Guided Tours
Trained docents will lead student groups on a focused tour of the museum collection or special exhibition. Teachers can select the tour which best meets the needs of their students. Tours for all grades (pre-K-12) can be scheduled with an optional hands-on studio art activity. We recommend Guided Tours as the best way for student groups to experience the museum. All students who visit the Brooks Museum with their class will receive a family pass to return to the museum for a free visit. One adult per every 10 students is required. To schedule a Guided Tour, your group must include a minimum of 10 students. To schedule a studio art activity following your Guided Tour, your group must include a minimum of 20 students.
Tour Menu
The Environment for Pre-K-1
60 students with 30-minute tour
Exploring themes from the environment including seasons, animal habitats, and weather patterns through interactive gallery discussions and art-making activities.
Elements of Art for 1-4
60 students max with 45-minute tour
Discuss line, shape, color, texture, form, and space and how artists use these elements to create artwork and express ideas.
Narrative in Art for 1-6
60 students max with 45-minute tour
Learn about narrative in works of art and discover how artists use different techniques to create a story.
Urban vs. Rural Communities for 2-5
60 students max with 45-minute tour
Examine artworks to compare urban and rural communities and the various roles that are associated with them.
STEAM for 3-12
60 students max with 45-minute tour
Discover how art can be used to discuss topics in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Students will explore a variety of concepts including the electromagnetic spectrum, animal adaptations, and weather instruments.
Materials and Meaning for 6-12
60 students max with 45-minute tour
Explore the diverse materials that artists have used to create art and the various meanings associated with the media and the form.
The Role of the Artist for 7-12
60 students max with 45-minute tour
Discover artworks and explore the role of the artist in communities throughout the world. Discuss how some artists use their work to spread a message or promote social change.
A Sense of Place: Blackness in Context for 7-12
60 students max with 45-minute tour
Afro-diasporic communities exist worldwide; in this tour we will pay special attention to those in America. This tour will ask students to think about how Black artists depict their communities in ways that are true to them.
Schedule a tour!
Self-Guided Tours
Self-guided tours are led by classroom teachers, home school parents, or community leaders. You may schedule a self-guided tour if you do not wish to have a docent guide your tour, if guided tours are not available on the day you plan to visit, or if your students will be carrying out an assignment in the galleries. Self-guided tours are available year-round. Maximum 40 students. 1 adult per every 6 students required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Group size: We can accommodate groups of up to 60 students for one visit. If your group is larger than 60, we will be happy to help you arrange multiple visits. For student groups of less than 10, please request a self-guided tour. To schedule a Guided Tour, your group must include a minimum of 10 students. To schedule a studio art activity following your Guided Tour, your group must include a minimum of 20 students.
Cost: Groups of 10 or more students, and their chaperones, receive free admission to the museum.
Chaperones: To ensure the safety and enjoyment of all of our groups and visitors, we require one chaperone for every 10 students. Please refer to our Chaperone Guidelines.
Hours: Guided tours are available Wednesday through Friday, between 10:00 and 2:00. Self-guided tours are available Wednesday through Sunday, during museum hours.
Reservations: All guided and self-guided tours must be scheduled in advance, and reservations are required. Guided tours need to be scheduled at least two weeks in advance.
Preparation: Visit our Lesson Plans page to find lessons, activities, and vocabulary that will help prepare your children for getting the most out of the museum. Teach your students museum manners before your visit so that they know what to expect.
Come back to see us! All students who visit the Brooks Museum with their class will receive a family pass to return to the museum for a free visit.
We have even more ways to learn with the Brooks Museum. See our programs below.
Learn moreArt Therapy Access Program
Art therapy is defined by the American Art Therapy Association as a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by a masters-level art therapist, use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem.
Learn MoreHomeschool
The Brooks offers free Homeschool Days for homeschool students of all ages and their families. Homeschool Days occur six times a year - three in the fall and three in the spring. Each of these days explores the museum’s permanent collection and special exhibitions through a specific theme.
Learn MoreInside Art
Inside Art is Tennessee’s only family gallery dedicated to visual literacy – the ability to make meaning from the images you see. Teachers, parents, and caregivers alike will love each thoughtful element and its profound learning objectives. Children of all ages will relish in the sounds, sights, and textures as they pose, climb, create, relax, and explore.
Learn MoreVirtual Visits
Classes are 40 minutes in length and are available Monday through Friday. All virtual visits must be booked a minimum of two weeks in advance and require at least 10 participants. This is a free program open to all ages and types of groups.
Learn MoreArt Therapy Access Program
Art therapy is defined by the American Art Therapy Association as a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by a masters-level art therapist, use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem.
Learn MoreHomeschool
The Brooks offers free Homeschool Days for homeschool students of all ages and their families. Homeschool Days occur six times a year - three in the fall and three in the spring. Each of these days explores the museum’s permanent collection and special exhibitions through a specific theme.
Learn MoreMid-South Scholastic Art Awards
The Mid-South Scholastic Art Awards is an annual juried student art exhibition sponsored by the Brooks Museum League and Pinnacle Financial Partners, with support from Derek Fordjour and the family of Marcia Bicks.
Learn MoreTours
School tours are designed to engage students in critical thinking about art, and to support students to develop visual literacy skills. Students of all ages are invited to explore the rich collection of the Brooks Museum on a tour.
Learn MoreHomeschool Activities
Upcycled Sketchbooks
Materials
Materials Needed:
-An old book you are allowed to draw in
-gesso
-scissors
-pens and pencils
-markers
-paints and brushes
-glue
-binder clips, chip clips, or rubber bands
-washi tape, painters’ tape, or scotch tape
-junk mail, magazines, or other paper for collage
Lesson Plans
Browse our lessons for teachers to connect their students’ museum visit to the classroom.
Lesson plans with objectives based on Bloom’s Taxonomy are available for themed tours of the permanent collection and special exhibitions. They’re designed to provide information about artworks, vocabulary, online resources, suggested curriculum standards, and pre- and post- museum visit activities for the classroom.
The Environment
Grades PreK-1 (ages 4-6)
Explore themes from the environment, including seasons, animal habitats, and weather patterns through interactive gallery discussions and art-making activities.
Science - Technology - Engineering - Art - Math
Grades 3-8
Use art from our permanent collection as a launching point to explore STEAM concepts.
Arts of Global Africa
Grades K-12
An introduction to the rich artistic expressions of Africa, which are as varied as the continent itself.
Lesson Plan Attribution
Gaston Lachaise, United States, born France, 1882-1935, Two Floating Nude Acrobats, 1922, Bronze, 11 1/2 x 2 3/4 x 7 1/2 inches, Private collection, Courtesy of Gerald Peters Gallery © Gaston Lachaise Foundation
Hassan Hajjaj, (b. Larache, Morocco, 1960), Afrikan Boyem, 2012 from the series My Rock Stars Volume 2, Metallic Lambda print on 3mm Dibond in wood frame with Geisha maquereau tins, Courtesy Private Collection
Roger Brown, American, 1941 – 1997, Clouds Over Alabama, 1994, Oil on canvas, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art purchase; funds provided by the Thomas W. Briggs Foundation Community Service Award in honor of Kaywin Feldman, with additional support from Mimi Loeb 2006.22. © School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Brown Family
Thomas Hart Benton, American, 1889 - 1975, Engineer's Dream, 1931, Oil on panel, Eugenia Buxton Whitnel Funds, 75.1. © T.H. Benton and R.P. Benton Testamentary Trusts/ UMB Bank Trustee/VAGA, New York, NY
Carroll Cloar, American (active in Memphis), 1913 - 1993, My Father Was Big as a Tree, c. 1955, Casein tempura on masonite, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Morrie A. Moss, 55.24. © Estate of the artist
Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal), The Grand Canal from the Campo San Vio, 1730-1735, Oil on canvas, Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, 61.216.
Isaac Soyer, American (b. Russia), 1902 - 1981, Cafeteria, c. 1930, Oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. E. R. Brumley, 45.12. © Estate of the Artist
Chakaia Booker, American, b. 1953, Untitled, 2002, Rubber tire and wood, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art purchase; funds provided by Wil and Sally Hergenrader, 2006.33. © Chakaia Booker
Elizabeth Catlett, American, 1919 - 2012, In Harriet Tubman I Helped Hundreds to Freedom from The Negro Woman, 1946, Linocut, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art; Gift of AutoZone, Inc. 2001.15.1i © Elizabeth Catlett/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
German, Saint Michael, c. 1450-1480, Limewood, polychromed and gilded, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art Purchase with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Ben B. Carrick, Dr. and Mrs. Marcus W. Orr, Fr. And Mrs. William F. Outlan, Mr. and Mrs. Downing Pryor, Mr. and Mrs. Richard O. Wilson, Brooks League in memory of Margaret A. Tate, 84.3.
Red Grooms, American, b. 1937, Tennessee S Curve, 2001, Enamel on epoxy on Styrofoam, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art purchase; Morrie A. Moss Acquisition Fund 2001.10. © Red Grooms / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Lesson Plans
Browse our lessons for teachers to connect their students’ museum visit to the classroom.
Lesson plans with objectives based on Bloom’s Taxonomy are available for themed tours of the permanent collection and special exhibitions. They’re designed to provide information about artworks, vocabulary, online resources, suggested curriculum standards, and pre- and post- museum visit activities for the classroom.
The Environment
Grades PreK-1 (ages 4-6)
Explore themes from the environment, including seasons, animal habitats, and weather patterns through interactive gallery discussions and art-making activities.
Science - Technology - Engineering - Art - Math
Grades 3-8
Use art from our permanent collection as a launching point to explore STEAM concepts.
Arts of Global Africa
Grades K-12
An introduction to the rich artistic expressions of Africa, which are as varied as the continent itself.
Lesson Plan Attribution
Gaston Lachaise, United States, born France, 1882-1935, Two Floating Nude Acrobats, 1922, Bronze, 11 1/2 x 2 3/4 x 7 1/2 inches, Private collection, Courtesy of Gerald Peters Gallery © Gaston Lachaise Foundation
Hassan Hajjaj, (b. Larache, Morocco, 1960), Afrikan Boyem, 2012 from the series My Rock Stars Volume 2, Metallic Lambda print on 3mm Dibond in wood frame with Geisha maquereau tins, Courtesy Private Collection
Roger Brown, American, 1941 – 1997, Clouds Over Alabama, 1994, Oil on canvas, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art purchase; funds provided by the Thomas W. Briggs Foundation Community Service Award in honor of Kaywin Feldman, with additional support from Mimi Loeb 2006.22. © School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Brown Family
Thomas Hart Benton, American, 1889 - 1975, Engineer's Dream, 1931, Oil on panel, Eugenia Buxton Whitnel Funds, 75.1. © T.H. Benton and R.P. Benton Testamentary Trusts/ UMB Bank Trustee/VAGA, New York, NY
Carroll Cloar, American (active in Memphis), 1913 - 1993, My Father Was Big as a Tree, c. 1955, Casein tempura on masonite, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Morrie A. Moss, 55.24. © Estate of the artist
Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal), The Grand Canal from the Campo San Vio, 1730-1735, Oil on canvas, Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, 61.216.
Isaac Soyer, American (b. Russia), 1902 - 1981, Cafeteria, c. 1930, Oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. E. R. Brumley, 45.12. © Estate of the Artist
Chakaia Booker, American, b. 1953, Untitled, 2002, Rubber tire and wood, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art purchase; funds provided by Wil and Sally Hergenrader, 2006.33. © Chakaia Booker
Elizabeth Catlett, American, 1919 - 2012, In Harriet Tubman I Helped Hundreds to Freedom from The Negro Woman, 1946, Linocut, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art; Gift of AutoZone, Inc. 2001.15.1i © Elizabeth Catlett/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
German, Saint Michael, c. 1450-1480, Limewood, polychromed and gilded, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art Purchase with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Ben B. Carrick, Dr. and Mrs. Marcus W. Orr, Fr. And Mrs. William F. Outlan, Mr. and Mrs. Downing Pryor, Mr. and Mrs. Richard O. Wilson, Brooks League in memory of Margaret A. Tate, 84.3.
Red Grooms, American, b. 1937, Tennessee S Curve, 2001, Enamel on epoxy on Styrofoam, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art purchase; Morrie A. Moss Acquisition Fund 2001.10. © Red Grooms / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York