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School Programs

TAM believes all students are artists with the power to make meaningful connections by looking at, discussing, and creating works of art!

Our team of Educators offer a variety of ways to engage with your students, whether on a field trip to the museum or on-site at your school.

We use a learner-based method called Visual Thinking Strategies, or VTS, when teaching with visual artworks in our collection and exhibitions, both past and present. This method encourages critical thinking, builds community by allowing students to share different points of view, and gives space for students to build their voice and literacy skills. After thoughtful close-looking and discussion, students have the opportunity to further explore their ideas and experiment with different art processes through hands-on activities.

Our educational programs support Common Core Learning Standards. We can tailor workshops to you, whatever your curricular needs!

To schedule your trip to TAM, please fill out this form>>>

School Tours

Registration

Before planning a trip to the museum please ensure you complete a tour inquiry form, which can be found here>>>
TAM can accommodate up to two school groups a day.
Currently, we accommodate up to 50 people on a field trip to the Museum.

Chaperones

Children and youth must be accompanied by chaperones while they are at TAM. We require the following youth-to-chaperone ratio on all school tours:
Pre-K – 1st Grade: 5:1
2nd – 8th Grade: 5:1
9th Grade – 12th Grade: 7:1

For safety reasons, if your group does not meet the required ratio on the day of your visit, your group cannot be admitted into the Museum.

Lunch Space

If your group would like a place to enjoy their lunch, we have spaces within our lobby, atrium, and classrooms to offer.

Guided School Tour Days/Times

School tours usually last 1 – 2 hours, including a guided gallery tour and an art-making activity. However, it can be altered depending on the need. School tours are offered Wednesday through Friday with a start time between 10 am and 4 pm.

Unfortunately, we cannot schedule school tours during weekday evenings or on weekends.

Unguided School Tour Days/Times

You may also bring your school group to explore the galleries independently. Unguided access to the museum galleries is available Wednesday through Friday with a start time between 10 am and 5 pm.

It is the responsibility of Teacher and approved chaperones to ensure school group abides by museum guidelines.

We strive to make our educational programs accessible to all, so if financial support is needed, please let us know!

Note: TAM is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. School tours can only be scheduled Wednesday-Friday.

Bring TAM into Your Classroom!

Schedule TAM to bring the museum experience into your classroom with a dynamic hands-on workshop led by our educators! Projects are tailored to your curricular needs, and all materials are provided!

Half and full-day visits are available! Financial support is available as well; please contact us!

To schedule TAM in your classroom, please fill out this form

School Tour Costs

STUDENT TOURS are $10/student, $7/student for Title I schools.
CHAPERONES are $5/chaperone, one free per 10 students, for Title I schools’ chaperones are 1 free per 5 students.
For questions, please contact education@tacomaartmuseum.org or 253-272-4258 x3063
Tacoma Creates offers transportation funding opportunities for those within Pierce County
Free lunch space is available.

More Information

College/Adult group tours are $12 per person for groups of 10 or more
To schedule a visit to TAM for your college/adult group, please fill out this form

Teacher Professional Development

Our Teacher Professional Development programs offers educators an opportunity to learn how to use art as an interdisciplinary tool for teaching in your classroom. Training consists of learning about Visual Thinking Strategies, or VTS, a learner-based method of teaching with art, learning about how it connects with the school curriculum, and how you can apply these tools to revitalize your educational materials for students.

Please contact us for upcoming Teacher Professional Development opportunities at TAM!