Philadelphia Museum of Art to offer free guided tours of new exhibition to local schools

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has launched a new initiative to provide local schools with free guided tours and bus funding for its fall exhibition, "The Time is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure."

Continuing for the duration of the exhibition, which closes Feb. 9, the initiative is available for K-12 students in the School District of Philadelphia and tristate area Title I schools, the museum announced. Interested educators can reserve their tours, which are offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, online.

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"The Time is Always Now," which opened last month, features work by 28 Black and African contemporary artists, including painting, drawing and sculpture that celebrates the "nuance and richness of Black contemporary life." The 90-minute tour slots for school groups include an hour-long tour with a museum educator and 30 minutes for students to explore the exhibition on their own. Students can explore the three main themes of the exhibition — "Double Consciousness," "Past and Presence" and "Our Aliveness" — while engaging in discussion-based activities.

Before the show even opened on Nov. 8, the museum already had 44 K-12 school groups booked, according to Audrey Hudson, the museum's Kathleen C. Sherrerd Deputy Director for Learning and Engagement.

"This really shows the way in which our local communities are embracing this exhibition — but I knew we could do more to broaden our welcome to schools," Hudson said in a release. "The bus funding helps open access, and I truly hope to see loads and loads of school buses filled with students coming to see this exemplary exhibition. This access point is integral to the work we do, and I am overjoyed."

The museum has other special events planned throughout the duration of "The Time is Always Now," including a pop-up studio where local artists can demonstrate techniques inspired by the show on select days between Christmas and New Years, and a pay-what-you wish family festival on Feb. 2.