School Visitor Guidelines
School Tours and School Workshops
• Arrive 5-10 minutes before your scheduled start time. School tours and workshops cannot be extended due to late arrivals.
• Wear nametags during your museum visit so docents and instructors can engage you in discussion.
• Have an adequate number of chaperones for your group. One adult chaperone for every 15 students is required. Please note that school tours are highly participatory, and chaperones take an active role in the facilitation of and participation in gallery activities.
• Divide your students into groups of no more than 15 students per group (16 for School Workshops). This effort will facilitate the process of assigning students to classrooms and/or docents once they arrive at the museum.
• Review museum guidelines with your students before your visit.
• Enjoy your visit!
Teacher-led Tours
• Due to the high volume of scheduled school groups, please arrive on time.
• On the day visit, check in at the Info Desk in the Bloch Lobby.
• Plan for your teacher-led tour to last one hour. You may move at your own pace through the galleries.
• Due to security requirements, students must be accompanied at all times by a teacher or chaperone, even if students are high-school age. We require one chaperone for every fifteen students. Groups that leave students unaccompanied may be asked to leave the museum.
• Please avoid galleries where docent-led tours are present. Teacher-led groups must give way to docent-led tours.
• Enjoy your visit!
SCHOOL BUS DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP
Please use drop-off and entrance points for School Tours, School Workshops, and Community Programs, by entering the one-way, circular drive off of 45th Street between Oak and Rockhill Road. See map below with circled entrances. All groups should enter and exit through the designated doors.
School Tours (Docent and Teacher-Led): Enter the museum through the Bloch Building Plaza Entrance. For security purposes, it is important that Teacher-Led groups check in with the door officer upon arrival. A museum staff member will greet Docent-Led Tours.
School Workshops: Enter the museum through the Nelson-Atkins’ Building North Entrance. Students needing wheelchair access should enter through the Bloch Building Plaza Entrance.
PARKING
Buses: Bus parking is limited to designated areas on Oak Street.
Vans and Public Vehicles: Parking is available in the museum garage Monday, Thursday, Friday, and weekends for a fee of $14 per vehicle. Limited free parking is available in the northeast parking lot and on the west side of Oak Street.
NOTE: Parking is NOT available in the Museum garage on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
MUSEUM GUIDELINES
• Do not touch the art. Stay at least two feet away from the art. Please do not touch, lean on, or sit on the art.
• Use graphite pencils while in the museum. No pens allowed in the galleries.
• Backpacks must be worn on the side or front of the body (not the back.) Bags or purses larger than 12” x 16″ x 5″ must be checked at the complimentary Bloch Lobby Coat Check. It is suggested to leave coats, backpacks, and bags on the bus.
• Food, drink, candy, and gum are not permitted in the galleries.
• Students should stay with their guide or chaperone.
• Photography is welcome in the permanent collection galleries but may be restricted in featured exhibitions. Flash photography is not allowed in the galleries.
• Please turn your cell phone to vibrate.
• Be respectful and considerate of others.
LUNCHES
The Nelson-Atkins does not have indoor dining spaces for school groups bringing lunches with them. School groups are welcome to eat sack lunches outdoors. In the case of inclement weather, the museum cannot provide an indoor eating space. Middle and high school groups of up to25 students are welcome to make a reservation at Rozzelle Court Restaurant two weeks before their field trip. Contact studioworkshops@nelson-atkins.org for reservations or more information.
ACCESSIBILITY
The museum’s galleries are accessible to students with disabilities. Please notify the museum at the time you sign up if you have any students that require accommodations. Please note that there are some galleries with low lighting and areas where sound can be amplified if the space is crowded. Giving advance notice will make the visit more enjoyable for all. Feel free to download our social narrative and share with your students prior to visiting.
School Workshop Social Narrative
ARTWORK CONTENT
The museum’s collection includes original objects from all over the world. The various cultures represented express themselves in many ways. Please prepare students for the potential of sensitive issues (nudity, religion, social issues, etc.) before arriving at the museum.
MUSEUM STORE
The Museum Store welcomes visitors. If your student group wishes to visit the store, please make sure that they are accompanied by chaperones.
MORE QUESTIONS?
School Tours | tours@nelson-atkins.org
School Workshops | studioworkshops@nelson-atkins.org