School Tour – Guidelines for Gallery Visits
Dear Teacher:
Thank you for booking a tour of our current gallery exhibition. We look forward to welcoming you and your students at the Bath House Cultural Center. Our free gallery tours are designed to nurture and foster a deep appreciation of the arts in the minds of young students by exposing them to inspiring creations by talented local and regional artists.
Please read the following tour guidelines as you plan your visit.
Before Your Visit
- We recommend that, if possible, you preview the art exhibition to help you prepare for your visit. The center is open Tuesday-Saturday, from 12 noon to 6 PM. We are open until 10 PM on evenings with theater performances. If you are unable to preview the show, visit our website, www.bathhousecultural.com to learn about the exhibition ahead of your tour.
- Contact the center a day or two in advance to confirm that you are bringing your students.
- Review these student guidelines with your students and chaperones before your visit:
- Enjoy and experience the art with your eyes, not your hands. Many of the artworks are fragile.
- Avoid running, pointing at artwork, or changing direction suddenly, as these actions may provoke accidents.
- Always be aware of your surroundings. Art can be on display in front, behind, to your side, above, or below you.
- Do not walk away from your group while touring the exhibitions. If you need to use the restroom or need to leave the gallery spaces, let a teacher know that you are leaving the group briefly.
- Do not place any objects on pedestals or too close to the walls.
- Do not use the walls or pedestals as a support for writing your assignments.
- View the artwork from a safe distance.
- Food and beverages are not allowed in the galleries.
During Your Visit
- Free parking is available. Bus drivers may drop students off in front of the building, but they need to move the bus to the parking lot after the students have entered the center.
- Check in with a staff member and wait in the lobby until that employee takes you and your students to the gallery spaces.
- At least one teacher/chaperone must be provided per fifteen students. Chaperones must always remain with students. Chaperones must assist with encouraging gallery rules, managing the students, and monitoring good behavior.
- If you bring more than 35 students, you may be asked to break the group into smaller clusters that can enter the gallery on a rotating basis.
- Because there are no benches or chairs inside the gallery, younger students might be asked to sit on the carpet floor for the duration of the staff presentation. Make sure that students do not lean their backs against the walls or pedestals. If any student has any difficulty sitting on the floor for a long period of time, she/he can stand up close to a chaperone or teacher.
- The presentation by the Curator of the exhibition, or other staff member, usually lasts 10-15 minutes. Please encourage your students to ask questions after the presentation. You and your students will be given time to look at the artwork after the presentation. Photographs may be taken of the artwork.
- The center does not have formal indoor lunch facilities; however, students are welcome to use the lobby tables and chairs or the outdoor spaces to eat lunch, if planned. Restrooms are available in the lobby.
After Your Visit
Gallery tours are more enriching and meaningful for the students when they have a chance to discuss their experiences before and after the visit. We encourage you to create and conduct a post-visit activity with your students that helps you continue the conversation that began in the galleries. Please contact us if you need any supporting materials or information to be used in your activity.
Thank you for your interest in our gallery exhibitions.
Enrique Fernández Cervantes, Visual Arts Coordinator / Curator
(214) 670-8723 enrique.fernandez@dallas.gov
