Educational Visit
Turn MOCA into your classroom.
Education and community groups are invited to engage with artwork across all contemporary art forms, debating and sharing ideas along the way!
Join us for a guided tour or self-guided visit, or participate in one of our studio activities. Please book tours a minimum of three weeks in advance. The Learning department will follow up with you to confirm your request.
Discover our Educator Resources.
MOCA will reopen for our fall season on October 19.
Explore. Engage. Inspire.
During their visit to MOCA, your students will have an opportunity to:
- Converse, ask questions, and think critically as they interpret artworks by local and international contemporary artists.
- Consider new perspectives and issues that are relevant and urgent in today’s world
- Personally connect with the topics presented in our exhibitions
- Learn about MOCA’s adaptive reuse of a landmark heritage building and explore the culturally rich Junction Triangle neighbourhood
Guided Tour
Guided tours offer students of all ages a closer look at our exhibitions. Led by one of our trained Art Educators, they last approximately 45 minutes and are designed to foster discussion and exchange. Maximum 30 people. Currently offered Wednesdays through Fridays.
Guided Tour + Studio Activity
Studio Activities offer students of all ages a tailored, hands-on activity to deepen their understanding of the exhibitions’ themes. Led by one of our trained Art Educators, they run for approximately 2 hours, consisting of an hour-long tour, followed by an hour of art-making. Maximum 30 people. Currently offered Wednesdays through Fridays.
Guided Tour + Seminar
Post-secondary classes and community groups are invited to explore MOCA through an interactive tour and seminar. In this 60-minute program, you’ll start with a 40-minute guided tour of our current exhibitions, followed by a 20-minute group discussion on a selected exhibiting artist. These sessions dive deeper, spark critical thinking, and can be tailored to fit your course content and goals.
Maximum 30 participants. Scheduling is flexible to fit your class or group’s meeting time.
Self-Guided Visit
Self-guided visits allow groups to explore the Museum at your own pace for only the price of admission. In addition, MOCA staff stationed throughout the Museum will be available to answer any questions they may have along the way. Maximum 60 people. Please check MOCA’s hours of operation and book in advance of your visit.
“I was really impressed by our tour guide… her complex and thoughtful understanding of the exhibitions was evident. She tied in the themes we’re exploring in the course and presented the content in a way that was engaging and responsive to the needs of the group.”
—Mary Porter, Instructor, OCAD University
Plan a School Visit
School Group Pricing
K-12 Groups
Guided Tour: $5 per student*
Guided Tour + Studio Activity: $10 per student**
*Minimum payment of $75, which admits up to 15 students.
**Minimum payment of $150, which admits up to 15 students.
Museum admission is free for youth aged 18 and under. Guided tours include up to 3 free adult tickets for chaperones.
Post-Secondary and Community Groups
Admission:
Adult (18+): $14
Student with ID (18+): $10
Senior (65+): $10
Under 18: Free
In addition to the price of admission, the following pricing applies:
Guided Tour: $5 per participant*
Guided Tour + Seminar: $5 per participant*
Guided Tour + Studio Activity: $10 per participant**
*Minimum payment of $75, which admits up to 15 students.
**Minimum payment of $150, which admits up to 15 students.
Guided visits for post-secondary and community groups also include up to 3 free adult tickets for professors, TAs or group leaders.
Admission:
Adult (19+): $14
Student with ID (19+): $10
Senior (65+): $10
18 and Under: Free
Guided student tours include up to 3 free adult tickets for chaperones.
Studio Activities
Join us for art-making that responds to MOCA’s current exhibitions. These workshops are developed with curriculum connections, are open-ended and encourage arts-based inquiry and material exploration. Activities change seasonally.
Contemporary Windows introduces students to thinking about contemporary art by considering Ghazaleh Avarzamani’s Mashrabiya. The screen shapes the experience of looking out while obscuring the view in. Participants are invited to create their own landscape drawing, then design their own window screen to frame it. Through close observation, conversation, and this hands-on activity, students will explore shape, colour, and light as well as new ways of thinking and talking about contemporary art.
We Are Children (Elementary): We invite students to observe Jeff Wall’s photographic portraits from 1988. These photos were created as part of his Children’s Pavillion that aims to create a space for children, to look to their futures and consider the challenges that they face. Students will be guided through a self-portrait activity inspired by these photos.This activity blends both artists’ themes while connecting to the Ontario Elementary curriculum.
Creating Visual Narratives (Recommended for ages 13+): Canadian photographer Jeff Wall crafts his photographs similar to a film director, by carefully selecting his locations, using actors and props, and even photomanipulation. This activity invites participants to use traditional collaging techniques to craft their own fictional scenes. Play with reality by combining sets, actors and props together to create cinematographic photos, just like Jeff Wall.
Learning Resources for Teachers
Introducing MOCA Educator Exhibition Resources! Use these guides to learn about MOCA’s exhibiting artists and their work, either in the gallery or remotely in your classroom. They include curriculum connections, guiding questions, and additional resources to help shape conversations and extend learning.
FAQs
Questions?
Please contact us at learning@moca.ca
Please contact us about making a booking at least 3-4 weeks prior to your anticipated visit date to ensure that we have the appropriate staffing onsite.
If you need to make a last-minute booking please consider a self-guided tour or contact the Learning Coordinator at learning@moca.ca directly to check for feasibility.
MOCA is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday. Drop-in tours may be scheduled during our hours of operation.
Guided visits are offered Wednesday through Fridays.
You may pay in person on the day of your visit (by cash, card or cheque), by mailed cheque or payment order for TDSB schools. MOCA will not be able to proceed with any group tours or studio activities until payment has been received in full.
The listed costs for tours and entrance to the Museum aim to provide affordable options for visiting schools. However, if your school or educational organization faces challenges regarding these fees, or accessing arts curriculum in general, please apply to our Community Access Programme when filling out our booking form.
MOCA Learning is committing to providing equitable access to our educational programmes. Our Community Access Programme offers reduced cost or free visits to MOCA for organizations and groups which may otherwise face financial barriers.
As a charity, MOCA relies on the generosity of our members and donors to deliver exceptional and accessible contemporary arts programming. Your support will have a meaningful impact on our work with artists and our ability to serve our audiences. We are grateful for every donation.
For more information please email learning@moca.ca.
Yes! MOCA is now on the Toronto District School Board’s excursions list and is an approved vendor. You may pay for your field trip via Payment Order. MOCA’s vendor number will be provided to you upon booking your visit.
If travelling by bus
Buses can pull up in front of the Museum on Sterling Road for drop off and pick up only.
Note: Despite ongoing construction on Sterling Road, the Museum remains open for buses to drop off and pick up students. For more information on current construction, check our visit page or reach out to learning@moca.ca.
If travelling by public transit
MOCA is a 10- to 15-minute walk from both Lansdowne and Dundas West stations on the TTC’s Bloor subway line as well as the UP Express Bloor GO Station. Please note: Dundas West is an accessible station, while Lansdowne is not.
The closest streetcar stop is at the corner of Dundas St. West and Sterling Road, which can be reached by both the 505 Dundas and 506 Carlton streetcars. We are a 5-minute walk north on Sterling Road from the streetcar stop.
When you arrive
Upon arrival, enter the Museum through the main front doors on Sterling Road. Teachers and/or chaperones may proceed to the Welcome Desk to check in and purchase or print their group tickets. Payments shall be made before your tour begins.
Staff will greet you, provide your group with an introduction to MOCA, and walk you through some housekeeping notes (coat racks, cubbies, nearest bathrooms, gallery guidelines, etc.). If you have booked a guided visit, the Learning Coordinator or an Art Educator will ask your group to gather on the Ground Floor to begin the visit.
Teachers and/or chaperones are responsible for their students during the entire visit. We recommend a supervisor-to-student ratio of 1:10. Supervisors must ensure that their students are mindful of both artwork and fellow visitors, keeping noise levels low wherever possible and refraining from touching any art.
Please establish behavioural expectations and the day’s schedule with your class before arriving at MOCA.
MOCA does not currently have a dedicated lunch space for school groups and does not have water fountains available, so please make sure to plan accordingly. In general, food and drink are not permitted in the Museum, however, a sealed water bottle may be used on the Ground Floor. Weather permitting, we have an outdoor space that can be used for lunches.
If you would like to purchase food following your visit, MOCA’s cafe partner Forno Cultura is located on the Ground Floor and offers light fare such as sandwiches, sweets, coffee, and a range of beverages. For more information visit their website here.
School Tour, MOCA Toronto, 2019.