Field Trips to the MCA

We proudly offer free guided field trips with transportation to Chicago Public Schools.
Children look and point at a black and white drawing of tropical trees and foliage that is displayed on two walls.

We currently offer:

Register for a Guided Field Trip or a Student Group Independent Visit.

Please let us know in the form if your group has particular access needs. The Learning team is committed to designing an experience that is accessible for students with different needs and abilities. ASL interpretation and Spanish language facilitation is available upon request with advance notice.

FAQs

  • At the MCA, we encourage everyone to understand art on their own terms and in community with one another. We prioritize the wisdom, creativity, and experiences of young people. Our educators work to encourage students to play, experiment, and be unapologetically themselves while at the museum.

    While students will learn critical information about exhibitions and artworks from our educators, they will offer that context as an opportunity for students to connect the art to their own lives, and to develop skills in critical observation, interpretation, and inquiry.

  • For field trip reservations, visit the MCA Guided Field Trip Registration form or MCA Student Group Independent Visit Registration form. Select the date and time that will work for you. You will receive a confirmation in your email. For accessibility information, guidelines for your visit, and directions, please see the MCA Visit page.

  • If you would like to receive free bussing to the MCA, you can apply for a bus scholarship during your field tripr registration. You will receive a bus scholarship if:

    1.      Your school is a Chicago Public School

    2.     Your group is larger than 10 students

    3.     You are visiting for the first time this season

    4.     You’ve registered for an MCA Guided Field Trip

    If your school meets these requirements, the instructions to sign up are part of the form you fill out on the MCA Guided Field Trip Registration. The MCA will then arrange and pay for the bus. If you have any questions, please contact fieldtrips@mcachicago.org.

  • Please make your reservation two weeks in advance. To reserve a guided field trip, you can fill out the MCA Guided Field Trip Registration form and choose a time and date that work for you.

    To reserve a self-guided field trip, fill out the MCA Student Group Independent Visit Registration form.

  • Please enter the MCA on the first floor, at the door marked “Marisol,” on the northwest corner of the building, at the corner of Pearson Street and Mies van der Rohe Drive. We have restrooms available if needed before your tour. This entrance is ADA-accessible, and educators will greet you upon your arrival.

    After drop-off, buses can park temporarily on the south side of the MCA building at 220 E. Chicago Ave.

  • Please email fieldtrips@mcachicago.org with as much notice as possible. Multiple no-calls, no-shows will impact your ability to register for field trips at the MCA in the future.

  • As soon as possible, please email fieldtrips@mcachicago.org and register for another tour time.

  • You will receive emails confirming your field trip’s date and time.

  • Yes! Your students are welcome to stay in the museum to explore on their own with their chaperones. If the MCA ordered your bus, your bus will leave the MCA at 12:20 pm with no flexibility.

  • All K–12 students and folks under 18 always receive free admission to the museum. Illinois teachers and chaperones will also receive free admission. Out-of-state adults, chaperones, and teachers pay $12 each to enter the MCA the day of their visit. To receive this rate, contact fieldtrips@mcachicago.org at least two weeks before your field trip and pay in advance.

  • Yes. Each group of 10 students must be accompanied by at least one (1) adult chaperone or teacher.

  • Yes! Your school can arrange a self-guided field trip. Visit the Student Group Independent Visit Registration form and select the date and time that will work for you. The MCA’s Visit page has accessibility information, guidelines for your visit, and directions.

  • Thank you for bringing your school group to the museum! We know it’s difficult to take time out of your schedule and curriculum to spend time with us. Please participate within reason, feel free to answer a couple of questions, and encourage participation from your class without singling students out.

    Our main ask is that you help MCA educators with classroom management. You know your class best, so please share with MCA educators any tips you have for getting students’ attention, drawing answers out, and creating a brave and comfortable space. We understand that, as chaperones and teachers, you are incredibly busy after planning and leading the trip. We ask that you stay engaged and avoid leaving the group or being on your phone. Thank you.

    For more, please see the Teacher and Chaperone Guidelines Brochure and the MCA’s code of conduct.

  • Yes! Our Learning staff offer bilingual field trips in English and Spanish on guided field trips. Visit the MCA Guided Field Trip Registration form and select the date and time that will work for you, then fill in the information that you would like a Spanish-speaking guide.

  • If you’ve registered for a guided field trip, you may remain in our Learning Studios after your experience to eat lunch. We are sorry, but due to space constraints, there are no lunch facilities or spaces for students to eat lunch at the MCA. Outside the MCA, there are dining options nearby at Northwestern Hospital. Additionally, there are a number of parks in the immediate area where bagged lunches may be eaten in the case of good weather.

  • Yes! No pens, water bottles, or backpacks are allowed in the galleries. Our Visit page has accessibility information, guidelines for your visit, and directions.

  • Contact MCA Field Trips at fieldtrips@mcachicago.org or 312-397-3812.

Funding

Major support for School Programs at the MCA is provided by the Bluhm Family Foundation; Marlene Breslow-Blitstein and Berle Blitstein; Nancy and Steve Crown and Crown Family Philanthropies; GCM Grosvenor; the Harris Family Foundation in honor of Bette and Neison Harris; Max Mara; Northern Trust; Carol Prins and John Hart; Reyes Holdings; SCHOOL MUSEUM FUND The Hees Family; Karyn and Bill Silverstein; Wintrust Bank, N.A.; the Zell Family Foundation; and by an anonymous donor.

Generous support is provided by Suzette Bross and Allan E. Bulley, III/Yumi and Douglas Ross; Jennifer and Alex Brown; Capital One; the Dr. Scholl Foundation; Eisen Family Foundation; Freeman’s | Hindman; Tonya and Matt Geesman/Elizabeth and Russell Mollen; Helyn Goldenberg and Michael Alper; Andi and Jim Gordon, The Edgewater Funds; Karen Z. Gray-Krehbiel and John H. Krehbiel; Rachel and David Grund; Nickol and Darrel Hackett; Cynthia Hunt and Philip Rudolf; Illinois Tool Works; Mary Ittelson; Anne L. Kaplan; Susie Karkomi and Marvin Leavitt; Lavin Family Foundation; Liz and Eric Lefkofsky; Gary Metzner; Sylvia Neil and Dan Fischel; Dr. Anita Blanchard and Martin Nesbitt; Old National Bank; Old Second National Bank; Peoples Gas Community Fund at The Chicago Community Foundation; Lauren Peterson; Cari and Michael Sacks; Melissa Grund Sarnoff and David Sarnoff; Sasha Adler Design; Southwest; Robin Loewenberg Tebbe and Mark Tebbe; UBS Financial Services; United Healthcare; and Ellen Wallace and Steven Gould.