Book your Field Trip here!
Experience Options
We offer a variety of field trip experiences based on group size and needs. We can accommodate groups of up to 140 students.
Guided Tour Options:
For our guided tours, trained docents will lead student groups on a focused tour (Find our tour menu below) of the museum collection or special exhibition. Teachers can select the tour that best meets the needs of their students.
Our Brooks in an Hour is best for large groups where the teacher desires to expose their students to a wide breadth of art. This experience provides students with a broad overview of our permanent collection. Hands-on Artmaking is not in this experience.
We recommend Guided Tours as the best way for student groups to experience the museum.
Guided Field Tips are offered from September through May. Our chaperone policy is 1 chaperone per every 10 students.
- Guided Tour (45 minutes, group size 15-35)
- Guided Tour + Hands-On Artmaking (90 minutes, group size 20-70)
- Guided Tour + Hands-On Artmaking + Film (90 minutes, group size 80-140)
- Brooks in an Hour Guided Tour (60 minutes, group size 80-100)
Self-Guided Tour Option:
Self-guided tours are led by classroom teachers, homeschool 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 unavailable on the day you plan to visit, or if your students will be doing an assignment in the galleries. Age-appropriate educational materials (i.e. scavenger hunts, activity sheets) are available to supplement a self-guided tour of the museum.
Self-guided tours are available year-round. Our chaperone policy is 1 adult per every 6 students for self-guided tours.
- Self-Guided Tour (45 min-1 hour, group size 10-40)
All students who visit the Brooks Museum with their class will receive a family pass to return to the museum for a free visit.
Tour Menu
Our tour menu was developed to align with TN learning standards. Guided tours will always feature our Special Exhibitions when applicable. Specific requests can be made upon booking.
- Elements of Art: Discuss line, shape, color, texture, form, and space and how artists use these elements to create artwork and express ideas.
- Communities & Connection: Discover how artists depict various communities and invite viewers to make connections between themselves and others.
- Narrative in Art: Learn about narrative in works of art and discover how artists use different techniques to create a story.
- STEAM: Discover how art illuminates our natural and physical world by discussing topics in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Frequently Asked Questions
Group size: We can accommodate up to 140 students for one visit. Groups larger than 140 can book multiple slots on the same day or across multiple days. For student groups of less than 15, please request a self-guided tour. To schedule a Guided Tour, your group must include a minimum of 15 students. To schedule a studio art activity following your Guided Tour, your group must have a minimum of 20 students.
Cost: Admission to the museum is free.
Chaperones: To ensure the safety and enjoyment of our groups and visitors, we require one chaperone for every 10 students for guided tours and one for every 6 students for self-guided tours.
Hours: School Tours are available Wednesday through Friday, between 10:00 and 1:30. 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 three weeks in advance. Reservations can be made here!
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 MoreField Trips
School tours are designed to engage students in critical thinking about art and to support students in developing visual literacy skills. Students of all ages are invited to explore the rich collection of the Brooks Museum on a tour.
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 which provides both financial support and countless volunteer hours, Pinnacle Financial Partners, RiverArtsFest, and Logan Scheidt with additional support from Derek Fordjour and the family of Marcia Bicks.
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
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