TOURS
With a diverse menu of free tour experiences, the NCMA has something for all audiences! Whether you’d like to learn more about the People’s Collection, check out the latest special exhibition, or explore nature in the Museum Park, there is an option for you.
Public Tours
Art on the Dot is the NCMA’s newest tour offering! Beginning in August 2025, we encourage you to join a docent in the galleries for a bite-size tour experience. Beginning at 11 am on Saturdays and Sundays, a docent will invite you to engage with about three works of art for 30 minutes.
Each weekend morning, a docent will conduct three rounds of these 30-minute tours. You can expect a 15-minute break between each round. We hope you enjoy one, two, or all three rounds and come back to see what works of art the next docent will include.
Saturday, September 7, September 21, October 5, November 2, November 16, 10:30–11 am
Have you wanted to learn more about sculptures in the Museum Park? This playful tour creates family time to explore a work of art or two that might be an old favorite or a new discovery! Look together, move through the natural world, and have fun with an experienced docent. Best for kids ages 5–11 with adult caregivers.
March, April, May, September, October, and November: Saturdays, 10:30 am–noon
June and July: Saturdays, 9:30 am–11 am
Meet your Park guide at the Welcome Center. Park routes include variations in surface and incline. Walking shoes, hats, and water bottles are highly recommended. In inclement weather Park tours are canceled.
Check out the NCMA Park App for self-guided tours you can listen to at your own pace. Illuminate your next visit to the Museum Park with tours focused on art, nature, and the land’s history.
Join us every Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at 1 pm for a 50-minute tour of the People’s Collection. These tours are great for first-time visitors, as an after-lunch treat, or if you’re just curious about the 5,000+ years of art and culture on constant rotation in the NCMA galleries.
Tour topics vary. NCMA docents may explore particular galleries, focus on specific artists, or delve into style, material, and technique. The advantage of these tours is their open-endedness. All ages are welcome!
To join, meet your docent in West Building.
Offerings are subject to docent availability.
Adult Group Tours
The NCMA’s guided tours of the People’s Collection are docent-led and free to the public. During 50-minute tours, adult groups have the opportunity to explore works of art, ask questions, and enjoy learning about objects on view in the NCMA’s galleries. A five-person minimum is highly encouraged.
On the registration form, you have the option of selecting a theme for your tour. The NCMA’s current thematic tour offerings include:
- Portraits and Power
- North Carolina Art
- Women Artists
- Ancient Cultures
- Judaic Art
- NCMA Highlights
- Finding Red
Tours in Spanish, French, Mandarin, Portuguese, Korean, and American Sign Language are available upon request. All tour offerings are subject to docent availability.
The NCMA welcomes community groups of all kinds to request 50-minute virtual tours led by a volunteer docent.
Tours available by request only. Email tours@ncartmuseum.org
The Time Is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure Docent-Led Adult Tours
Offered Wednesday–Sunday by reservation
Free with ticket purchase and confirmed reservation three weeks in advance
Join us for a tour of The Time Is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure. Docents guide you through the exhibition’s themes of double consciousness, past and presence, and the concept of aliveness. Artists such as Lorna Simpson, Kerry James Marshall, Jordan Casteel, Titus Kaphar, and Amy Sherald explore Blackness on their terms. We are excited to invite you into the experience.
Minimum of five guests required. All tours are subject to docent availability.
Please email us at tours@ncartmuseum.org with any questions.
Student and Youth Group Tours
Student and youth visitors of all ages have the opportunity to connect critically, intellectually, and joyfully with the art of the People’s Collection at the NCMA. Listed are tour themes that you can request specifically on our registration form. If you have any questions, email the NCMA tour administrator at tours@ncartmuseum.org.
We offer student and youth group tours Wednesday–Sunday at 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1 pm, and 2 pm, subject to docent availability. Tours of the People’s Collection are always free. Current thematic offerings include:
- Eye Spy
Building on young learners’ ability to identify elements of art, such as color, form, and shape, Eye Spy encourages confidence and curiosity around the art of seeing to describe and interpret a variety of works of art. - Look for the Story
Students are led through the rigors of close looking to describe stories depicted in works from the NCMA’s collection. Investigation of various cultures and art movements encourages learning from others and helps build articulation of students’ own perspectives. - North Carolina Art
This tour encompasses paintings, textiles, ceramics, sculptures, and photographs—works as varied as the state is wide. Each object inspires and teaches, just as did many of the artists who led local and national art movements. Come explore new connections in NC’s cultural history. - Portraits and Power
How do you define a portrait? Students explore how portraits have both upheld and challenged systems of power throughout history. - Ancient Cultures
Dive into ancient worlds by exploring stories behind the makers and purposes of objects from these civilizations. Students learn how cultural expressions reflect the values of societies and regions across four continents. - Women Artists
Explore the innovations and influence of women artists involved in art movements from the 19th century to the present. Students learn the names, techniques, and intent of women artists across time and place. - Finding Red
This tour focuses on our deep relationship with red and the most important red substances we have found to create art, revealing hidden relationships with nature, technology, history, and culture. We explore evidence and examples of these dynamics within the NCMA’s collection.
Please note that increasing your group numbers after your tour has been confirmed may jeopardize your reservation.
The NCMA offers a variety of virtual field trip programs. We can also design a custom program according to your curricular needs. Learn more and request a program here.
The Museum offers self-guided tours for groups to explore the People’s Collection on their own. Opportunities are also available for eligible school groups to receive free tickets to special exhibitions. Click here to learn more.
Student and youth group tours of the NCMA’s special exhibitions are limited to docent availability. Please email tours@ncartmuseum.org with questions regarding special exhibition tours.
Access Tours
Audio Description (AD) interpretation is available for any tour of the permanent collection or special exhibitions with 10 business days’ notice.
To request a tour, please reach out to our accessibility coordinator, mhull@ncartmuseum.org.
Tours in American Sign Language (ASL) are offered on the third Saturday of every month. Please check the events calendar regularly for the most current schedule.
ASL interpretation is available for any tour of the People’s Collection or for tours of special exhibitions with 10 business days’ notice.
To request a tour, please reach out to our accessibility coordinator, mhull@ncartmuseum.org.
Designed for visitors who are blind or have low vision, these docent-led tours explore the Museum’s collection through audio description, tactile experiences, and by engaging the senses. Ancient figurative sculpture and numerous bronzes by Auguste Rodin are highlighted during these 60- to 90-minute tours.
To request a tour, please reach out to accessibility coordinator, mhull@ncartmuseum.org. Tours must be scheduled with 10 business days’ notice.