School Tours

Learn about our tour options below and click the “Request a Field Trip” button to submit your tour request.  

GENERAL INFORMATION 

  • The Speed is open for School Tours Wednesday through Friday starting at 10 a.m.  
  • To receive school tour pricing, reservations must be confirmed at least three weeks in advance.   
  • School Tour pricing requires a minimum of 10 students. Our current student capacity is 90 students per tour. Additional capacity requirements for special tours are outlined below.  
  • Final numbers of students, chaperones, and additional adults must be confirmed at least 1 week before the tour. 
  • The Speed requires one chaperone per twelve students; chaperones receive complementary admission to the Speed. Additional adults over the 1:12 ratio will be charged $12 for General Admission or $14 per person for Special Exhibitions.

TICKET PRICING  

The Speed has changed ticket pricing for the 2024-2025 school year. Our à la carte model will give schools the ability to customize a field trip to best meet the needs of their students.  

Base Ticket Price for all students:  

Student Ticket pricing starts at $5 and includes:  

  • Self-guided access to our permanent collection galleries 
  • Art Sparks (Please note that Art Sparks has a capacity of 20 students at a time)  

Customize Your Experience by selecting Add-ons:  

  • Guided Tour: Add $2 per student 
    • Students will visit approximately six artworks during their Docent-guided tour and participate in interactive gallery experiences.  
    • Groups will receive a tour designed for their grade level; more information about these themed tours can be found under School Tour Resources, below. A STEAM tour that integrates science, math, engineering and technology with the arts is available for middle and high school groups. 
    • Guided Tours do not include time for the completion of school assignments. Groups that wish to complete their own assignments during their visit should book a self-guided tour. 
    • Groups with more than 60 students must schedule a 2-hour visit.  
  • Hands-on Art Making: Add $3 per student
    • Students will be led through a 30-minute art-making project that will be ready to take back to school at the end of the tour.  
    • Groups with more than 60 students must schedule a 2-hour visit. 

Special Exhibitions 

Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrored Room– LET’S SURVIVE FOREVER  – Add $5 per student 

  • Field trips to this installation may be booked from September 4, 2024, through January 12, 2025. 
  • This field trip has a capacity of 60 students 6th grade and up. Tours are restricted to 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday through Friday.  
  • Student tickets include a complementary hands-on art-making project. 
  • Schools may elect to spend additional time in Art Sparks, our interactive gallery, or self-guiding in our Permanent Collection after visiting the special exhibit.  

Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900-1939 – Add $3 per student

  • Field trips to this installation may be booked from March 29, 2025, through June 22, 2025.
  • Schools may pair a self-guided tour of the special exhibit with a guided tour of the permanent collection, or add $2 per student for a docent-guided tour of the exhibition. We cannot book a guided tour of both the Permanent Collection and the Special Exhibition in one visit.
  • Schools may add on a hands-on art-making workshop for an additional $3 per student.
  • Schools may elect to spend additional time in Art Sparks, our interactive gallery, or self-guiding in our Permanent Collection after visiting the special exhibit.
  • Check out the Educational Resources created by the National Portrait Gallery for the Brilliant Exiles special exhibition:

Discounts and Grants Are Available  

  • Title 1 Schools:  
    • The Speed has received funding to support school tour ticket cost and Art Detectives workshops for Title 1 Schools in the Greater Louisville Region. All services are subject to availability and are provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. To request programming, please submit your information using the “Request a Field Trip” link below.  
    • Title 1 schools outside of Greater Louisville Region, and schools within the region who would like to book field trips before the grant is confirmed, will receive a 20% discount on the cost of their tickets.  
    • Schools outside of JCPS will need to provide proof of their Title 1 status to receive the discount.  
    • Due to high demand, we are not able to offer discounts to Title 1 Eligible schools or schools without an active program. 

  • Apply for 5×5 and Teacher Arts Grants (TAG) from the Fund for the Arts  

    • 5×5 and Teacher Arts Grants (TAG) support K-12 teachers and administrators in enhancing classroom instruction throughout the Fund for the Arts service area (Bullitt, Jefferson, Oldham, and Shelby counties in Kentucky; and Clark, Floyd, and Harrison counties in Indiana).  
    • Schools may request support to fund student and chaperone tickets as well as transportation costs.  
    • The teacher application opened Monday, July 22 and is due by Friday, September 6 at 11:59 p.m. 

SUPPORT FOR TRANSPORTATION  

  • The Speed has limited funding to assist Title 1 schools in Greater Louisville with transportation costs. Application materials will be shared with schools once their field trip is confirmed.  
  • The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, also provides travel reimbursement funds to Kentucky schools for field trips to the Speed Art Museum with state tax dollars and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Applications for field trips from January 1, 2025 – May 15, 2025, are due November 1, 2024. Please click on the Arts Council’s logo below to learn more and apply:  

SCHOOL TOUR RESOURCES 

Use the resources below to make the most of your visit to the Speed Art Museum.  

ALL TOURS 

Museum Guidelines 

Important Visit Information 

School Tours Directions and Parking Instructions 

Virtual Resources 

 

GUIDED TOURS 

Tour Pre-Visit Making Friends 

Tour Pre-Visit Where in the World 

Tour Pre-Visit Museum Mysteries 

Tour Pre-Visit Changing Perspectives 

School Tour Chaperone Guide – Guided Tours 

 

SELF-GUIDED TOURS 

Self Guide: Grades Pre K – 5 

Self Guide: Grades 6 – 12 

School Tour Chaperone Guide – Self-Guided Tours 

 

SPONSOR INFORMATION  

Thanks to the Fund for the Arts and Brown-Forman for their support of our School Tours.