Guidelines for Guests

Speed Art Museum Plaza Construction
Please excuse our mess. The Speed Art Museum is reimagining the pedestrian plazas surrounding the Museum. Construction is expected to occur in several phases. Phase 1 began in April 2023. Pedestrian and vehicular access will be altered during all phases of construction, and signage will be posted in the area. Please allow yourself extra time for your arrival. Visitor parking is still available in the Speed Art Museum Garage. 

To help us protect and preserve our collection for the enjoyment of all Speed guests, please follow our general rules of Museum conduct.

While visiting the galleries please do not touch or point closely to any art or lean on cases or walls; the smallest touch can irreparably harm the works.

Please maintain a standing distance of 2-3 feet, approximately an arm’s length, between yourself and any work on display.  As you visit the galleries, please be aware of your proximity to each work you pass, and keep all carried items (bags, unworn coats, etc.) from touching the art – remember the closest artwork might be behind you.  Please do not cross any barriers in front of or surrounding artwork, such as tape lines or rope stanchions. Open flames of any kind are prohibited.

Considerate behavior is expected of all guests. Guests are expected to follow the reasonable directions or instructions from Museum personnel. Any individual or group whose behavior is disruptive may be asked to leave.

Due to COVID-19 limitations, the Speed Art Museum’s coat check rooms is temporarily restricted.

All bags larger than 17” x 13” x 6″ are not permitted in the Museum unless they are required for essential medical equipment, or for use in nursing or childcare. Please notify Guest Relations staff upon entry if you have these needs. To protect the collection, backpacks must be worn on the front, under one arm, or carried in hand by your side.

All bags and parcels brough into the Museum are subject to search. We ask guests to review all guidelines and understand what items are prohibited before arriving to avoid delays.

The Museum is not responsible for lost or stolen items.

Strollers are welcome. Smaller, front-facing child carriers can be worn in the Museum. For the safety of children and the art, large-framed child carriers and child carriers worn on your back are not permitted in the galleries.

For specific needs please contact Guest Relations. (click here for the Museum accessibility page)

Wagons are not permitted in the galleries.

Children under 12 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or other adult at all times. Children may not be carried on shoulders for their own safety and the protection of works of art.

Service animals, as defined by the ADA, are welcome. They must be under the handler’s control while in the Museum.

Pets are not permitted in the Speed Art Museum.

Please check your umbrellas with Guest Relations; they are not permitted to be carried through the Museum.

For the safety of guests and to protect the collection the following items are prohibited in the Museum and on Museum grounds, except as a means of transportation, including the Museum’s parking garage and exterior pathways:

• Roller skates, including shoes with skates built in
• Skateboards
• Hoverboards
• Segway’s or similar devices, except as needed for mobility for persons with disabilities

When writing in the galleries we ask that only golf pencils be used. Mechanical pencils, pens, markers, and paint are not permitted in the galleries.

The galleries of the Speed Art Museum are open to individuals wishing to sketch during regular Museum hours and under the conditions outlined below:

• Individuals sketching should remain a minimum of five feet away from artwork.
• Easels are not permitted in our galleries.
• The only media allowed for sketching are pencils (no softer than a 4B graphite pencil), Conte crayon and colored pencils.
• The following media are NOT permitted: charcoal, oil pastel, felt-tip marker, pastels, ink, fountain pens, fixatives, and sprays of any type.
• We ask that artists do not hinder normal traffic flow while working in the galleries and for this reason may not work in doorways or within the normal traffic flow of the doorways.
• Sketch pads 24”x36” or larger require advanced written approval by the Curatorial department and should be transported by Museum staff to the approved location. Please call ahead to make appropriate arrangements.
• Only works in the Museum’s permanent collection may be copied. We ask that you not sketch in our special exhibitions as those artworks are on loan to the Museum.

For the protection of our collection, we ask that you please consume your food and drinks prior to entering the galleries. Food and drink may be enjoyed from Wiltshire in the Café area, Grand Hall, Atrium, Cinema Lobby and Gheens Education Court. Closed bottles of water may be carried through the museum in a bag and consumed in one of the authorized areas outlined above; other food or drink cannot be carried through the galleries.

Food and drink purchased prior to a cinema screening in the Cinema Lobby can be enjoyed in the Cinema, Cinema Lobby, or outside the Museum.

No guns, knives, blades, pepper spray, mace, tasers, stun guns, tactical batons, or weapons of any kind are allowed on Museum property. No scissors or other such supplies or tools are permitted in the Museum.

Smoking, including the use of vaping devices, is not permitted inside the Speed Art Museum.

Please contact the Guest Relations desk or ask a Gallery Attendant in the Museum to inquire about lost and found items.

Personal Use Photography
Personal photography is allowed in the galleries provided guests pay regular admission. This includes cell phones, handheld point & shoot cameras, and video cameras that are set to take non-flash photos. Flash photography is prohibited. Some artworks may not be photographed which are indicated on the label. “Selfie sticks” and tripods are not permitted in the Museum, monopods, or similar devices are not permitted in the Museum. Drones are not permitted for use inside the Museum and must receive advanced written approval for use on exterior Museum grounds. 

News Media 

Members of the media must always be escorted by a member of the Marketing Department or have permission from that office to shoot independently. All organized photo shoots inside the Museum—for news coverage, school projects, tourism programs—require approval from Kim Butterweck, Director of Communications and Marketing. Unscheduled photo shoots will be declined. 

Commercial Shoots/Wedding Photography/Large Group Photography  

Photo shoots for commercial purposes (advertising, music videos, training videos, etc.) must be approved and scheduled in advance by the Special Events Department. A fee may apply. 

Any large group photography inside the Museum (5 or more total guests) must be approved by the Special Events Department. Large group photography can be qualified as Prom Photos, Graduation Photos, Headshots, School Groups & Proposals. A fee will be applied to the reservation. Unscheduled photo shoots will be declined. 

Engagement photography must be scheduled in advance. A fee will be charged for use of facilities and staff time. Wedding clients who have a current scheduled wedding event hosted with us will have the fee waived however will still need to schedule their time.  

The Special Events Department will schedule any of these sessions directly and communicate them out to Guest Relations, Security and other necessary parties. Unscheduled photo shoots will be prohibited. 

The Fee: Museum Open Hours: $150 | Museum Closed Hours: $300 

General Photography Regulations 

• Indoor portrait photography is allowed in the Museum without escort if the following restrictions are followed: 
• Photographs must be shot in natural light only. No artificial lights, reflectors, or diffusers allowed. 
• All public spaces must always remain accessible to guests and comply with ADA regulations. 
• There is no space for clothing bags or storage of personal items outside the coat closet.  
• No backpacks in the galleries per our regular security procedures. 
• Absolutely no live floral arrangements or other props allowed in galleries without special permission from Marketing or Special Events. 
• Museum security reserves the right to halt any photo shoot that is deemed disruptive. 
• Outdoor photo shoots on the Museum grounds can take place at any time and do not require an escort. 

Guests, Contractors, Service Personnel, or others are subject to search at any time while on the property. Any containers brought onto the property, to include purses, briefcases, backpacks, shopping bags, or packages are also subject to search. Prohibited items may be confiscated or/or turned over to authorities.

Any public solicitation must be approved in writing by the Museum Director and Director of Protection Services prior to engaging in such activity. Solicitation includes but is not limited to selling goods or services, panhandling, distributing literature or flyers, gathering signatures, demonstrating, or conducting surveys on Museum property.

The following are prohibited and may be grounds for ejection and/or being trespassed from Speed Art Museum property:

• Actual or attempted misappropriation of and/or damage to Speed property
• Violation of established rules, policies, and/or Museum code of conduct
• Failure to follow the instructions or requests of Museum staff or posted signage
• Possession of prohibited items
• Blocking Museum areas, including any entrance areas, entrance steps, platforms, gallery spaces, or access ramps or otherwise interfering with the free flow of pedestrian traffic in and around the Museum
• Blocking or interfering with admission lines or special event-related activities, including valet parking services for special events
• Littering on Museum property including entrance areas, entrance steps, platforms, and access ramps and any surrounding areas
• Unauthorized solicitation, petition signature gathering, leafletting activities, unaffiliated public or private events, mass gatherings, demonstrations, or protest activities on any part of Museum property, including any entrance area, parking facility, platforms, access ramps or open space
• Possession, use, and/or being under the influence of controlled substances while on Speed’s premises, except as authorized by physician prescription
• Engaging in rude, inconsiderate, illegal, or abusive behavior
• Creating a physically offensive condition, including disturbing odors or infested clothing or personal effects
• Unauthorized entry into controlled or restricted areas
• Repeated violation of art safety barriers