The Brown Foundation, Inc. Education Endowment and the Burdine Johnson Foundation Education Endowment.
To join our teacher mailing list, contact Jennifer Garner, Manager of Interpretation and Academic Programs at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
For tour questions, contact Annie Arnold, Museum Education Assistant, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or (512) 471–5025.
Support for education programs at The Blanton is provided by The Brown Foundation, Inc. Education Endowment and the Burdine Johnson Foundation Education Endowment.
