K-12 Group Tours

K-12 Group Tours

Make the most out of a school group experience with a guided tour! School groups wishing for a guided tour must have a group larger than 10 students and accommodate grades K-12. Sizes smaller than 10 will pay a flat rate of 10 people in their group type. The maximum public group tour size is 20 per group per guide and a maximum group size of 60 individuals. Group tours last approximately 60 minutes. 

Tour Hours
Group Tour hours: As requested between 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. with some accommodations available outside of our public hours. The first tour can be booked at 10 a.m. and the last booked at 4:00 p.m. Subject to staff and volunteer availability.

Bookings must be made two weeks in advance of your desired date.

Tour Offerings

Guided School Group Tours
We can accommodate a school group size of up to 60 guests per organization reservation and require that at least one teacher or chaperone be a part of each tour party. If your group is larger than 20 people, we will separate your group up into smaller rotating groups with either 15 students per group (or half if greater than 10 and less than 20)  for grades K-8 and 20 per tour grouping with grades 8-12.

Self-Guided Group Tours
Groups making reservations and declining a guided tour that is larger than 10 or more qualify for the Self-Guided Group rate. Groups should be split into smaller groups of 10 or less to explore the Museum galleries.

Art Surge
Art Surge is an educational program that aims to acclimatize high school students to art, exhibitions, and museums. It engages them in deeper dialogue with arts professionals, offers insights into related career paths, and helps students feel comfortable and welcome on a university campus.

Please see our K-12 Group Tour Policy for pricing and more information.

To request a Group Tour, please complete the K-12 Group Tour Request form:

K-12 Group Tour Request Form

Please have the following information available when you fill out the request form:

• School name, address, district, and  teacher contact information
• Proposed dates and times
• Grade level of students
• Number of students, chaperones, and teachers

For more information, please reach out to the Community and Academic Engagement Manager, Evan Wright, at CAMtours@niagara.edu. 

Reservation Confirmation

Once final plans are made for your visit, you will receive a Group Tour Reservation Invoice reflecting the date/ time, size, and pricing for your tour. This confirms your group tour date. 

CAM is thrilled to offer a new learning opportunity, Art Surge: Exploring Art Careers for Niagara County Youth specifically designed with and for local high school art students. 

Art Surge is an educational program that aims to acclimatize high school students to art, exhibitions, and museums. It engages them in deeper dialogue with arts professionals, offers insights into related career paths, and helps students feel comfortable and welcome on a university campus. 

 This three-hour field trip to Castellani Art Museum includes the following:

• A tour of the Museum's permanent collection with an engagement activity
• An interactive presentation about careers in the arts, specific roles in the arts/museums, and the skill sets needed for each
• Three activity stations in our galleries that allow students to practice the skills of curation, conservation, and education
• A reflection activity for student feedback capture and conclusions
• Onsite lunch in Niagara University's beautiful Salvatore Dining Commons
• A tour of Niagara University's campus
  
  

Developed by and with local art teachers, Art Surge has proven to be a wonderful learning experience for students and an opportunity to step out of the classroom and learn in a new environment. Quotes from participating teachers include:

• "I genuinely believe this program offers something I can not provide in my classroom. The direct interaction and deep level of engagement of a museum space and collection is hard to come by." 
  
• "I definitely would like to bring next year's advanced art students to the CAM. Your program was interesting, engaging, well organized and provided a first time for many of the kids to spend time in an art museum. 
  
• “Some really loved seeing the Native American displays because many of the artists featured are family members or friends. It was a wonderful experience; I heard from students who did not go, that they hope to get the chance to visit the CAM next year."

Funding from the Grigg Lewis Foundation and other sponsors and individuals allows us to provide this program to select public schools entirely for free. Other schools may qualify to participate at a reduced rate.

To inquire about an Art Surge field trip for your school, please contact Evan Wright, Community and Academic Engagement Manager, at evanwright@niagara.edu. 

 Art Surge is made possible in part by the Grigg Lewis Foundation.