Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

Join a Museum Educator for a free guided tour, included as part of your admission.

Every Free Second Sunday: At 11AM, join a kid friendly tour during Play Day. At 2PM, join a general tour, where attendees pick the theme.

Every Free Third Thursday: At 5PM, join a Focused Narratives tour.

No reservations are necessary for public tours.

Please find the private tour and thematic tour offering you’re interested in and book here: Book an MCASD Tour Experience

We have ASL Interpretive services available by request for tours. Please see the Tour Booking form above to make a request.

For private tour questions and accommodations, email the Education Department at education@mcasd.org

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.

All private tour and private tour + workshop requests must inquire for dates at least 3 weeks in advance to accommodate for any scheduling conflicts with any previously scheduled tours and for any staffing shortages.

MCASD reserves the right to decline any tour request made on short notice.

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. If a reserved tour knows they will be late by 15 minutes or more, MCASD can cancel your tour without refund.

A guided, 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.

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.

Look & Explore Tour Bookings for School Groups:

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

Look & Explore Tour Bookings for Higher Education Groups:

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

Look & Explore Tour Bookings for Community Groups, Organizations, or Private Groups:

• 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 admission + $10 per person for Members / Admission cost* + $15 per person for Non-Members

*Admission is paid separately online or at the Museum on the day of the tour. We will consider cost assistance based on need. Please email education@mcasd.org to learn more.

These private tours 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.

The latest time a Look & Explore Tour + Workshop can be requested is 1:30PM.

Look & Explore Tours + 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.

Look & Explore Tour + Workshop Bookings for Student and Higher Education Groups:

• Available between 10AM – 1:30PM, Thursday through Sunday
• Group Size: Maximum of 45 people per group. 1 adult chaperone required per every 15 participants.
• Cost: Free (must show school/university ID) + $15 per person

Look & Explore Tour + Workshop Bookings for Community Groups, Organizations, or Private Groups:

• Available: Between 10AM – 1:30PM* Thursday through Sunday
• Group Size: Maximum group size of 45 people per group; 1 adult chaperone required per every 15 participants.
• Cost: $10 admission + $10 per person for Members / Admission cost** + $30 per person for Non-Members

**Admission is paid separately online or at the Museum on the day of the tour. The group organizer 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.

Teachers and instructors have the ability to use the Museum galleries as an extended classroom.

Self-Guided tours are NOT led by museum educators; please refer to the Look & Explore Tour option for museum educator-guided tours.

Self-Guided tours must be scheduled at least 3 weeks in advance to guarantee access for your group. Admission should be paid upon arrival.

Self-Guided Tour Bookings for School and Higher Education Groups:

• 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 of 45 people per group
• Cost: Free with admission*

*Admission is paid separately online or at the museum on the day of the tour.

Special Exhibition Tour

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

General Tour

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

Borderlands SD & TJ

A tour on the 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.

Contemporary Art for Beginners

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.

All About Kids

A fun and engaging tour for children to learn the basic elements of art. Recommended for K – 5 age groups.

What days and times can I request a tour?

Thursday – Saturday any time between 10AM – 6PM and Sunday any time between 10AM – 4PM. Tours cannot be requested at the same time as a Public Tour (2PM on Saturdays)

Does MCASD offer tours Monday – Wednesday or after -hours tours?

No, we do not.

What is the cost of a private tour? (Look & Explore Tour option ONLY)

Please look above at the different groups and check the pricing accordingly.

Please check here for more details regarding admission pricing. The Education Department does NOT handle Admission fees.

More information on the payment process will be given in tour confirmation emails to the group contact.

How long is a tour?

Our tours (including Self-Guided tours) are 1 hour long. Tours with the workshop option are 2 hours long (1 hour tour, followed by a 1 hour workshop). Please plan accordingly for your tour or tour + workshop.

How many people can I have in my group?

We require a minimum of 5 people and a maximum of 45 people. The Education Department reserves the right to break up or decline a tour request if the group is too large as we are considering staffing and security precautions, as well as the nature of some exhibitions and gallery size.

Groups larger than 45 may also be asked to separate their group into smaller groups with different timeslots for their tour depending on availability and scheduling of other tours.

Is there a maximum number of chaperones?

We require that school groups and community groups and organizations with chaperones have one adult per six children (teachers and instructors are included in the total count of chaperones). This number will vary depending on the group. The Education Department will be in communication with individual larger groups to determine what would work best for each situation.

What responsibilities do chaperones have?

All chaperones are responsible for monitoring student behavior and ensuring that the group stays together, even if students are of high school age.

During a Guided Tour, chaperones must stay with their group and be engaged for the duration of the tour.

Can I bring my group to a different gallery while we are currently on a tour with an educator?

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

I already submitted a tour request and received a confirmation email, but I need to make a change to my tour (time, cancelation, change in number of people in group, etc). Can I ask for a change?

We require that any changes made to a tour must be sent to the Education Department via email 2 weeks in advance of the tour date.

We have the right to decline any changes requested on short notice (less than 2 weeks). This is to ensure that there is no conflict with other tours that may be scheduled as well as staffing.

My group will be late for our scheduled tour, may we extend our tour duration?

As stated on our website, if a reserved tour is late by 15 minutes or more, MCASD has the right to cancel your tour without refund. Tours will not extend past the reserved time if a group is late.

If an Educator leading a tour is willing to wait past the 15 minutes, they may give a tour during the remaining portion of the timeslot (e.g. If a group arrives 15 minutes after their tour start time, the duration of the tour will only be 45 minutes). This is not a guarantee for all tours.

Can I make a reservation with The Kitchen after my group’s tour is over?

The Education team does not handle any reservations to The Kitchen. Please call The Kitchen at 858-454-3541 x507 for more information.