A docent guided tour of the permanent collection is available to the public Tuesday - Sunday at 2 p.m.
Reservations are not required for this tour. Guests wanting to participate in the tour should
meet the docent at the main entrance by 2 pm. Tours typically last 45 minutes to one hour and
visitors are free to come and go.
Audio Tour
Enhance your visit to the Gilcrease Museum by renting an Audio Tour of its famous American West galleries. Acoustiguide wands allow you to select numbered stops in any order you please to access commentary on selected masterworks. If you are a Gilcrease Museum Member, simply present the coupon you received with your membership packet in the Museum Shop for a free unit. Other visitors may rent wands for $5.00 each. Members may rent additional units at $4.00 each. Audio-guia disponible en Espanol.
Adult Tours
Adult groups may schedule guided tours of the American West, Enduring Spirit or Ancient Americas galleries. Guided tours of our special exhibitions may also be available. Tours typically last about one hour and should be scheduled at least three weeks in advance. Click here for tour guidelines and reservation information.
First Visit
Tour Time: 45 minutes
Group Size: 40 students or less
Recommended Grade Levels: Kindergarten and 1st grade
First Visit tours are designed to introduce key museum concepts to the littlest of our visitors. This tour takes place in our Enduring Spirit galleries, so students will also learn about Native American art and artifacts. Click here for tour guidelines and reservation information.
Small Talk
Tour Time: 45 minutes
Group Size: 60 students or less
Recommended Grade Levels: 2nd and 3rd grade
Small Talk tours focus on how early settlers and Native Americans shared Western America. Students look at works of art from the American West galleries and use touch-objects and artifacts at tour stops to exemplify key concepts. Click here for tour guidelines and reservation information.
Scout Patch Tours
Tour Time: 1 hour
Group Size: 20 Scouts or less
Recommended Ages: All
Scout Patch tours are designed to encourage an interest in art through a museum visit and are used to fulfill the requirements to obtain a temporary patch for Girl and Boy Scout groups. Some aspects of the tour can be used to meet merit badge requirements. The temporary patch is available for purchase in the museum’s shop for $2.50. Click here for tour guidelines and reservation information.
American West
Tour Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Group Size: 85 students or less
Recommended Grade Levels: 4th grade and up
American West tours showcase what some consider to be the greatest collection of western art in the world. This visual journey of the museum’s best-known works includes paintings and bronze sculptures by Frederic Remington, wonderful watercolors by Alfred Jacob Miller and epic landscapes by Thomas Moran. Click here for tour guidelines and reservation information.
Enduring Spirit: Native American Artistic Traditions
Tour Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Group Size: 50 students or less
Recommended Grade Levels: 3rd grade and up
Enduring Spirit tours highlight some of the museum’s vast collection of Native American art and artifacts. Tours will look at art and artists from the Plains, the Southwest, Northwest Coast and Arctic regions of North America. Major themes of this exhibition include change and continuity, cultural differences and Native American expressions of self-identity. Oklahoma artists such as Acee Blue Eagle, Woody Crumbo and Willard Stone are represented. Click here for tour guidelines and reservation information.
Ancient Americas: Treasures from the Pre-Columbian Collections
Tour Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Group Size: 50 students or less
Recommended Grade Levels: 3rd grade and up
Ancient Americas tours take a closer look at the Hispanic cultures of the Western Hemisphere that were founded in antiquity and how their traditions have survived or changed through the centuries. Ancient Americas examines over 3,000 years of tradition and change, from the art of the Olmec, Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas to the 20th-century works of Jose Chavez Morado and Diego Rivera. Click here for tour guidelines and reservation information.
Kravis Discovery Labs
Lab Time: 1 hour
Group Size: 24 students or less
Recommended Grade Levels: 4th grade and up
Kravis Labs provide opportunities for students to explore the Kravis Discovery Center. Kravis provides access to thousands of objects relating to the early history of the Americas. From 12,000 year old Clovis points to 20th-century Plains Indian beadwork, the Kravis Discovery Center brings state-of-the-art technology and artifacts together for an exciting new look at the Gilcrease Museum’s anthropology collection. Click here for tour guidelines and reservation information.
Art Moments
Gallery Time: 30 to 45 minutes
Art-Making Time: 1 hour to 1.5 hours
Recommended Grade Levels: 9th grade through 12th grade (art students only)
Art Moments provides opportunities for groups of high school art students to become actively engaged in a discussion about original works of art and artists represented at Gilcrease Museum
This two-hour museum experience for high school students begins with a 30-45 minute inquiry-based, student-centered gallery discussion. Immediately following the discussion, students venture off to the Gilcrease House, to develop an interpretive work of art. Their art can be a reflection of or reaction to the discussion, personal perceptions of the artist, the work itself, the culture represented or a perceived social message.
To schedule Art Moments, email tours@gilcrease.org.
Teacher Talk & Walks
Groups of teachers may schedule private tours with Sara Klein, Education Curator—Tours and School Programs. These tours provide a general overview of the permanent collection while highlighting the educational components that the Gilcrease Museum has to offer. Email tours@gilcrease.org for more information
Self-Guided Tours
Self-guided tours of the museum may be scheduled during regular museum hours and are based on gallery availability. Galleries available for self-guided tours are the American West, Enduring Spirit: Native American Artistic Traditions, Ancient Americas: Treasures from the Pre-Columbian Collections and the Kravis Discovery Center. Self-guided tours are also available for any of our temporary exhibitions.
Groups should contact Sara Klein, Education Curator, if they plan to self tour. Please click here for Self-Guided Tour Policies and reservation information.
Other gallery experiences with a creative component are available to small groups. For information about these or any of the tours offered at Gilcrease Museum, contact Sara Klein, Education Curator, 918-596-2767 or e-mail: tours@gilcrease.org.
Free guided tours of the Gilcrease Gardens are available Saturdays at 1 p.m. in May, June, September and October. Tour attractions include the Victorian Garden, Colonial Garden, Rock Garden, Pre-Columbian and Pioneer Gardens. The tour typically lasts 45 minutes to 1 hour and visitors are free to come and go. Tours are led by Garden Guides who receive educational training as they volunteer at Gilcrease and assist City of Tulsa staff in regular beautification projects on the museum grounds. The Garden Guide will discuss the historical aspects of each garden and how it relates to the museums collection. Reservations are not required for these tours. Guest should meet their Garden Guide at the main entrance of the museum at 1 p.m.
Garden Guides are also available to make special presentations on the Gilcrease Gardens and Gilcrease Museum to local organizations and clubs through the Speaking of Gilcrease program.
Gilcrease offers special guided tours of the gardens for groups or organizations.
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Five Historical Gardens
Tour Time: 1 hour
Group Size: 40 or less
Recommended Grade Levels: 3rd grade and up
Tours of the Five Historical Gardens reflect the museum’s permanent art, archival and artifact collections and show the development of gardening styles in America. Tour includes Pre-Columbian, Pioneer, Colonial, Victorian and Rock Gardens as well as Stuart Park. Participants should be prepared to maneuver steep steps and a fairly steep hill climb. Click here for tour guidelines and reservation information.
Three Historical Gardens
Tour Time: 45 minutes
Group Size: 40 or less
Recommended Grade Levels: 3rd grade and up
Groups will visit the Colonial, Victorian and Rock Gardens on this tour. All are located on the upper grounds level and are easy walking. Click here for tour guidelines and reservation information.
Expanded Gardens
Tour Time: 1-1/2 hours
Group Size: 40 or less
Recommended Grade Levels: 3rd grade and up
This tour is the most extensive of the outside tours. It offers all five historical gardens, the Sister Cities and Friendship Gardens, Stuart Park and the Gilcrease Mausoleum. Click here for tour guidelines and reservation information.
Sculpture
Tour Time: 1 hour
Group Size: 40 or less
Recommended Grade Levels: 3rd grade and up
Sculpture tours introduce visitors to the outdoor sculpture installations that are spread throughout the gardens. Volunteers will offer relevant garden information as groups stroll along the paths. Artists represented include Tulsan Jay O’Melia, Jim Agius, Allan Houser, Doug Hyde, Forest Hart, Sandy Scott and Denny Haskew. Click here for tour guidelines and reservation information.