Looking for a good place to start your museum visit? Join a knowledgeable guide for a 45-minute ASL tour of museum icons and lesser-known treasures. During this participatory experience, you’ll connect with works from across the collection and share thoughts and ideas with fellow visitors. All are welcome—whether this is your first time in an art museum or your one hundred and first.
Tours are delivered entirely in ASL. While all are welcome, ASL Interpretation for hearing visitors will not be provided.
This tour starts at the Grand Staircase, on the first level near the glass doors. Please be sure to arrive on time as tours begin promptly.
Tours in ASL will be offered on the third Saturday of every month beginning in August. Gallery tours take place every day the museum is open. See all upcoming gallery tours. Please note that in-person tours may be canceled or postponed due to unforeseen circumstances.
If you have any questions about programming, please reach out to museum-programs@artic.edu. For questions related to accessibility accommodations, please email access@artic.edu.
Learn More about Gallery Tours
What artworks do we talk about?
Every object in our collection is worth highlighting. Your tour guide will highlight artworks by sharing information and encouraging the group to look closely and find fresh interpretations, even of objects we may have seen many times. Gallery tours are an opportunity to focus attention on outstanding works of art that inspire meaningful discussion.
What happens on a participatory tour?
In addition to providing thought-provoking stories and information about works of art, our educators will make space for tour participants to share ideas throughout the tour as a means of tapping into the collective wisdom of our community. Tour leaders will ask questions and prompt a variety of interactive responses to foster a rich discussion informed by research, observation, and lived experience. We learn more when we do it together!
Who leads gallery tours?
Gallery tours are led by members of the Art Institute staff as well as artists and external partners and educators who are deeply knowledgeable about art, the Art Institute collection, and creative practice. They are dynamic presenters trained to connect people with art in ways that are fun, accessible, thought-provoking, and relevant to our everyday lives. Educators love discussing art and design their own tours so that each experience is unique and enriched by the interests of the facilitator and our visitors.
