A lifelong educator, Sharon Vatsky’s experience includes a decade as Curator of Education at the Queens Museum and more than twenty years at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, most recently as Director of Visitor Engagement. She has conducted workshops for teachers, and museum educators in the U.S. and internationally and taught graduate level courses in Museum Education at the City University of New York, Teachers College, Columbia University and New York University’s Graduate Program in Museum Studies as well as undergraduate courses in drawing, painting, design and art history and arts education. Her first book, Museum Gallery Activities: A Handbook was published by Rowman and Littlefield in 2018.

Sharon Vatsky and her collaborators for this vital book share insights about planning effective and meaningful museum tours, plus strategies to bring joy, humor, and lightness into the process. First-hand accounts for troubleshooting content support the book's focus on creative development. The inclusion of easy-to-use templates plus considerations for accessible practices in museum galleries and beyond positions this book as a critical resource for museum educators. This is an essential read for anyone seeking long-lasting and impactful conversations in front of art.

• List of IllustrationsPrefaceAcknowledgementsPart I: The Big PictureChapter 1: Why Museum Tours Still MatterChapter 2: An Introduction to Thematic ToursPart II: PlanningChapter 3: The Tour Planning TemplateChapter 4: Choosing a ThemeChapter 5: Object Selection and SequencingChapter 6: Writing and Sequencing Open-Ended QuestionsChapter 7: The Role of InformationChapter 8: Multi-Modal ActivitiesChapter 9: Advance Organizers, Transitions, ReflectionsChapter 10: Getting ReadyPart III: FacilitationChapter 11: Greeting and OrientationChapter 12: Supporting ParticipationChapter 13: Reflection and EvaluationPart IV: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Diverse AudiencesChapter 14: Audience at the CenterChapter 15: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Youth Queena KoChapter 16: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Students on the Autism Spectrum Melanie Adsit and Jackie DelamatreChapter 17: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Social and Emotional Learning Lisa MazzolaChapter 18: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Family Tours Emily Rivlin-NadlerChapter 19: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Virtual Tours for Adults Chapter 20: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Adults with Visual Impairments and Blindness Karen BergmanChapter 21: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease and other Dementias Francesca RosenbergAppendix 1: Questionnaire on Gallery and Virtual Museum TeachingAppendix 2: Tour Planning ChecklistAppendix 3: Tour Planning TemplateBibliographyAbout the ContributorsAbout the AuthorIndex

A lifelong educator, Sharon Vatsky’s experience includes a decade as Curator of Education at the Queens Museum and more than twenty years at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, most recently as Director of Visitor Engagement. She has conducted workshops for teachers, and museum educators in the U.S. and internationally and taught graduate level courses in Museum Education at the City University of New York, Teachers College, Columbia University and New York University’s Graduate Program in Museum Studies as well as undergraduate courses in drawing, painting, design and art history and arts education. Her first book, Museum Gallery Activities: A Handbook was published by Rowman and Littlefield in 2018.

Sharon Vatsky and her collaborators for this vital book share insights about planning effective and meaningful museum tours, plus strategies to bring joy, humor, and lightness into the process. First-hand accounts for troubleshooting content support the book's focus on creative development. The inclusion of easy-to-use templates plus considerations for accessible practices in museum galleries and beyond positions this book as a critical resource for museum educators. This is an essential read for anyone seeking long-lasting and impactful conversations in front of art.

• List of IllustrationsPrefaceAcknowledgementsPart I: The Big PictureChapter 1: Why Museum Tours Still MatterChapter 2: An Introduction to Thematic ToursPart II: PlanningChapter 3: The Tour Planning TemplateChapter 4: Choosing a ThemeChapter 5: Object Selection and SequencingChapter 6: Writing and Sequencing Open-Ended QuestionsChapter 7: The Role of InformationChapter 8: Multi-Modal ActivitiesChapter 9: Advance Organizers, Transitions, ReflectionsChapter 10: Getting ReadyPart III: FacilitationChapter 11: Greeting and OrientationChapter 12: Supporting ParticipationChapter 13: Reflection and EvaluationPart IV: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Diverse AudiencesChapter 14: Audience at the CenterChapter 15: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Youth Queena KoChapter 16: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Students on the Autism Spectrum Melanie Adsit and Jackie DelamatreChapter 17: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Social and Emotional Learning Lisa MazzolaChapter 18: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Family Tours Emily Rivlin-NadlerChapter 19: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Virtual Tours for Adults Chapter 20: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Adults with Visual Impairments and Blindness Karen BergmanChapter 21: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease and other Dementias Francesca RosenbergAppendix 1: Questionnaire on Gallery and Virtual Museum TeachingAppendix 2: Tour Planning ChecklistAppendix 3: Tour Planning TemplateBibliographyAbout the ContributorsAbout the AuthorIndex

A lifelong educator, Sharon Vatsky’s experience includes a decade as Curator of Education at the Queens Museum and more than twenty years at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, most recently as Director of Visitor Engagement. She has conducted workshops for teachers, and museum educators in the U.S. and internationally and taught graduate level courses in Museum Education at the City University of New York, Teachers College, Columbia University and New York University’s Graduate Program in Museum Studies as well as undergraduate courses in drawing, painting, design and art history and arts education. Her first book, Museum Gallery Activities: A Handbook was published by Rowman and Littlefield in 2018.

Sharon Vatsky and her collaborators for this vital book share insights about planning effective and meaningful museum tours, plus strategies to bring joy, humor, and lightness into the process. First-hand accounts for troubleshooting content support the book's focus on creative development. The inclusion of easy-to-use templates plus considerations for accessible practices in museum galleries and beyond positions this book as a critical resource for museum educators. This is an essential read for anyone seeking long-lasting and impactful conversations in front of art.

• List of IllustrationsPrefaceAcknowledgementsPart I: The Big PictureChapter 1: Why Museum Tours Still MatterChapter 2: An Introduction to Thematic ToursPart II: PlanningChapter 3: The Tour Planning TemplateChapter 4: Choosing a ThemeChapter 5: Object Selection and SequencingChapter 6: Writing and Sequencing Open-Ended QuestionsChapter 7: The Role of InformationChapter 8: Multi-Modal ActivitiesChapter 9: Advance Organizers, Transitions, ReflectionsChapter 10: Getting ReadyPart III: FacilitationChapter 11: Greeting and OrientationChapter 12: Supporting ParticipationChapter 13: Reflection and EvaluationPart IV: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Diverse AudiencesChapter 14: Audience at the CenterChapter 15: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Youth Queena KoChapter 16: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Students on the Autism Spectrum Melanie Adsit and Jackie DelamatreChapter 17: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Social and Emotional Learning Lisa MazzolaChapter 18: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Family Tours Emily Rivlin-NadlerChapter 19: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Virtual Tours for Adults Chapter 20: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Adults with Visual Impairments and Blindness Karen BergmanChapter 21: Adapting the Tour Planning Template for Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease and other Dementias Francesca RosenbergAppendix 1: Questionnaire on Gallery and Virtual Museum TeachingAppendix 2: Tour Planning ChecklistAppendix 3: Tour Planning TemplateBibliographyAbout the ContributorsAbout the AuthorIndex