First Saturday Tours
The First Saturday Tour program was launched in February 2007 as an opportunity to present thematic tours to the general public at a regular intervals.
These tours have explored such serious matters as “Depictions of Native Americans in Art,” comparing and contrasting the evolution of American thought and attitudes towards the continent’s original inhabitants and the plight of female artists in “Great Artists Who Just Happen to be Women”.
We’ve also taken a light-hearted view of our collection with the “Guys and Dolls” tour, which explored the complex (and sometimes comical) battle between the sexes, as well as touring our Antique Dolls and Firearm collection.
We’ve even tackled the technical aspects of our works with the “Painting Techniques” tour, answering the age-old (and often asked) question: How do they do that? We have even offered performance based tours centered around our spookiest art with the Halloween Tour and shared stories of the season with the Christmas tour.
Thought-provoking, chuckle-inducing, and all around good fun, the First Saturday Tours are completely free to the general public every first Saturday of the month at 2 p.m. No reservation is needed, but groups of 10 or more are asked to call in advance.
First Saturday Tour: The Manly Man TourThough dedicated to our more typically "masculine" artists, we welcome both sexes to explore the world of men who not only enjoyed the wild, but sometimes became an active part of it.
First Saturday Tour: American History TourWhile we celebrate our independence, we like to celebrate those who won it and those who preserved it for us.
First Saturday Tour: The Classical Tour: The Antiquities and Their InfluenceTo understand the history of Western art, it's important to begin at the beginning and that's what we do in this tour.
First Saturday Tour: Painting Techniques TourAll artists perfect their own techniques to create a unique aesthetic. This month visitors will explore just how that happens, examining particular works closely to see how the artists composed them.
First Saturday Tour: Halloween TourWhat? Scared of a little art? You will be after our tour. Even though it takes place in the middle of the afternoon, you'll wind your way down echoing halls and around corners where paintings and sculpture (and the other odd item) inspire hair-raising tales.
First Saturday Tour: Images of the Family TourAs we enter the holiday season, it's definitely the time of year when family comes to the fore of everyone's mind. Our artists are no exception and, in fact, many of them came from families where art was a shared concern.
First Saturday Tour: Christmas TourA family favorite, the Christmas tour uses artwork and stories to explore the true meaning of Christmas, culminating with an exploration of the Norton's annual in-house Christmas exhibition, featuring religious works celebrating Christmas throughout the Christian world from East to West.
