Tips For PK-12 Student Visits

Wondering what to expect before arriving at the museum? This page has everything you need for planning a successful visit.

Hirshhorn PK-12 Student Groups FAQs

DO YOU OFFER GUIDED STUDENT PROGRAMS?

Yes. We offer free, guided programs for students in grades 3–12. Advance registration is required. Options include:

• Friday School Studio: A 90-minute session exploring modern and contemporary art through interactive hands-on activities that align with cross-disciplinary national standards. For students in grades 3–12. Click here to learn more and register your class. 

• Mystery at the Museum: In this full-day field trip for DCPS middle schoolers, students go behind the scenes to help Museum staff track down an artwork that has mysteriously disappeared. Students put their code-cracking skills to the test as they learn about the fields of curation, conservation, exhibition design, and library science. For DCPS students in grades 6–8. To participate, eligible schools may contact HMSGeducation@si.edu.

SHOULD I LET THE HIRSHHORN KNOW ABOUT OUR VISIT?

Yes. If you plan to bring 10 or more students to the Hirshhorn, please let us know when you are coming at hirshhornexperience@si.edu so we can best prepare you for your visit and let you know of any gallery closures. 

ARE CHAPERONES REQUIRED?

Yes. We require school groups to provide an appropriate number of adults to accompany their students based on grade level.   

• Grades PK–2: 1 adult per 5 students.
• Grades 3–5: 1 adult per 10 students.
• Grades 6–12: 1 adult per 15 students.

Chaperones are responsible for student behavior and must remain with student groups at all times within the Museum and on the Plaza. 

WHERE IS THE HIRSHHORN? 

The Hirshhorn is located on the National Mall at Independence Ave and 7th Street SW, Washington, DC. The Museum is directly west of the National Air and Space Museum, and south of the National Archives.  

CAN I GET TO THE HIRSHHORN BY METRO?

Yes. The closest Metro station is L’Enfant Plaza, which services yellow, green, blue, orange, and silver lines. In L’Enfant Plaza station, follow the signs for the 7th & Maryland Avenue exit, which also includes elevator access to street level. The Smithsonian Metro Station is also within walking distance.

IS THERE BUS PARKING AT THE HIRSHHORN?

No. If you choose to travel by bus or car, plan to have your driver drop your group off at the Museum. Ask your driver to drop you off on Independence Avenue. Due to our ongoing Sculpture Garden revitalization project, Jefferson Drive may be unavailable for drop-off on the day of your visit. There is limited metered parking nearby. For bus parking, check out the Smithsonian Institution’s suggestions.

WHAT CAN WE BRING?

Bring as little into the Museum as possible. There are no lockers at the Museum. When entering the Museum, our security team will conduct a thorough hand-check of all bags, purses, containers, and lunch boxes. If you’d like your students to sketch or write in the galleries, pack pencils please. No pens or crayons.

WHERE CAN WE EAT LUNCH?

Art and food don’t mix! Please remember that food and drink are not allowed in the Hirshhorn Museum galleries. School groups may bring in bag lunches, though we recommend packing lunches into one bag for a speedier security check. Table seating is very limited in the Hirshhorn Lobby’s coffee shop.  We strongly recommend student groups use the tables and chairs located on the Hirshhorn’s outdoor Plaza. Lunch can also be purchased nearby at: the National Museum of the American Indian, National Museum of American History, National Museum of Natural History, and a number of food trucks on the National Mall.   Click here for more information on Smithsonian cafés and dining.

WHERE DID THE HIRSHHORN GET ITS NAME?

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is named after Joseph H. Hirshhorn (1899–1981), who was a wealthy banker and well-known art collector. Born in Jelgava, Latvia, he was the twelfth of thirteen children. When he was eight years old, he immigrated with his widowed mother and siblings to Brooklyn, New York. In big cities during the 1910s it was common for children to work to help support their families. At the age of thirteen, Joseph Hirshhorn left school to sell newspapers in New York City. Two years later, he started working on Wall Street earning $12 a week. He invested his money in uranium mining and became very wealthy. 

When Mr. Hirshhorn was eighteen, he purchased his first artworks. Eventually, Mr. Hirshhorn started to collect art by living painters and sculptors. He often visited artists in their studios and talked with them about their art. In the 1960s, Mr. Hirshhorn decided to give his collection to the Smithsonian so the American people could enjoy it. 

WHY IS THE MUSEUM SHAPED LIKE A DOUGHNUT?

The architect who designed the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden was named Gordon Bunshaft (1909–1990). He wanted to create a unique building for holding Mr. Hirshhorn’s art collection, which was famous for including many sculptures. The Museum was designed to feel like “a large piece of functional sculpture on the National Mall. To do this, he designed a cylinder-shaped building atop four large pillars with a hole near the center (like a doughnut!) so that visitors could see a continuous circular gallery showing all of Mr. Hirshhorn’s art collection. The perfectly geometrical cylindrical building was built using concrete mixed with crushed pink granite that sparkles in the sun. At the center (or doughnut hole) consists a continuous wall of windows overlooking a circular fountain. There is only one window on the outer wall of the building, and it overlooks the National Mall. Interested in learning more? 

The building seemingly floats on top of a large plaza and garden for displaying sculptures.The raised museum allows visitors to see onto the National Mall. Today, artists are inspired by the unusual shape of the Hirshhorn Museum, and many have created site-specific works on the inside and outside of the building. The curved walls of the galleries allow for larger-than-life artworks to be displayed for everyone to see.

WHAT TYPE OF ART WILL I SEE AT THE HIRSHHORN?

The Hirshhorn is the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and is a place for people to encounter the art, artists, and ideas of our time! Not quite sure what the words “modern” and “contemporary” art mean? For some people these words mean the same thing! For art experts, these words have some differences. Modern art began in France around 150 years ago. The first modern artists wanted to make art in an entirely new way, so they experimented and came up with new ways of making art through their process, materials, and subject matter. Contemporary is a word used to describe art made by living artists. 

Every time you visit the Hirshhorn, you will find something new to see! Some artworks like Pickett’s Charge and Belief + Doubt were made specifically for the galleries they are in! This kind of art is called installation art. You might also find exhibitions that look back at many works an artist produced over their career (sometimes called a retrospective) or an exhibition of artworks that share something in common. During your visit, you can also expect to see art made from interesting materials or ideas.

Joseph Hirshhorn collected art made by his peers, which meant that what he donated to the Museum was art made by European and American male artists. Today, the Hirshhorn’s art experts, called curators, are working together to fill the gaps in the collection to more accurately reflect the diversity, cultures, and ideas of our time. 

Check out our current exhibitions to see what will be on view during your visit!