Appropriate for tourists and tots, seniors and students, and even experts and ignorami, the Norton’s tour program offers a wide range of topics, themes, and possibilities to enhance your group’s visit. Tours may even be customized for your specific studies or needs.
Over 20 tours create the core of our docent-lead program. Explore American History from the colonial period through the closing of the frontier or see art in the New World evolve from the colonial Limner tradition through to 20th century Post-Impressionism. Gain insight into highlights of our European collection or focus exclusively on 19th century French Art History. The scope and breadth of study is entirely up to you!
Each tour lasts approximately 45 minutes with time for questions at the end. Guided tours are available by appointment only for groups of 10 or more people. To schedule a guided tour, call the Norton at (318) 865-4201 ext. 128 or email at least three weeks in advance of a planned visit. Scheduling is limited to availability.
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Get revved up for Halloween with this story filled-tour inspired by our spookiest art. All new ghost stories await those brave enough to attend. Our professional storyteller is fully capable of protecting even the youngest of our visitors from the fearful denizens lurking in our midst, so feel free to bring the whole class. We’re just DYING to meet y’all....
This tour is free of charge and limited to groups of 30 people.
Our professional storyteller will spin all new yarns about the days of yore, warming hearts and eliciting grins about the spirit of the season.
This tour is free of charge and limited to groups of 30 students.
Do dark skies threaten on the day of the tour? Fear not! We'll enjoy an indoor Rainy- Day tour, exploring spring-themed artwork throughout the museum.
This tour is free of charge and limited to groups of 30 students.
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 318-865-4201 ext. #128 in advance.
Though 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.
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While we celebrate our independence, we like to celebrate those who won it and those who preserved it for us.
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To understand the history of Western art, it's important to begin at the beginning and that's what we do in this tour.
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All 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.
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What? 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.
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As 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.
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A 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.
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For those who wish to see the Norton at their own pace, we offer Self Guided tours. These brochures may be picked up in the lobby or downloaded below.
American Art History
Traces the evolution of painting styles in America from Birch to Bierstadt and beyond
Decorative Arts
An appreciation of the decorative arts including our collections of Steuben glass, colonial silver, Cybis porcelain, and Wedgwood
Hudson River School
A complete walk through the first significant American art movement from Cole and Durand to Bierstadt and Sonntag
American History
A journey through early American History which includes our Civil War Gallery and the conquest of the West
European Experience
A look at significant European works including our tapestries, paintings by Dutch masters, Les Animaliers sculpture, and works by Rodin
Painting Techniques
Answering the question, "How did they do that?", this tour explores several works of art and their techniques and terminology
American Sculpture
Takes a look at great American sculptors, including Borglum, Farnham, Russell, Remington, Saint-Gaudens, and others
French Art History
Explores Barye to Barbizons, Romantics to Rodin, complete with French art terminology
Perils of Pigment
Uncovering the artistry and history of color and divulging the dangers of painting
Cowboy Artists
Covering Russell and Remington, but also the works of other significant "cowboy" artists like Stanley, Shreyvogel, and A.D.M. Cooper
French Sculpture
Explores French sculpture from neo-classical to the Romantic to the Modern using the works of Barye, Dalou, Rodin and others in the permanent collection
Remington/Russell
An in-depth look at two of America's premier western artists in galleries dedicated to their work
To schedule a guided tour, call the Norton at (318) 865-4201 ext. 128 or email at least three weeks in advance of a planned visit. Scheduling is limited to availability.
