Community and Workplace Programs

Designed for adults of all ages, Community and Workplace Programs bring art lectures, discussions, and artist-led workshops to you. Presentations are made by Museum lecturers, artists, and Museum-trained volunteers to adults in libraries, colleges, community centers, and workplaces throughout New York City and within fifty miles of the Museum. Community and Workplace Programs may also be presented to groups in the Museum’s new Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education.

Related activities include free follow-up visits for groups of up to thirty-five people at the Museum (up to thirty people at The Cloisters). Programs may be requested as single events or as series of three lectures presented over time, always designed with a specific audience in mind. Each slide-illustrated lecture lasts at least one hour.

Groups of twenty-five or fewer young adults who are not yet familiar with the Museum may also take part in artist-led workshops; plan on at least two hours for the slide talk, discussion, and art activity. The Museum provides all materials.

Topics

In addition to the thematically organized topics listed below, Museum educators can also work with you to design lectures on special exhibitions and other topics suited to the interests of your group. For more information, please call 212-396-5170.

A Walk through the Met

Museum Masterpieces

Journey through the Museum’s collections and experience "Landscapes, Seascapes, and Cityscapes;" explore "The Human Figure;" consider "Images of Women" or of "Mothers and Children" through works of art from around the world.

Powerful People

Meet some of the illustrious people—from ancient kings to modern poets—whose portraits live in the Museum.

Around the World: Places Far and Near

The Art of Africa

Explore powerful, spiritual, and communal works of art from some of the many regions of sub-Saharan Africa.

Color, Light, and Leisure: France and the Birth of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism

Reflect on color, light, and brushstrokes in paintings by Monet, Renoir, and their circle in late-nineteenth-century France, as well as those by the avant-garde Gauguin and Van Gogh.

Eternal Egypt

Behold the ancient splendor, wealth, and power of the pharaohs.

From the Taj Mahal to Mount Fuji—Treasures of Asia

Learn about the artistic traditions of China, Korea, India, and Japan and discern their differences.

Great American Art

Grasp the richness of the land, the diversity of the people, and the changing way of life, as the United States of America becomes a major force in international art.

New York City in Art

Delight in the artists’ fascination with the people, places and things that are the essence of New York.

Multiple Perspectives: Art, Culture, and Heritage

Art by African-American Artists

Celebrate the notable achievements of artists from before the Civil War through the Harlem Renaissance to Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, and Faith Ringgold, who transform everyday experiences into works of compelling visual power.

Islamic Art

Take in the breadth, beauty, and mastery of Islamic art with works that range from the purely abstract to the naturalistic.

Latin-American Artists

Savor the fascinating, the complex, and the surreal with artists from throughout the Americas—such as Botero, Matta, and Rivera—whose works reflect their history, society, and politics.

Modern Artists

Discover the innovative, the avant-garde, and the abstract with works by Matisse, Picasso, Pollock, Rosenquist, as well as other artists who defined the twentieth century.

Women Artists at the Met

Trace the history of art from the female perspective with paintings and sculptures by women artists from the Renaissance through the modern era.

The Art of Dress

Suit up: Dressed to Impress

Step back to a time when knights wore shining armor and waged war with meticulously fashioned weapons regarded as works of art in their own right.

You Are What You Wear!

Consider fashion throughout the ages; what do clothes reveal to us about their wearers?

Fees

The $400 lecture fee includes a follow-up guided tour for up to thirty-five people at the Museum (up to thirty people at The Cloisters), or family passes for free one-time admission to the Museum and The Cloisters. Costs may vary depending on the program requested. Fees are reduced for New York City senior citizen and community groups and programs are free for adult basic learning centers and programs affiliated with the New York City Board of Education, the New York State Department of Education, and the City University of New York.

All applicable fees must be paid in advance. No refunds will be given for cancellations received less than two weeks in advance of the scheduled program date.

Additional Requirements

In addition to the applicable registration fee, you will also need to provide the following:

Audience (as well as your own publicity for the event)
Kodak Carousel slide projector or digital projector (depending on program requested; may be provided by the Museum)
Room or lecturing space that can be darkened for slide presentation
Screen or light-colored wall on which to project images
Microphone (if the room is large)
Work area for art activity (if relevant)

Scheduling

Before requesting an event at your location, please select a topic from the list above. Contact the Museum at least four weeks before your requested program date. Please have alternate dates available before you call. Once you have selected a topic, a first-choice date, and alternate dates, call 212-396-5170, Monday through Friday, between 9:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., to make a reservation. You will receive a confirmation letter prior to the program date.

Please have the following information ready when you request a reservation:

Contact name
Name of organization/college/university
Mailing address/email address
Daytime phone number/fax number
Requested dates/alternative dates
Topics
Size and nature of audience
Foreign language requests
Accommodation requests for visitors with disabilities. Requested dates for free follow-up at Museum

These programs are made possible in part by the Ann Eden Woodward Foundation.

Note

Community and Workplace Programs are organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and are subject to availability. Lecture topics and fees are subject to change. Follow-up guided tours are not permitted in all special exhibitions.

Additional Programs

Other programs available in your community include Discoveries and Meet the Met. Programs for Groups of Visitors with Disabilities and Teacher Programs are also available.

Plan Your Visit

Museum Hours
Monday: Closed (Except Met Holiday Mondays)
Tuesday–Thursday: 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 9:30 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Sunday: 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

See Plan Your Visit for more information, including directions.

Stay Informed

The Education e-newsletter lets you know about upcoming programs, classes, and other events offered at the Museum.