The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts is accessible and visitors of all ages and abilities are welcome. Find information on scheduling tours here. If you’re ready to find a date and schedule a tour, contact Assistant Curator of Youth & Family Programs Jessica Sundstrom at  or call (269) 585-9277.

Touch Art Tours

For individuals of all ages with visual impairment; Maximum group: 4 people

Visitors are able to touch carefully selected sculptures in the collection and study collection. Docents assist guests and provide verbal descriptions.

Touch Art tours are designed to:

  • Develop exploration skills, texture sensitivity and manual dexterity.
  • Increase socialization skills and self-esteem.
  • Engage critical thinking and language skills in a cooperative learning environment.
  • Provide lifelong learning opportunities within a local cultural institution.
  • Support curriculum expectations for history, visual arts and language.

Connections Tours

For adults with memory loss; Maximum group: 8 plus caregivers
By reservation only, please schedule 3 to 4 weeks in advance. Most tours are one hour in length.

Adults with memory loss issues like dementia and Alzheimer’s and their caregivers engage with the art, the docent and others in respectful conversation. Tours are conducted when the museum is closed to the public.

Suggested themes include:

  • The Five Senses: Art is a feast for all our senses.
  • A Sense of Place: A look at the places we live and love.
  • The Stories of Us: How art tells stories about our lives.
  • America the Beautiful: Art about our country, its people and its history.
  • Ways of Seeing: How artists look at the world in different ways.

Touch Art and Connections Tours are supported by the Harold and Grace Upjohn Foundation, EATON and Kalamazoo Rotary.