Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

• All tour and tour + workshop requests must inquire for dates at least 3 weeks in advance of the date the request is submitted to accommodate any scheduling conflicts with any previously scheduled tours, any staffing shortages or educational programming.
• MCASD reserves the right to decline any tour request made on short notice.
• Please be advised that MCASD will attempt to fulfill all scheduled requests for tours but may, at its discretion, cancel or reschedule due to staffing shortages, schedule or programming conflicts and a full refund will be processed. If a reserved tour is 15 minutes late or more, MCASD can cancel your tour without a refund. The duration of a tour will not extend past the reserved time if a party is late. If a reserved tour knows they will be 15 minutes late or more, MCASD can cancel your tour without a refund.

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.

• The total tour cost will be invoiced to the group organizer. More information regarding payment will be sent in the tour confirmation email.
• Group organizers will be invoiced for the total amount for the workshop. We will consider cost assistance based on need. Please email education@mcasd.org to learn more.

• All Title I schools are eligible for MCASD's Full Transit Scholarship. For more information contact: education@mcasd.org
• We have ASL Interpretive services available by request through the booking form.
• For additional private tour questions and accommodations, email the Education Department at education@mcasd.org

• Available between 10AM – 3PM, Thursday through Sunday
• Group Size: Maximum of 45 people per group. 1 adult chaperone is required per every 15 participants.
• Cost: Free

• Available between 10AM – 3PM, Thursday through Sunday
• Group Size: Maximum of 45 people per group
• Cost: Free (must show school/university ID) 

• Available between 11AM – 3PM, Thursday through Sunday
• Group Size: Maximum of 45 people per group. 1 adult chaperone is required per every 15 participants.
• Cost:
  • For MCASD Members: $10 per person
  • For Non-Members: Admission cost + $15 per person
    • Admission pricing can be found here. Admission is paid separately online or at the museum’s front desk on the day of the tour. 

• Available between 10AM – 1:30PM, Thursday through Sunday
• Group Size: Maximum of 45 people per group. 1 adult chaperone required per 15 participants.
• Cost: $15 per person

• Available between 10AM – 1:30PM, Thursday through Sunday
• Group Size: Maximum of 45 people per group. 1 adult chaperone required per 15 participants.
• Cost: Free admission $15 per person

• Available between 11AM – 1:30PM, Thursday through Sunday
• Group Size: Maximum group size of 45 people per group; 1 adult chaperone required per 15 participants.
• Cost:
  • For MCASD Members: $10 admission + $10 per person
  • For Non-Members: Admission cost + $30 per person.
    • Admission pricing can be found here. Admission is paid separately online or at the museum’s front desk on the day of the tour.

• Available between 10AM – 3PM, Thursday through Sunday
• Group Size: Maximum 45 people per group
• Cost: Free

• Available between 10AM – 3PM, Thursday through Sunday
• Group Size: Maximum 45 people per group
• Cost: Free (must show university ID)

• Available between 11AM – 3PM, Thursday through Sunday
• Group Size: Maximum of 45 people per group
• Cost: Free with admission
  • Admission is paid separately online or at the museum’s front desk on the day of the tour. 

Learn about the featured artist(s) on a guided tour of the Museum’s current special exhibition, Giants.

A guided tour of highlighted artworks in the Museum’s current special exhibition and permanent collection.

Explore basic elements of art appreciation, including language for artistic techniques and approaches for how to "look" at contemporary art. 

Recommended for groups not familiar with art history or Contemporary Art history–groups will learn about general ways of looking at art.  

A fun and engaging tour for children to learn the basic elements of art. 

Recommended for K – 5 age groups. 

Explore the symbolic and material ways in which contemporary artists have approached themes of absence, silence, and empty space. Also learn how they engage with previous associations, ideas, and imaginaries surrounding themes of absence. 

Connect MCASD’s collection to San Diego and its histories–learn about the region’s peoples, geographies, and famous artists.  

Explore how artists utilize different materials to reinterpret and reimagine the ways we understand and look at nature– the ways that nature is tied to the history of the land we live on and goes beyond the sky.

A tour of the more playful artworks currently on view from MCASD’s permanent collection. These works speak to more beyond their playful façade. 

Explore research-based art practices within MCASD’s permanent collection and special exhibitions. Learn how we define research and engage with research pedagogies in artistic settings. 

This tour explores how contemporary artists use material and medium to acknowledge the past and tell stories. 

• For K-12 school groups and Higher Education groups: any time between 10 AM – 3 PM, Thursday - Sunday.
• For Private groups and Community groups: any time between 11 AM – 3 PM, Thursday - Sunday.
• Tours with the workshop option are two hours long in duration. Please plan accordingly for your tour or workshop. Tours and Tour + Workshops will not extend past the reserved time if a group is late.
• Tours cannot be requested at the same time as a Public Tour (5 PM on Third Thursday) or on Second Sunday (Play Days). 

No, we do not. 

• Please refer to the “Private Tour Offerings” Tab for more details. Check here MCASD admission prices.
• The Education Department does NOT handle admission fees. Fees can be paid online through the museum’s website or at the front desk upon arrival at the museum. 
• Tour fees, information on the payment process, and payment options will be sent via email to the group’s contact.
• MCASD is unable to process foreign credit card payments. Please make sure that your payment method is a US payment method. 

• A minimum of 5 people and a maximum of 45 people is allowed for any singular tour group. 
• The Education Department reserves the right to break up or decline a tour request if a group is too large as we consider staffing, security precautions and the nature of the exhibitions and galleries currently on view.
• Groups larger than 45 people may be asked to divide their group into smaller groups and tour at separate timeslots depending on availability and scheduling of other tours. 

• We require that any changes must be sent to the Education Department for a minimum of two weeks in advance of the tour date.
• We reserve the right to decline any changes made on short notice (less than two weeks). This is to ensure there will be no conflicts with other scheduled tours, staffing, or educational programming. 

• If a reserved tour is 15 minutes late or more, MCASD has the right to cancel your tour without a refund. Tours will NOT extend past the reserved time if a group is late.
• If a Museum Educator leading a tour is willing to wait past the 15 minutes, they may give a shortened tour during the remainder of the hour (e.g. if a group’s tour is at 12 PM and they arrive at 12:15 PM, the tour will only be 45 minutes long instead of the full hour). This is not a guarantee for all tours. 

• Items + Bags larger than 16” x 16” with a strap length of 9” must be stored in the free visitor lockers, located downstairs behind the front desk. The Museum is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
• Food and drinks are not allowed in the galleries. Please keep all food and drinks sealed and either in the vehicle or in the guest lockers.
• If your group has more than 20 people, museum educators will direct you to an alternative location to store your bags during the tour. For K-12 school groups, you may be asked to leave bags at the school campus or on the bus if your group is too large. 

The Education Department does NOT handle any reservations for The Kitchen. Please call The Kitchen at 858-454-3541 x507 for more information. 

• We require school groups and community groups and organizations with chaperones to have one adult chaperone per six children (teachers and instructors are included in the total number of chaperones).
• This number will vary depending on the group size. The Education Department will be in communication with the group’s contact person to determine what works best for each situation. 

• All chaperones are responsible for monitoring student behavior and ensuring that the group stays together, even if students are of high school age.
• During Guided Tours, chaperones must stay with their group and be engaged for the duration of the tour.
• Chaperones must also follow museum rules and guidelines. 

Please do not bring your group into a different gallery while on a guided tour. If you are interested in visiting a different gallery while on a tour, please communicate with the Museum Educator leading the tour for your group. 

• Please refer to MCASD's Visitor Guidelines. There is also free two-hour street parking available within walking distance in front of the museum, along Silverado Street and Draper Avenue.
• The Education Department does not handle parking arrangements. Please plan for your group to find parking prior to arrival.