Skip to main content

School Tours

A Seattle Art Museum educator in a gallery kneels in front of a student group seated on the ground. They all outstretch their arms.
About

Engage students in close-looking, critical thinking, and creative art making through programs for schools and educational organizations serving K–12 youth. These inspiring, adaptable programs build direct connections between works of art, classroom curriculum, and students’ own experiences and backgrounds.

What to know

SAM offers free tours for all public schools and bus subsidies for Title I Schools to reduce barriers to authentic art experiences.

Tours for college students
School tours are for grades K–12. Please book a group tour instead!

Guided School Tours

SAM’s school tours are image-focused and inquiry-based experiences for K–12 students. The visit is led by trained guides who encourage students to look closely, share personal perspectives, and build connections to their lives and learning. Then students have a chance to get creative through an art workshop supported by SAM teaching artists and art studio volunteers.

Guided visits are free for public schools and $100 for private schools

Self-guided School Tours

Self-guided school tours are for educators who wish to customize the museum experience by leading their own tours through the galleries. Available at all three SAM sites, all self-guided school groups must register with the museum in advance of touring the galleries.

Self-guided tours are free for public schools and $40 for private schools.

Book a School Tour

Select a location and tour type below to begin booking
Seattle Art Museum

Guided School Tour

10 am–12:20 pm
Wed & Thu, Sep 18–Dec 19, 2024
Wed–Fri, Jan 2–Jun 27, 2025

book a tour
Seattle Art Museum

Self-guided School Tour

10:40 am, 11 am, noon, 1 pm, 2 pm
Wednesday–Friday

book a tour
Seattle Asian Art Museum

Guided School Tour

10 am–12:20 pm
Thu & Fri, Sep 18, 2024–Jun 27, 2025

book a tour
Seattle Asian Art Museum

Self-guided School Tour

10:40 am, 11 am, noon, 1 pm, 2 pm
Thursday & Friday

book a tour
Olympic Sculpture Park

Guided School Tour

10 am–12:20 pm
Tue–Thu, Sep 10, 2024–June 26, 2025

book a tour
Olympic Sculpture Park

Self-guided School Tour

10:40 am, 11 am, noon, 1 pm, 2 pm
Monday–Friday

book a tour

Title I school bus reimbursement

Full or partial reimbursement for school bus transportation is available on a first-come, first-served basis to Title I schools (40% or more students qualify for free or reduced price lunch). SAM will reimburse the entire transportation cost for Seattle Public Schools (Title I only) and Highline Public Schools yellow school buses. For other districts, maximum bus reimbursement is $150 per bus or $300 total per visit.  You will be asked to provide an invoice or copy of the bus bill/estimate and documentation from your school indicating proof of Title I status. Reach out to request bus reimbursement.

contact us

Stay up to date on education at SAM

Get on our educators email list and be the first to know about upcoming educator workshops, educator exhibition previews, and more!

Learning resources for school tours

We've created comprehensive learning resources so you and your students can prepare for your visit.

See what educators say about SAM School Tours

Our docents did a great job keeping kids engaged and helping them be a part of the experience while still teaching them.

— Elementary School Educator

No other organization has made it so pleasant for us to visit their location.

— Elementary School Educator

The students enjoyed seeing the variety of Asian artwork. Since we have a large Asian American population, they appreciated seeing representations of their cultures.

— Elementary School Educator

Thank you so much for a wonderful day! This was truly one of the most organized and age-appropriate fields trips I have ever taken my class on. I hope I can do it again next year.

— Elementary School Educator

Once we got to the museum, the activity in the studio was super well organized and the students felt very successful trying something so new.

— Elementary School Educator

Find your way

Pre-visit video for School Tours

Watch this video with your students before you visit to set expectations and explain the format of guided School Tours at any of our three locations.

Accessibility

SAM strives to create an enriching experience for all visitors and provides accessibility options at all of our locations.

Verbal descriptions

Verbal descriptions of select objects in the museum’s permanent collection are available as part of SAM’s Smartphone tours.

Related programs


Support for K-12 programs during the 2023-2024 school year is provided by the BNSF Railway Foundation, Foster Foundation, and Hearst Foundations. Partial, sustained support for SAM’s K-12 programs is provided by an endowment established in 1999 by a National Endowment for the Humanities challenge grant and the generous contributions of matching donors, including the Ann P. Wyckoff Education Endowment. The William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs at the Seattle Art Museum has supported SAM K–12 programs since 1994.

Stay in touch

Educator programs & resources
educatorprograms@seattleartmuseum.org

School programs & tours
schooltours@seattleartmuseum.org