Tours
Welcome to MCASD’s tour page. Please find the tour you’re interested in and book your tour here:
Booking a MCASD Tour Experience
Tour Offerings:
MCASD LA JOLLA:
- General Tour: A guided tour of the Museum’s special exhibition and permanent collection.
- Borderlands SD & TJ: A history of the border through the lens of contemporary artists and artworks.
- Women Artists of Color in MCASD's Collection: A look at the ways in which intersectional identities have influenced artistic practice.
- MCASD's Architectural History: An overview of the Museum's architectural history, focusing on the new expansion and the artworks surrounding it.
- Roaming the Perimeter: A tour of outdoor artworks, including works in the Sculpture Garden.
- Materiality in Art: Explore how artists use materials to express their ideas and themes.
- Abstraction in Art: Discover abstract art from the 1960s-70s in MCASD’s collection.
- Alexis Smith: The American Way: Learn about Alexis Smith's art practice and her explorations on self-invention, identity, and the American dream.
- Contemporary Art for Beginners: Explore basic elements of art appreciation, including language for artistic techniques and approaches for how to "look" at contemporary art.
- All About Kids: A fun and engaging tour for children to learn the basic elements of art.
MCASD DOWNTOWN:
- General Tour: A guided tour of the Museum's special exhibition.
- Contemporary Art for Beginners: Explore basic elements of art appreciation, including language for artistic techniques and approaches for how to "look" at contemporary art.
- All About Kids: A fun and engaging tour for children to learn the basic elements of art.
* If your group has more than 45 visitors, please contact the Education Department at education@mcasd.org. Please note that the museum reserves the right to adjust the maximum group size and/or break your group into smaller groups based on the nature of our exhibitions.
Please be advised, MCASD attempts to fulfill all scheduled requests for tours but may at its discretion cancel or reschedule due to staffing shortages and a full refund will be processed. If a reserved tour is late by 15 minutes or more, MCASD can cancel your tour without refund. The duration of a tour will not extend past the reserved time if a party is late.
Look & Explore Tour
A Look & Explore Tour is an hour-long, visitor-centered dialogue in which visitors gain a greater understanding of works on view through visual inquiry and in-gallery activities. Museum educators facilitate lively conversations on a select number of artworks, site-specific installations, or the architecture of the museum to allow. Look & Explore Tours must be scheduled at least 3 weeks in advance and any applicable fees must be paid in full a minimum of one-week prior to the tour.
School Groups
MCASD offers guided tours and workshops for K-12 groups. All Title I schools are eligible for MCASD's Full Transit Scholarship.Learn more here
Available: Between 10 AM – 4 PM Thursday through Sunday
Group Size: Maximum group size of 45 people per group; 1 adult chaperone required per every 15 participants.
Cost: Free
Higher Education Groups
Available: Between 10 AM – 4 PM Thursday through Sunday
Group Size: Maximum group size of 45 people per group
Cost: Free w/ ID
Community Groups + Private Groups
- Available: Between 10 AM – 4 PM Thursday through Sunday
- Group Size: Maximum group size of 45 people per group; 1 adult chaperone is required per every 15 participants.
- Cost: Admission cost + $50 tour fee
Look & Explore + Workshop
Workshops build on the Look & Explore Tour with an additional 1-hour workshop experience in which visitors also explore process and materials. Workshops offer visitors a unique opportunity to work with museum educators on a project inspired by works on view. Workshops must be scheduled at least 3 weeks in advance and any applicable fees must be paid in full a minimum of one-week prior to the workshop.
Student + Higher Education Groups
Available: Between 10 AM – 4 PM Thursday through Sunday
Group Size: Maximum group size of 45 people per group; 1 adult chaperone required per every 15 participants.
Cost: $15 per person (admission included)
Community + Private Tours
- Available: Between 10 AM – 4 PM Thursday through Sunday
- Group Size: Maximum group size of 45 people per group; 1 adult chaperone required per every 15 participants.
Cost: Admission cost + $15 dollars per person
Self-Guided Tours
Self-Guided Tours give educators the ability to use the Museum galleries as an extended classroom. Self-Guided tours must be scheduled at least 2-weeks in advance to guarantee access for your group. Admission should be paid upon arrival.
Available: Between 10 AM – 4 PM Thursday through Sunday
Group Size: Maximum group size of 45 people per group
Cost: Free with admission
Public Tours
Join MCASD’s museum educators for public tours at MCASD La Jolla on Saturday at 2 PM and MCASD Downtown on Sunday at 2pm. Free with admission.
Tours are also held at 6 PM on the Third Thursday of the month. No reservations necessary.