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Today at the Museum

September 7, 2010

Living Arts of Africa

1 – 2 p.m.

Discover objects for daily use and regalia fit for a king from the diverse continent of Africa. Learn about masquerade and divination, as well as customs for settling disputes and initiating young men and women into the community.

About Tours

For more information, call the MIA tour office
at (612) 870-3140.


current and upcoming Tours of the Month »


Public Tours


Discover the museum with the help of our trained tour guides. Free one-hour public tours are offered daily. Topics range from special exhibitions to treasures of the MIA’s permanent collection. Feel free to join the tours at any point, and stay as long as you like.

schedule of Daily Public Tours »


Spotlights and Conversations

A Spotlight tour invites you to focus on a single artwork in the museum’s collection during a 20-minute group discussion facilitated by a tour guide. You may also engage in half-hour or 45-minute group conversations about special exhibitions and featured MIA galleries.

schedule of upcoming Spotlights & Conversations »


Art Carts
Visit the MIA’s family-friendly, hands-on Art Carts, in the galleries during weekdays, Thursday evenings, and on weekends. Request a free passport to discover all the Art Carts, and collect a stamp for each one you visit.

schedule of Art Carts »


Self-Guided Tours
Discover fun, little-known facts about artworks in the galleries with free MIA self-guided tour brochures. Offering something for every taste, our themes include “Love and Scandal,” “Believe It or Not,” “People’s Choice,” and “Highlights of the Collection."

Download your self-guided tour brochures to prepare for your visit. Or pick them up at any Information Desk in the museum—and let your journey begin!

    Believe It Or Not » (571KB .pdf)
    Highlights of the Collection » (763KB .pdf)
    Love and Scandal » (1MB .pdf)
    People's Choice » (632KB .pdf)
    Scavenger Hunts » (2.19MB .pdf)

School Tours


Give your students an artful experience. Bring your class to the MIA!

Reservations are required for all school groups. Tour times fill up quickly, so please plan in advance. To request a tour, send in a Tour Request Form (132KB .pdf). Simply download the form, print it out, fill it out, and mail it in.

For tour ideas of the museum’s permanent collection, view a selection of tour topics.

School groups may also take tours of special exhibitions FREE of admission charges. Use the special Art of the Native Americans: The Thaw Collection School Tour Request Form (K-12) or Tour Request Form for University Groups.

To reserve a school tour in conjunction with a class visit to the Children’s Theatre Company, use the special MIA/CTC Tour Request Form » (108KB .pdf)

MIA/CTC Tour Topics » (176KB .pdf)
Preschool Tour Request Form » (140KB .pdf)

Registered Art Adventure schools may book tours using the Art Adventure Tour Request form (84KB .pdf)  We look forward to seeing you and your students at the MIA!

Friends Transportation Fund

Established in 1996 to cover transportation costs for approximately 3500 children annually, from Twin Cities schools who visit the museum for educational tours. Interested in participating? Please fill out the Transportation Request Form (.pdf) and return by mail, by fax, or electronically no later than Monday, October 11, 2010. Please contact the Friends of the Institute for more information via phone or email, (612) 870-3045 or friends@artsmia.org.



Custom Tours

You may request a tour on almost any topic for a group of ten or more. Pick from one of our most popular topics or together we can create a custom tour topic of your own. To get started, call (612) 870-3140.

Touch tours, including detailed verbal descriptions and tactile diagrams of select works of art, are available for visitors who are blind or have low vision.

browse a list of tour topics »


Discover Your Story Tours

The MIA is dedicated to providing equal access to its collections and programs. With the Alzheimer’s Association Minnesota-North Dakota, the MIA’s Department of Museum Guide Programs has developed a tour program for people with memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. “Discover Your Story” tours engage individuals in the early and middle stages of Alzheimer’s, and their family, friends or care partners, in discussions focused on thematically related artworks in the museum’s galleries. Participants are encouraged to discover themselves while reminiscing about, reflecting upon or comparing their own life stories to the stories in works of art.

“Discover Your Story” tours are made available in two ways: groups can reserve a space in advance according to their needs, or a person with memory loss and a friend can register in advance for regularly scheduled tours on the second Friday and Saturday of each month by calling 612 870-3140. All tours are free; pre-registration is required.

schedule of “Discover Your Story” tours »


ASL Interpreted Tours

On the first Sunday of each month, at 1 p.m., public tours are interpreted for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Interpreted tours are also scheduled on other days throughout the year.