Visit Live
Virtual School Tours

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is excited to offer three virtual tour topics developed specifically to be a live, interactive online experience for students. Live Virtual Tour experiences are available for students grades 3-12 and strongly aligned with district, state, and national learning standards.

DETAILS & SCHEDULING

Tour Requests for the Fall Semester, 2021, will open beginning September 1, 2021

  • Each tour is 45 minutes, in Central Standard Time & through Zoom
  • Students will participate through the chat function and/or spoken discussion
  • Maximum of 1 class/30 students per virtual school tour
  • Minimum of 10 students required for tour
  • Available Mon, Tue, Wed & Fri 9 am & 1 pm; Thur 2 pm
  • FREE– must be scheduled at least three weeks in advance
  • After submitting your request, you’ll receive a request acknowledgment email. NOTE: the Live Virtual School Tours are not confirmed until a confirmation email is received
  • The Zoom link and password to your confirmed Live Virtual Tour will be sent in an email 7 days prior to your event


TOURS

Museum Unframed: Behind the Scenes at the Nelson-Atkins

Grades 3-12

Go behind the scenes of an art museum to learn about the people and processes involved in caring for and displaying works of art. Students will consider the function and purpose of museums, the science of art conservation, and the choices that go into preparing and presenting works of art to the public.

Find tour details and pre-/post-tour resources by clicking below.

MORE INFO

Bringing History Alive:
Exploring Primary Sources

Grades 5-8

Discover how primary sources are an eye-witness account of the time and place in which they were made. Students will explore objects in two of the following collections: Ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Native American. If you have a preference of which two collections are presented in your tour, please indicate that in the notes on your request. Ancient Egyptian and Native American collections will be presented if no preference is indicated. IMPORTANT: Please review featured objects listed on the MORE INFO page before submitting a request for this tour.

Find tour details and pre-/post-tour resources by clicking below.

MORE INFO

Being Seen:
Art for Social Change

Grades 8-12

“The role of the artist is to make revolution irresistible,” said writer Toni Cade Bambara. How have artists inspired, aided, and engaged with social movements? Together, we will consider how contemporary artists are challenging the narratives that make up our cultural history. Students will explore works of art that served as catalysts for social change and continue to spark discussions about justice and equality today. Students are invited to choose as a class between three social issues on this tour. If you would like to pre-select the social issue discussed, please see the MORE INFO page below and indicate your preference in the notes section on your tour request form.

Find tour details and pre-/post-tour resources by clicking below.

MORE INFO

Grades 3-7

What can a portrait tell us about a person? How do artists depict the stories of an individual or a community through portraiture? Students in grades 3 through 6 are invited to explore identity through examining portraits. Students will learn to “read” a portrait, compare historical and contemporary portraits through interactive discussions, and consider the power of representation. Students are invited to choose as a class between two works of art on this tour. If you would like to pre-select the artwork discussed, please see the MORE INFO page and indicate your preference in the notes section on your request form.

Find tour details and pre-/post-tour resources by clicking below.

MORE INFO


REGISTRATION

To register, please click on the following and read our guidelines.

Virtual Tour Guidelines & Registration

  • Each teacher needs to register for their own class, please do not schedule for others.
  • Encourage students to participate! The experience is best when students engage with museum educators and one another through the chat function and/or through spoken discussion.
  • Be respectful of yourself and others, both when speaking aloud and typing in the chat.
  • Students will enter the tour on mute.

Group Size
Due to the interactive nature of this experience, virtual school tours are intended for classes of 30 or fewer students watching together, on individual devices, or remotely from their homes. Please email tours@nelson-atkins.org for more information or questions about virtual capacity.

Chaperones

  • Minimum of one adult chaperone is required for your Virtual Field Trip.
  • Chaperones may be a teacher, para-professional, parent, or other school staff member.
  • Chaperones help monitor chat appropriateness, assist students with technology issues, and encourage participation and respectful behavior.
  • Ask chaperones to identify themselves by hovering over their displayed name in the participants list and clicking “Rename”. Example: Name, chaperone.

Technical Requirements for Live Virtual Tour Experiences

Option 1 In-person class with a smartboard or digital projector including a computer with camera, microphone, and internet connection. It’s best if computer audio is connected to speakers to allow the entire classroom to hear the museum’s educators.

Option 2 In-person class with individual devices connected to the internet and headsets for each student.

Option 3 Remote (at home) each student will need a device connected to the internet to participate via Zoom’s chat feature and/or through audio/video conversation.

How We Connect
Virtual Tours are shared via Zoom. Other platforms will be considered but must be requested in the notes of your initial order and require additional steps to arrange.

One week before your scheduled Live Virtual Tour: A Zoom link and password will be included in an email with information about how to connect with us via Zoom at the scheduled date and time.

Day of scheduled Live Virtual Tour: Click the Zoom link to connect 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time of the Live Virtual Tour:

If students are working remotely, share the link with each of them and all chaperones. If this is the first time using the Zoom platform, a link will prompt you to install the free software. Installation should take less than two minutes and does not require the creation of a zoom account. If students are working remotely please have them login earlier to allow time for download if needed.

Projecting the Virtual Tour to Students On-Site in the Classroom

  • Please have the camera set so the docents/educators may see the students.
  • Some computer microphones are more sensitive than others, the docents/educators may or may not be able to hear verbal responses from your students. If the docents are unable to hear the students, please position yourself closer to the computer to help call on students and relay their comments verbally.
  • Each tour has sections that allow students to choose the objects they wish to discuss. Students will be asked to vote on the objects they want to investigate by raising their hands for each option. Teachers will need to count the number of hands and tell the docent which objects receive the majority of votes.

Test Calls/Event
A test call is not required if you have used Zoom. If you are a new user or would prefer a test call, please check the box on the request form. The test call will be scheduled separately via email and should take no more than 3-5 minutes. Test calls are scheduled at 3:45 pm.

Late Starts
Due to scheduled events we may not be able to extend your Live Virtual Tour. Please have everyone ready to begin 3-5 minutes before your confirmed, scheduled time.

Cancellations and Changes
To cancel or make a change to your scheduled Live Virtual Tour, please email tours@nelson-atkins.org. Please include your name, phone number, order number, name of school, and date and time of your scheduled tour. Cancellations are requested at least 48 hours before your scheduled event.

All changes to date, time and tour will require the cancellation of your scheduled event and a new request to be submitted via the Virtual Tour Request form, requiring at least three weeks advance submittal for a new date.

Questions?
For additional information please email tours@nelson-atkins.org
We look forward to meeting and learning with you!

By clicking “REGISTER” you acknowledge you have read and agree to the guidelines above. Registration will begin on the next page.

Register