Scheduling a Group Visit

The University Museum is a wonderful and enriching destination for your class or group.  Please read the tour guidelines below, and join us in the galleries soon!

Guided Tour Times
Guided tours are offered Tuesday-Friday. The first tour of the day begins at 9:30 a.m.; the last afternoon tour is at 3 p.m. The University Museum closes promptly at 4:30 p.m.

Closed: Mondays and university holidays

Click here for map and directions.

Tour Reservations
Tour reservations must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance by calling the education department at 662-915-7205. Click here for the tour registration form. Museum tours are approximately 45 minutes in length, but please allow time after your tour to view the exhibitions independently. Maximum class size is 30 students per tour time, and one chaperone per 10 students is required. Groups without a reservation may view the galleries on their own during museum hours.

 

The museum does not have dining facilities, but we are within walking distance of the Ole Miss campus and the Grove for picnic lunches. No food or drink is permitted within museum facilities.

Admission
Admission is free; donations are encouraged.

Planning your day
Another not-to-be-missed landmark is Rowan Oak, the historic home of Nobel laureate William Faulkner. A rustic walking trail through Bailey’s Woods links the University Museum to Rowan Oak (20-minute walk), or you can drive there. Bus parking is available at the front of the museum. Please call Rowan Oak at 662-234-3284 to arrange a tour.

Accessibility
If you need assistance relating to a disability, please make your request at least five weekdays in advance by calling Holly Marie Bethune, curator of education, at 662-915-7205.

Recommended tour topics from our
permanent collection:

Elementary School (Grades K-5)

Theora Hamblett's World
Painter Theora Hamblett’s world had no electricity, telephones or cars. Born in Lafayette County, Theora taught herself to paint in vivid color the things that she saw in farm and school life, as well as her dreams and visions. 

Animals in Art
Did you hear that? Was that a goose honk? A cat meow? Venture through the University Museum galleries for a show of feathers and fur in pencil, paint and wood throughout the history of art. Think of it as a trip to the zoo where the animals always stay in view.

Greek Art, Culture and Mythology
Visiting the Pink Palace Museum for the IMAX film Greece: Secrets of the Past? The David M. Robinson Collection can also help us "unearth" ancient Greek lifestyle. What was it like to live in ancient Greece? Discover many themes in Greek culture and mythology that are represented here in clay and stone.

Dolls and Fans of the Buie Museum Collection 
Do you like to collect things? Mary Skipwith Buie and Kate Skipwith were sisters from an Oxford family, and, just like you, they loved to collect. This collection of dolls and fans can teach us about many interesting cultures from which they came and the times in which the Skipwith sisters lived.

 

Middle and High School (Grades 6-12)

American Literature and the Oxford Connection
For 100 years or more, Oxford has been a hotbed for writers and publishing. Let’s discuss the many ties of the University Museum and its collections (including art!) to Oxford’s distinguished literary heritage.

Millington-Barnard Scientific Instruments
In the early 1850s, John Millington and Frederick A.P. Barnard began teaching science and physics to the first Ole Miss undergrads. Using these instructional, hands-on apparatuses, the laws of physics were demystified for an entire generation. Explore the significance of these historic instruments, and analyze for yourself the marriage of form and function.

20th century American Art from the Seymour Lawrence Collection
Seymour Lawrence was a noted publisher in the history of 20th century literature, nurturing a “stable” of many famous writers. He visited Oxford at the behest of local author Barry Hannah, fell in love with Oxford and bought a home here. Over the course of his life, Mr. Lawrence amassed a collection of important 20th-century art by both artists and writers, including Georgia O’Keeffe!

Greek Art, Culture and Mythology
Visiting the Pink Palace for the IMAX film Greece: Secrets of the Past? University Museum’s David M. Robinson Collection can also teach us a great deal about the impact of Greek culture in world history through its art. In order to make sense of their world, many legends representing Greek gods and goddesses were created in clay and stone. Dr. Robinson, an Ole Miss professor, made many trips to Greece, pioneering the technique of “aerial excavation” from significant tombs and pillaged cities. This collection is one of the finest of its kind in the United States.

Folk Art
Think you have to go to art school to be an artist? No way, said these “outsider” artists!  What would life be like without the work of Theora Hamblett, Sulton Rogers and James “Son” Ford Thomas? We will examine the artists’ motivation, technique and commercial successes and their colorful representation of the Southern vernacular.

Oxford/Ole Miss and Mississippi History in the Museum Collection
Many items in the University Museum’s collections recall events of Ole Miss and Oxford in significant times in Mississippi history. We’ll discuss artifacts and the times from which they originate.

Dolls and Fans of the Skipwith Sisters: Women Collectors and Philanthropists
Mary Skipwith Buie and Kate Skipwith, sisters from a prominent Oxford family, were well-educated and well-traveled, as was customary for young women of means during the Victorian period. This collection reveals the popularity of dolls and fans in their lifetimes, as well as the cultures represented. We’ll also discuss their bequests to the city of Oxford, which formed the beginnings of the University Museum.

 

Special Exhibitions:

Click here for a schedule of temporary exhibitions currently on view and recommended ages.

 

Last Updated: November 2, 2006 10:00 AM