A Guide to Group Visits
The following information will help groups of all ages prepare for guided and self-guided tours.
You can request group tours using our online form.
History of the Freer and Sackler Galleries
Information about the galleries' history
Choosing a school tour
How do I choose a tour?
School tour descriptions
Adult and university tours
List of tours
Making a reservation
Reservations for group tours
Self-guided groups
Groups with special needs
Teachers
Resources
Chaperones
Assignments
The day of your visit
Students
What they should know before their visit
Respecting other cultures
Museum manners
General Information
Contact information
Metro
Parking
Bus parking
Security
Lunches and bags
Accessibility
Choosing a School Tour
SCHOOL TOURS
The Freer and Sackler Galleries offer a range of tours related to the museums’ collections and special exhibitions.
Things to know:
- All tours are free
- Please select a tour from the descriptions below. Not all objects or parts of the collection are on view or are available for tours at any given time.
- Please note size limits of tours and recommended grade levels. They help to ensure the best possible experience!
- Exhibitions may be incorporated into tours with related topics.
To reserve a school tour, please fill out the convenient online form.
School Tour Descriptions
Each tour lasts approximately one hour and is held in the Freer Gallery of Art and/or the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery unless otherwise indicated.
Tours for Larger Groups
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Animals in Asian Art
Limit: 60 students. Recommended for grades K–12.
Students learn about a wide variety of real and imagined animals in Asian traditions, such as the Chinese dragon, by looking closely at diverse works from across Asia and exploring their significance.
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Nature in Asian Art
Limit: 60 students. Recommended for grades K–12.
Students "blossom" during this tour in which they discuss images of Asian flowers and plants, and then reveal the profound meaning behind these depictions by looking at a variety of works from the collections.
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Discovery, Trade, and Exchange
Limit: 60 students. Recommended for grades 4–12.
Students explore the unexpected by looking at the cultural and artistic connections among artworks as seemingly different as American paintings of the late nineteenth century, Japanese woodblock prints, Syrian metalwork, and Chinese blue-and-white porcelain. This tour can be connected with curriculum on the Silk Road.
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Art Brings Writing to Life!
Limit: 60 students. Recommended for grades 3–12.
In this unique tour, students engage in poetry and prose writing activities, using the Freer and Sackler collection as inspiration. See how working with American paintings or objects from India, Japan, or China can be simple, enjoyable, and effective!
Arts of China
Limit: 40 students. Recommended for grades 3–12.
Students discover the diverse artistic and cultural traditions of China, one of the world's oldest civilizations, by examining ritual bronze vessels used by ancient emperors, calligraphy (the art of beautiful writing), brush paintings in ink and color, and exquisite ceramics.
Sacred Arts of Asia: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam
Limit: 40 students. Recommended for grades 6–12.
Students delve into the artistic expressions of three major religious traditions to recognize the richness of the artworks and the belief systems that inspired them. They examine Hindu bronze deity sculptures, Buddhist stone sculptures, illuminated pages from the Koran (the sacred book of Islam), and other works.
Arts of Japan
Limit: 40 students. Tour held in the Freer Gallery. Recommended for grades 3–12.
Students are introduced to the world of Japanese art and explore its close connection to cultural beliefs by examining lavishly painted screens and scrolls, Buddhist temple sculptures, and beautifully crafted tea ceramics.
Arts of Buddhism
Limit: 30 students. Tour held in the Freer Gallery. Recommended for grades 6–12.
Students immerse themselves in the world of Buddhist art by tracing the origins and spread of Buddhism across Asia. Among the important Buddhist objects studied are stone sculptures from the Afghanistan-Pakistan region that dramatically depict the life of the Buddha and freestanding wooden temple guardian sculptures from Japan.
East Meets West
Limit: 30 students. Tour held in the Freer Gallery. Recommended for grades 6–12.
Students compare and contrast art from East Asia and turn-of-the-century America by looking closely at works by James McNeill Whistler and other American artists as well as Japanese paintings, prints, and screens with scenes of urban life.
Arts of India and the Himalayas
Limit: 20 students. Recommended for grades 6–12.
Students observe artistic approaches and uncover meanings by closely examining such visually arresting works as Hindu bronze sculptures, Buddhist stone sculptures, and paintings from the Mughal and Rajput courts of northern India.
Arts of the Islamic World
Limit: 20 students. Recommended for grades 6–12.
Students encounter, discuss, and learn about religious and secular art, such as Arabic calligraphy, illuminated Islamic manuscripts and folios from the Koran, glittering glasswork, and breathtaking metalwork.
Adult and University Tours
All tours last approximately one hour.
Freer Highlights
Limit: 60 participants
Explore the rich and diverse collections of the Freer Gallery of Art. Learn about the history of the museum and its outstanding holdings of Asian and late nineteenth-century American art. Exceptional works from China, Japan, Korea, South and Southeast Asia, the ancient Near East, and the Islamic world are on view. The Freer also houses the world's most extensive collection of paintings, prints, and drawings by American artist James McNeill Whistler, including his famous Peacock Room. Museum founder Charles Lang Freer's understanding and appreciation of art and its history shaped his personal collection and his vision for the first Smithsonian museum devoted to the fine arts. Discover how he viewed Asian and American art from the perspective of a collector and a connoisseur in the late nineteenth century.
Special Exhibition
Limit: Varies
Participate in an in-depth tour of one of the museum's temporary exhibitions on view in the Freer Gallery of Art or Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.
Arts of Japan
Limit: 40 participants
Travel to Japan through the Freer Gallery's unparalleled collection of screens, paintings, lacquerware, prints, ceramics, and sculpture. Look closely at Japanese works of art and learn about their importance in Japanese history and culture, past and present.
Arts of China
Limit: 45 participants
Chinese art has flourished from the Neolithic period into the twenty-first century. Discover the richness and diversity of Chinese art, from ceramics, lacquerware, painting, and calligraphy to ancient bronzes and jades.
Arts of the Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas
Limit: 15 participants
View and discuss the Freer Gallery's important collection of sculpture, paintings, and drawings created in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet. Discover how the arts of this region are closely intertwined with many religious traditions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Jainism.
Arts of the Islamic World
Limit: 15 participants
See how a variety of artistic traditions have thrived since the advent of Islam in the late seventh century. Explore the Freer's collection of arts of the Islamic world, which were created across a vast geographic area, from southern Spain and North Africa to the islands of Southeast Asia.
Arts of Buddhism
Limit: 45 participants
The religious arts of Buddhism in the Freer Gallery's collection reflect a variety of Buddhist traditions. Compare Buddhist objects and discover how the religion was transformed as it spread from India across the vast continent of Asia.
Sacred Arts of Asia
Limit: 45 participants
Examine works of art originally created for worship in various Asian religious traditions. Learn how visual characteristics of these art forms reflect key principles and practices associated with each religion.
Whistler and the Peacock Room
Limit: 30 participants
The famed Peacock Room was once the London dining room of wealthy shipowner Frederick Leyland. Hear the intriguing story of Leyland, American artist James McNeill Whistler, and the controversial decoration of the Peacock Room. Explore other works by Whistler in the Freer's American art galleries, and find out how Whistler influenced Charles Lang Freer's own aesthetic sensibility and collecting.
Points of Contact (American Art Collection)
Limit: 30 participants
In the late nineteenth century, museum founder Charles Lang Freer's collecting was influenced by his relationships with James McNeill Whistler and other artists of the aesthetic movement. Explore the ways Freer detected "points of contact" between Asian art and paintings by American artists such as Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Abbott Handerson Thayer, and Dwight William Tryon and how these connections shaped the personal collection he would later bequeath to the Smithsonian.
*Due to ongoing gallery installations, some tours and objects might not be available.
Making a Reservation
Reservations for Group Tours
Group tours are available with four weeks' advance registration, subject to availability. Group tours are offered from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, except Wednesdays and federal holidays.
To submit a tour request, please use the online Tour Request form. If you are unable to submit the form, print and fax it to 202.312.1930.
We will make every effort to accommodate your request. Tour requests are handled on a first-come, first-served basis and depend on the availability of docents, gallery size, and other factors.
Please note: submitting a Tour Request form does not guarantee a tour.
Confirmation
We will send written confirmation two to three weeks before your tour is scheduled to take place. A docent will contact you approximately one week before the tour to discuss objectives and confirm logistical information.
Please note: submitting the Tour Request form does not guarantee a tour.
Cancellations and Changes
Please call the tour scheduler immediately at 202.633.1012 to report all cancellations and changes. For same-day or weekend cancellations and changes, please also call 202.633.0470.
Self-guided Groups
Groups who are unable to schedule a reserved tour may tour exhibitions and galleries on their own. To ensure space availability, self-guided groups are asked to make reservations four weeks in advance by completing the online
Self-Guided Groups form. We ask that self-guided groups register at the information desk when they arrive at the museum.
To avoid congestion in the galleries, we encourage self-guided groups to plan their visits for the afternoons or Wednesday mornings. Only pencils are allowed in the galleries. Photography for personal use (with or without flash) is allowed, except where indicated otherwise by signage. Generally, we permit photography of the permanent collections but not of loan objects or special exhibitions.
Groups with Special Needs
Please indicate any special needs on the Tour Request form. We offer the following services (please check for availability):
- Tours in some foreign languages (please specify in tour request).
- Specially designed tours for visually impaired visitors.
- Sign-language interpreters.
Teachers
On-line Resources
Asian Art Connections: Resources for Educators
Our biannual educational newsletter features temporary exhibitions and includes one or more featured object, reproductions, exhibition information, curriculum connections, classroom activities, book reviews, and
more. Asian Art Connections is free of charge. To add your name to the educational mailing list, please write to Asian Art Connections: Resources for Educators at fsgeducation@si.edu
Chaperones
There must be at least ONE CHAPERONE PER 10 STUDENTS. It is the responsibility of the chaperone, not the docent, to monitor the group. Chaperones should not bring reading materials or stray from the group. They should have the following information:
- A list of the students for whom they are responsible.
- A schedule of the trip and where to meet the docent and the bus.
Assignments
- Assignments are NOT PERMITTED on guided tours.
- If you are a self-guided group and you have planned an activity, you may use PENCILS in the galleries.
- Pens are not permitted.
The Day of Your Visit
- Divide your students into groups of 15.
- Arrive at least 10 to 15 minutes before your tour. LATE ARRIVALS WILL RESULT IN SHORTER TOURS.
- Meet your docent at the designated information desk (this information will be provided in your confirmation letter).
Students
What They Should Know Before Their Visit
A day or two before your tour, remind your students of their field trip and how it relates to what they have been studying. Below are some basic questions that all students should be able to answer prior to their visit.
- What is a museum?
- What is the Smithsonian Institution? Visit http://www.si.edu/
- What type of museum is the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and from what part of the world does most of its collection come?
- What is the subject of their tour?
- What countries will be discussed during the tour and where are they located on a map?
Respecting All Cultures
During their tour, students may encounter objects from cultural and religious traditions with which they are unfamiliar. Please set a tone of respect for this experience by explaining that learning about works of art can help us understand the cultural and religious traditions of the world. Teachers are encouraged to remind students that what might be unfamiliar to one child is important to another.
Museum Manners
- Be respectful of the objects by leaving bags at school, walking and not leaning on cases.
- Be considerate of classmates and other visitors by using a quiet voice and keeping clear of entryways.
- Do not bring food, beverages or gum into the building.
- Use your eyes, not your hands, to examine objects.
- Remember, all questions are good! Just raise your hand.
General Information
Contact Information
For questions about tours that are not answered here:
202.633.1012
asiatours@si.edu
For general inquiries:
publicaffairsAsia@si.edu
202.633.1000 (TTY 202.633.5285)
Metro
Metro is the most efficient means of traveling to the National Mall.
Parking
Free on-street parking for cars and vans on the national Mall along Jefferson and Madison drives is limited, and regulations are enforced, including the 3-hour maximum. Parking on the Mall begins at 9:30 am. There is a commercial parking garage at L'Enfant Plaza.
Bus Parking
The United States Park Police, 202.426.6841, discourages bus parking on the Mall and recommends the following areas:
- Constitution Ave.—15th to 23rd streets on the north side heading west.
- Independence Ave.—After 15th Street on the right for one block, heading west toward the Washington Monument.
- Jefferson Drive—4th & 3rd streets, either side, one-way heading east.
- West Basin Drive and Ohio Drive—In West Potomac Park, between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials.
- Ohio Drive—In East Potomac Park, between the Jefferson Memorial and Hanes Point.
- Buses should drop off and pick up visitors to the Museum on the Mall side of the building (Jefferson Drive).
Security
Visitors must present their belongings for inspection when entering the museum.
Lunches and Bags
- When possible, please leave bags and lunches on the bus.
- If you must bring lunches, please place them in clear plastic bags so they can easily pass inspection.
- There are no eating facilities at the Freer Gallery of Art or the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. It is not permissible to eat in the Enid A. Haupt Garden.
- For dining options on the Mall go to: http://www.si.edu/dining/default.htm
Accessibility
- Please indicate any accessibility concerns, needs, or questions on the Tour Request form.
- A handicap accessible entrance to the Freer Gallery is located on Independence Avenue at 12th Street, SW.
- The Sackler Gallery's main entrance is accessible.