School Programs

Take student learning beyond the classroom walls, and explore fifty-one centuries of art and culture at the Worcester Art Museum! Our world-renowned permanent collection and special exhibitions will open doors to a deeper understanding of human history and creativity while supporting a wide range of subject areas. Plan a visit for you and your students, and discover all that the Museum has to offer!

Tours

Our tours are tailored to meet your specific needs and interests. With options for broad overviews or specialized themes, a Worcester Art Museum tour will support and enrich your curriculum. Our trained and dedicated volunteer docents use a variety of teaching styles to develop visual and critical thinking skills. The many options for your tour include special exhibitions; highlights of the WAM collection; introduction to an art museum; STEAM; the art and culture of historic eras and peoples; cross-cultural connections; and Visual Thinking Strategies discussion tours.

Tours are run during the Museum's open hours 10am-4pm, Wednesday through Sunday.

Group Tour Scholarships are available for schools in need of financial assistance. Interested groups should complete the Tour Scholarship Request Form and submit to the Museum's Education Division.

Scheduling a Tour

Please contact our Tour Program Coordinator at least 3 weeks in advance to book a tour. Email grouptours@worcesterart.org or call 508.793.4338.

Information needed when booking a tour:

• Preferred dates and times for tour
• Tour topic or goals you wish to achieve while on your visit – we will work with you!
• Number of students, grade level, special needs

Scheduling information:

• Tours typically last one hour, but can be lengthened or shortened upon request
• Guided tours are available for groups of 8 or more
• We recommend a maximum of 80 students per visit
• Tours start from the Lancaster Street Welcome Center
• Self-guided visits are welcome, but reservations are required
• WAM is not responsible for transportation

Chaperone requirements:

• Preschool: one chaperone is required for every five preschoolers
• K-12: One chaperone for every ten students
• Chaperones are responsible for supervising students during their museum visit

Add More to Your Visit

Gallery/Studio Workshops

Taught by Museum instructors, follow your guided tour with a hands-on experience in clay, paint, collage, printmaking, or other materials. Workshops are designed with your specific interests and objectives in mind. Options include Greek Pottery; Egyptian Cartouches; Illuminated Letters; Aluminum Tooling; Roman Mosaics; Portraiture; Landscape Painting; or Abstraction.

Arms and Armor Presentations

Since 2014, the Worcester Art Museum has incorporated Arms and Armor from the Higgins Armory Collection into its collection. Enhance your visit to the Museum's Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance galleries with an Arms and Armor Presentation. Presentations run 45-60 minutes.

Theme presentations led by a costumed interpreter include Medieval Armor, Roman Soldier, The Viking Age, 14th-Century Knight, and The Gothic Knight.

Read more about Arms and Armor Presentations.

Fees and Scheduling

All programs include Museum admission

Education programs at the Worcester Art Museum are supported by the George I. Alden Trust Assistant Director of Education Fund, George I. Alden Trust Docent Education Fund, Booth Family Fund for Education and Outreach at the Greater Worcester Community Foundation, Isabel Baker Carleton Memorial Fund, Burrow Movie Fund, Martha A. Cowan Fund at the Greater Worcester Community Foundation, Dorothy Frances Cruikshank Education Fund, Docent Education Fund, David Freelander Memorial Education Fund, Nehemias Gorin Foundation Fund, Nathan and Barbara Greenberg Discovery Fund, Nathan and Barbara Greenberg Fund for Education, Amelia and Robert H. Haley Memorial Lecture Fund, Hiatt FAME Fund, Christian A. Johnson Discovery Fund, The Christian A. Johnson Resource Center Fund, Bernard G. and Louise B. Palitz Fund, Susan Ella Reed-Lawton Fund, Arthur J. Remillard, Jr. Youth Education Fund, Romanoff Education and Library Fund, Norman and Dorothy Sharfman Education Fund, Ethel M. Smith Education Fund, Spear Fund for Public Programs, Stoddard Discovery Fund, Alice Eliza Waite Memorial Fund, Worcester Art Society, and the Worcester Educational Development Foundation.