Tours
MCASD offers a range of tour experiences to serve the public, 6 –12th grade school groups, higher education students, and community and adult groups.
Public Tours
The Museum offers public tours (free with admission) at both locations at 2 PM on Saturdays and Sundays, and at 5 and 6 PM on Free Third Thursdays.
School Tours
For more than 20 years, MCASD has provided students with unique opportunities to explore contemporary art through lively conversations and hand-on experiences. The Museum offers Look/Explore Tours and ArtLab Workshops for middle school and high school students throughout our region. Schools located in San Diego County school districts are eligible for fee waivers, and may participate in MCASD tours at no cost. Limited Scholarships are awarded on a case by case basis. Needs-base transit scholarship of up to $200 are also available through an application process on a first-come, first-served basis.
Tours are led by paid Gallery Educators, many of whom are practicing artists. The Museum’s Look/Explore Tour is an hour-long, student-centered dialogue in which students gain a greater understanding of the works on view through visual inquiry and in-gallery activities. ArtLab Workshops build on the Look/Explore Tour with an additional hour of hands-on art making experience in which students further explore process and materials inspired by works on view.
Cost
Look/Explore Tours
$45 per group of 15 people. School should provide a minimum of one chaperone per group
ArtLab Workshops
$75 per group of 15 people. School should provide a minimum of two chaperons per group
Note: There is a maximum capacity of 45 participants per school group.
Guided Tours, Community, College, University, and Adult Audiences
MCASD offers a range of guided and self-guided tour options for community, college, university, and adult audiences. MCASD's galleries function as a laboratory for the exploration of the art of our time.
College and University Groups and Community Organizations in the San Diego County are welcome to guide themselves through the Museum. However all self-guided tours must be booked in advance and are limited to 35 people.
Program Costs
- Guided Tours, College/University Groups: $45 per 15 students.
- Self-Guided Tours, College/University Groups: Free with admission.
- Guided Tours, Adult Groups: $60 per 15 participants, plus discounted group admission rate.
- Self-Guided Tours, Adult Groups: Discounted group admission rate.
- Community Groups: Please contact the Education Department at 858 454 3541 x318 or education@mcasd.org for pricing information.
MCASD Tour Request Procedures
Timeline
> All MCASD Tour Experiences must be booked in advance by submitting a completed MCASD Tour Request Form. Look/ Explore Tours, ArtLab, and Focus Tours must be requested at least 3-weeks in advance. Self-Guided Tours must be booked at least 2-weeks in advance. Any Title 1 San Diego Unified and San Diego County public and charter school applying for a MCASD Transit Scholarship must submit a completed MCASD Transit Scholarship Application within one week of submitting the MCASD Tour Request Form.
Confirmation
> Tours are not guaranteed until confirmed by the Education Department. Confirmations are sent via email.
To book a tour at any MCASD location, download and complete the MCASD Tour Request Form and mail to: Education Department, MCASD, 700 Prospect Street, La Jolla, CA 92037 or email to education@mcasd.org with subject line “Tour Request.”
MCASD Transit Scholarships
MCASD provides limited, needs-based Transit Scholarships of up-to $200 for Title 1 San Diego Unified and San Diego County public and charter schools that visit MCASD for a Look/Explore Tour or ArtLab Workshop. Scholarships are awarded through an application process on a first-come, first-served basis. Schools must complete a MCASD Transit Scholarship application within one week of submitting a tour request form to be considered. MCASD highly advises any school seeking travel reimbursement to book a tour a minimum of one-month in advance.
