Stories in Art

• PHOTOS

During this three-hour family walking tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, we’ll discover the many ways stories can be told through art. By exploring objects from collections across the museum, such as ancient Greek sculpture, Renaissance altarpieces, Medieval armor, American portraiture or Impressionist landscapes, we will examine how artists communicate narrative throughout history in a variety of media. Learning to read these narratives, and deciding what they can tell us about the time, place and people connected with each work will be an integral part of the experience. This walk is a wonderful introduction to the museum.

Our docents, who are trained in such techniques as visual thinking strategies and have backgrounds in museum education, will engage the kids—from primary through middle school—in an interactive discussion of how art reflects and interprets the world around us.

As this is a private walk, the material will be tailored to the level and interests of the young

During this three-hour family walking tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, we’ll discover the many ways stories can be told through art. By exploring objects from collections across the museum, such as ancient Greek sculpture, Renaissance altarpieces, Medieval armor, American portraiture or Impressionist landscapes, we will examine how artists communicate narrative throughout history in a variety of media. Learning to read these narratives, and deciding what they can tell us about the time, place and people connected with each work will be an integral part of the experience. This walk is a wonderful introduction to the museum.

Our docents, who are trained in such techniques as visual thinking strategies and have backgrounds in museum education, will engage the kids—from primary through middle school—in an interactive discussion of how art reflects and interprets the world around us.

As this is a private walk, the material will be tailored to the level and interests of the youngest participants. For children 12 and under we normally structure such activities as treasure hunts to find elements in paintings or a drawing exercise to get the children engaged. For middle schoolers the emphasis is more on questioning the works of art and our assumptions about them. In each case, we ask that you tell us about your children's current studies and provide any comments about their learning styles you can.