School Programs

Guided visits invite students to draw connections between art, their lives, and the world around them so they can become more critically engaged citizens. Students are encouraged to use evidential reasoning to construct interpretations about objects of art and develop social and emotional skills. Lessons are designed to support TEKS and English language learners. They reinforce classroom objectives and promote arts integration across the curriculum.

A typical gallery lesson will feature four to six works of art and include some longer interpretive conversations, group activities, and choice-based learning opportunities.

We are committed to removing financial barriers for schools that demonstrate financial need by offering FREE BUSES and FREE ADMISSION on a first come, first served basis through our Art Access Museum Visit Fund.

School Programs Brochure

Please note the museum is temporarily closed and we are unable to schedule tours at this time. Click here to view our Plan Your Visit page for the most updated information.

The Blanton Museum of Art offers guided visits Tuesday–Friday at 10 a.m., 11 a.m, and 12 p.m. School groups can choose from our program offerings below. Guided visits last 45 minutes and can accommodate up to 75 students per hour. Larger groups are schedule for back-to-back slots.

To schedule a visit, please fill out our online form at least three weeks in advance.

Tour FAQs

Who gives tours?

Tours are led by trained gallery teachers who develop gallery lessons by selecting works of art from the collection and special exhibitions that relate to the program you’ve selected. Once groups arrive and are divided, they will be led by a gallery teacher in the museum. Groups may see different works of art, but the tour will focus on the themes and skills related to the tour type. At the end of the visit, groups will return to the museum entrance.

What is the cost?

Both guided visits and self-guided visits are $2 per student, including on Thursdays. Title 1 campuses and schools that demonstrate financial need are eligible for free admission and bus reimbursement (up to $150 per bus) through our Art Access Grant. These funds are available for guided visits only.

How many chaperones are needed?

Pre-K–12 groups must bring one adult chaperone for every eight students. Chaperones must stay with the group. Required chaperones and teachers accompanying school groups are free. Additional adults pay the regular admission price of $12.

What is a multi-visit (MVP) program?

The Blanton’s Multi-Visit Programs (MVPs) are available to grades 2-12. Each program consists of three sequential gallery lessons and complementary pre- and post- visit lessons to complete in class. All lessons support TEKS objectives and English Language Proficiency Standards.

All MVP programs can be scheduled as a single visit.

Can groups self-guide?

Self-guided tours are available for third grade and up. Larger groups must be split into groups of 8-15 students with a dedicated chaperone for each group. This chaperone should travel with the students. Self-guided groups need to be cognizant of the guided visits taking place. The Blanton’s gallery teachers have planned a specific footpath for guided visits, so you will need to be flexible with the order in which you view pieces.

(Please keep in mind that Art Access funds are only available for guided visits.)

What if we need to reschedule or are running late?

To change or cancel your tour, please contact the manager of tours before your tour date at tours@blantonmuseum.org.

If your group is running behind on the day of your tour, please let us know by emailing tours@blantonmuseum.org before 10 a.m. or by calling the Front Desk at (512) 471-5482 after 10 a.m.

More questions? Email tours@blantonmuseum.org.

Art Trek

First time visitors will boldly go through the Blanton’s diverse collection, traversing time and space. Recommended for all grades as an introduction to considering art and ideas. Students will see between four and six works of art selected by their gallery teacher.

Collection-Based Visits

Select one collection area from the following:

• Early American Art
• Art of Ancient Greece and Rome
• European Art from 1400-1800
• Latin American Art
• Modern and Contemporary Art
• Art of Ancient Americas
• Art of Spanish Americas
• Special Exhibitions

Tales & Trails/Cuentos y Caminos

[Pre-K–1] Combining social and emotional learning with literacy skills for students in pre-K through first grade, this program has three core components: a pre-visit lesson to accompany a book provided by the Blanton, a museum visit, and post-visit family extensions. Curriculum components are available in Spanish. This program is offered as a single visit.

Explore our downloadable curriculum and schedule a visit to receive your book. 

Between the Lines

[Grades 2–12] A picture, or a sculpture, is worth a thousand words. Draw connections between the visual language of art and the power of the written word while experiencing the Blanton’s diverse collection. This MVP will develop students’ literacy skills as they uncover multiple meanings, discover new perspectives, and create rich narratives through the shared creative experience of art and language. This program is offered as a single or multi-visit. This program is designed as a single or multi-visit.

Explore our downloadable curriculum to view visit options.

Art and Feelings

[Grades 2–12] Works of art from the Blanton’s collection will evoke empathy and inspire thoughtful conversation about social emotional learning (SEL) topics including responsibility, respect, safety, self, and collaboration. Art and Feelings’ three museum visits and pre- and post-visit lessons address relationship skills, self-awareness, self-management, and responsible decision-making. Students examine objects that demonstrate these concepts, and consider artists from the past and present who grapple with ideas relevant to the students’ daily lives. This program is offered as a single or multi-visit.

Explore our downloadable curriculum to view visit options.

Artists and Society

[Grades 2–6] Does art imitate life or does life imitate art? Consider the role artists have played in describing and shaping their society, and how this tradition continues today. Aspiring artists may discover their own voice while all students will develop an appreciation for the powerful impact of art throughout the world. This program is offered as a single or multi-visit.

Explore our downloadable curriculum to view visit options.

Doing Social Justice

[Grades 7–12] Formulated in collaboration with the Anti-Defamation League Austin, Doing Social Justice asks students to critically examine their point of view and to empathetically take the perspective of others. Students will develop visual literacy strategies as they analyze current events and stereotypes presented through the lenses of artists from the Blanton’s collection. This program is offered as a single visit on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each each month. Explore our downloadable curriculum to view visit options. Please note that these are typically 90-minute gallery experiences.

Inquiring Minds

[Grades 2–12] Look at art through the lens of science! is STEAM-focused MVP will present the Blanton as a laboratory for learning. Students will experiment, problem-solve, hypothesize, and derive conclusions while developing critical thinking and visual literacy skills transferable to all curricular areas. This program is designed as a single or multi-visit.

Explore our downloadable curriculum to view visit options.

Art Odyssey

[Grades 2–12] Does an individual’s perception of art objects change through the application of different viewing strategies? In this MVP, students will develop an understanding of the methods artists use to make meaning through the close examination of formal, narrative, and symbolic devices. They will also construct and articulate their perceptions of art and the world around them. This program is designed as a single or multi-visit.

Explore our downloadable curriculum to view visit options.

This program is offered the 1st and 3rd Friday each month. Please see our tour request form to view available dates. Email sabrina.phillips@blantonmuseum.org to learn more.

Bilingual gallery lessons not only support dual language development for students who are learning English and Spanish, they also send an important signal to parents and the Austin community at large that the Blanton cares about dual language acquisition. If the Blanton’s bilingual project had a motto, it might be something like, “Learning English is important, but don’t forget your native language and culture. Sí no lo usa, lo olvida.” If you listen in on a fifth-grade bilingual gallery lesson you will hear students who are speaking in a mix of English and Spanish simultaneously.

Your students will:

• Be co-taught by Graduate Teaching fellows
• Be encouraged to participate in either language
• All students will be able to engage in a gallery lesson that is conducted simultaneously in English and Spanish (40-50% of the lesson will be in Spanish)
• Hear both languages being honored in a museum setting
• Learn how to look longer and talk confidently about art

Kindergarten students get ready for a bilingual Tales and Trails visit.

WorkLAB Studio Mini Lessons

30-minute studio projects related to what you learn in the galleries. Available to PK–12 groups for a $2 materials fee per student. Capacity 30.

To schedule, email tours@blantonmuseum.org.

Outdoor Odysseys

Have time before or after your visit? Would you like your students to learn what it’s like to be a college student or just explore the UT campus? Outdoor Odyssey activity maps are available to download on your phone. Check out an accompanying backpack at the Blanton’s Visitor Services Desk.

Choose from:

• Go Green provides fun field games using the green spaces adjacent to the museum.
• Longhorn Loop is a walking tour that winds through Jester Dorm, Gregory Gymnasium, and past the Darrell K-Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
• Library Lookout gives students an insider’s guide to one of the libraries on campus, and an introduction to Landmarks, UT’s public art program.
• Fountain Expedition is a hike to the Little Field Fountain and UT Tower with stops at various sculptures along the way.

H-E-B Study Room

The H-E-B study room is located in the Julia Matthews Wilkinson Center for Prints and Drawings, which houses a collection of over 16,000 prints, drawings, and photographs. Teachers may request an appointment for their students to visit the H-E-B Study Room as a complement to a gallery lesson. The H-E-B Study Room capacity is 20 individuals.

To schedule, email tours@blantonmuseum.org.

The Blanton excels in crafting custom-tailored workshops for PK-12 educators from a wide variety of disciplines such as social studies, literacy, Spanish language, STEM, and visual art. To ensure that ours are “the best PD ever” the Blanton education team works collaboratively with school partners. In doing so, we make certain that specific goals and curricular needs are met, and add personal touches unique to each group.

Email sabrina.phillips@blantonmuseum.org to learn more.

Teacher Workshops and Resources

Professional Development

Teachers create wearable art based on works from the permanent collection.

Support for School Programs at the Blanton is provided by the Buena Vista Foundation, the Burdine Johnson Foundation, the CFP Foundation, the Applied Materials Foundation, Jeanne and Michael Klein, the Anne Levy Fund, and the Susan Mayer Art Enrichment Endowment.

Further support is provided by Target and by grants from the Texas Commission on the Arts and Texas Women for the Arts.

Additional support is provided by The Brown Foundation, Inc. Education Endowment and the Burdine Johnson Foundation Education Endowment.