Museum experiences are a great way to encourage students to draw connections between art and their own lives, apply concepts learned in the classroom in a new context, and help develop critical and creative thinking skills. Teachers and their students are invited to explore the museum either with a Museum Guide or on a Self-Guided Visit. All scheduled school visits are free of charge for students and up to eight chaperones (including the teacher) per class.
Guided tours are currently available for grades 3-12. There will be no guided tours of Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal or RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me. K-2 guided tours will be offered in the near future.
Self-guided visits to the museum are available for grades K-12. Self-guided visits to the Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal exhibition are limited and scheduled on a first come, first served basis and limited to groups of 20 or less. If you want tickets to RM xSFMOMA: Between You and Me, we suggest you purchase those tickets on your own.
Higher education faculty can email tours@sfmoma.org to request a self-guided visit.
Please note that the museum does not open to the public on Thursdays until noon.
The museum continues to adhere to all state, county, and city COVID-19 policies and endeavors to make any visit to the museum as safe as possible. The museum’s official health and safety guidelines can be found in our visitor toolkit and will be updated in accordance with any changes that might impact you.
Be sure to check our Teacher Resources page for art projects, artist-designed activities, videos, animations, and discussion questions you can use with your students to explore artworks from SFMOMA’s collection.
Questions? Please contact the School Visits office at schoolvisits@sfmoma.org.
These interactive tours are conducted by Museum Guides who lead small groups of students through the museum’s galleries. Students are invited to look, discover, question, and explore modern and contemporary art through lively discussions, careful observation, and activities that get them thinking like artists. Tours address Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (ELA), encouraging critical thinking, evidentiary reasoning, and an appreciation for diverse perspectives, while developing content knowledge.
SFMOMA offers opportunities for school groups to experience a special selection of films, media art works and live performances. Admission to the museum’s galleries, excluding surcharge exhibitions, is included with all Stage & Screen programs.