University of Arizona Museum Day

Saturday, March 29, 2025

Explore Campus Wonders

Museums across the University of Arizona are proud to offer free or reduced admission in celebration of U of A Museum Day 2025 on Saturday, March 29 from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm.

Immerse yourself in a day filled with discovery and wonder, where you can visit twelve unique museums and collections, bridging the arts and science. Plan your day using the U of A Museum Day map and the links below.

Participating Museums:

African American Museum of Southern Arizona • Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium • The Archive of Visual Arts (AVA) • Poetry Center • Worlds of Words Center • Center for Creative Photography • UA Museum of Art • John E. Greivenkamp Museum of Optics • Tree-Ring Lab • Coit Museum of Pharmacy and Health Sciences • Museum Association of Arizona

location_on Map

Biosphere 2

Explore one of the world's most unique research centers. Biosphere 2 is dedicated to understanding Earth’s ecosystems and how we can create a more resilient future for our planet. Our immersive tour takes you through diverse, contained biomes, including a tropical rainforest, a coastal ocean, and a fog desert.

African American Museum of Southern Arizona

Explore the African American Museum of Southern Arizona (AAMSAZ) through the powerful stories, artifacts, and cultural contributions of African Americans in Tucson and the Southwest. Visitors can experience rotating exhibitions, guided tours by knowledgeable volunteers, and interactive storytelling that highlight community leaders, civil rights history, and everyday life shaped by resilience and creativity. Families and children are welcome to engage with hands-on, educational activities that bring history and culture to life. Admission is free, and guided tours are available by appointment to ensure an immersive and meaningful visit.

African American Museum of Southern Arizona (AAMSA)

1303 E University Blvd room 244, Tucson, AZ 85719
https://www.aamsaz.org/

Contact:
Nikieia Johnson,
nikieiajohnson@arizona.edu
(520) 621-2600

Kid friendly?
Yes — programs and exhibits welcome all ages, and there are educational activities suitable for youth.

Reservation required?
Self-guided visits are welcome, but guided tours and larger groups require advance sign-up (recommended at least two weeks ahead): https://www.aamsaz.org/sign-up-for-tours-and-visits/

Which hub do you land (can land in more than one hub): humanities, art
Humanities and Art

Audience: Limited to 71 max in the space; we recommend groups no bigger than 30.

Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium

Visit Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium for up to 50% off the regular price on U of A Museum Day! Flandrau is the University of Arizona’s destination for adventures in space and science. Featuring hands-on science exhibits, immersive planetarium shows, and activities that reveal the marvels of the universe, you can discover the wonders of science, modern research, and the natural world.

Location:

1601 E University Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85721
https://www.flandrau.org/

Contact:

Public: Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium. flandrau@arizona.edu or 520-621-451

Internal: Nick Letson, Letsonn@arizona.edu

Kid friendly?
Yes — programs and exhibits welcome all ages, and there are educational activities suitable for youth.

Reservation required?
No reservations required. Tickets will be offered at a special reduced rate of $7 for science exhibits or $14 for an all-inclusive planetarium show + science exhibit ticket. Tickets for EBT or WIC card holders are offered at a reduced rate of $4 for science exhibits or $8 for a planetarium show and science exhibit combo (must present EBT card and limit four guests per cardholder).

Which hub do you land (can land in more than one hub): Science

Audience: Those interested in science, astronomy, marine science,
U of A research and planetarium shows and presentations.

The Archive of Visual Arts

Welcome to the Archive of Visual Arts, the offsite research branch of the University of Arizona Museum of Art (UAMA). Our collections at AVA preserve artistic works and archival materials from contemporary artists of the Southwest. Guests are invited to tour our space and interact with featured archival exhibits highlighting original works and a broad range of cultural heritage materials documenting the artistic careers of artists such as Robert McCall, Francis O’Brien and Maurice Grossman.

Important location Detail:
While the AVA is the research branch of the UAMA, it is in a separate building just off
campus near the Southeast corner of Park Ave. and 6th Street.

Travel Information:
Walking to AVA from the UAMA is about a 15-minute walk directly southbound on Park Ave.

Physical Address: 1014-18 E. 6th Street, Tucson, AZ 95719

Website: https://artmuseum.arizona.edu/collections/archives/plan-your-visit

Contact:
Sara Swayden
saswayden@arizona.edu
(520) 621-1124

Event Activities:

Self-guided tours
Interactive archival exhibitions

Parking Information:

Paid parking available at the 6 th Street Garage
Metered Parking on Fremont Ave.
South of 6 th permit holders can park at lots 7167, 7103, and 7227
Short-term free parking @ the Metro Wildcat lot

Special Instructions for Visitors:

No food or drink around collection materials. A space to temporarily hold these
items will be provided.
All guests will be asked to wear nitrile gloves or wash their hands before handling archival materials. Gloves will be provided.

Poetry Center

Rest and recharge at the Poetry Center Library! The Poetry Center houses one of the nation’s foremost poetry collections in an award-winning building. Curl up with a picture book in the Children’s Corner or explore the wild and wonderful world of contemporary poetry in our stacks. The Library will be open from 9-3. We’d love to see you.

Location:

1508 E Helen St, Tucson, AZ 85719
https://poetry.arizona.edu/

Contact:
Sarah Kortemeier, Library Director
ssk@arizona.edu
520-626-4298

Kid friendly?
Yes — programs and exhibits welcome all ages, and there are educational activities suitable for youth.

Reservation required?

No

Which hub do you land (can land in more than one hub): Humanities, Arts

Audience: all ages; inquire at the front desk if interested in a tour (up to 5 people)

Worlds of Words Center

“Literary Identities,” a new exhibit featuring the De Natura Libris project, invites people to examine themselves as readers. The exhibit of altered photographs about books and reading also includes picturebooks where reading is central to the book or characters’ identities and hands-on activities. In addition, original picturebook illustrations from the Worlds of Words archives will be on display in the Mary J. Wong Special Collections room to complement the exhibit and to showcase new acquisitions and illustrators who visited during the 2026 Tucson Festival of Books.

Center for Creative Photography

Join us for a day of artmaking and community at the CCP! Explore the current exhibition, Making a Life in Photography: Rollie McKenna, and come away inspired to make your own work! Using your words, hands, and imagination, activities like “abnormal architecture” and “glue the haiku” are there to help investigate how you view both landscape and language. Don’t worry, when Museum Day comes to an end, the creativity continues with our SNAP! event. A Social Night of Art and Photography begins at 4 pm, where you can create your very own still life inspired by our guest speaker, Alanna Aritiam!

University of Arizona Museum of Art (UAMA)

Visit the art museum and enjoy free art-making and self-guided gallery activities, plus explore the annual exhibition Our Stories: High School Artists showcasingincredible work by students across Pima County. Museum Day is also your final day to see the exceptional exhibition Bailey Doogan: Ways of Seeing. At 1:30 pm, RSVP for a special interactive tour with "art critic, lecturer, and lofty person" Maria Denolt (performed by writer and artist Dani Lamorte).

Location:
1031 North Olive Road, Tucson AZ, 85719
https://artmuseum.arizona.edu/

Contact:
illa Ahlschwede
willa@arizona.edu
520-621-7567

Kid friendly?
Yes, some artwork on view includes nudity and mature themes.

Reservation required?

No RSVP required for visiting the museum, exhibitions, art-making and self-guided activities. RSVP suggested for 1:30pm tour: https://uarizona.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4Yqij8CkjUjgbgq

Which hub do you land (can land in more than one hub): Science, Humanities, Arts

Audience: All ages; Unlimitied Capacitity

Exhibitions and activities open to all, no size limit. Tour at 1:30 Pm limited to approximately 25 people, RSVP suggested.

Hours: 10 Am - 4 Pm

John E. GreivenKamp Museum of Optics

The Wyant College of Optical Sciences is proud to offer access to its collection of antique and historic telescopes, microscopes, lenses and cameras. These specimens represent work by the world’s most respected instrument makers from the 18th century to the present. The John E. Grievenkamp Museum of Optics is a series of display cases located throughout the eight-story Optics Buildings on the UA Campus. We house nearly 2000 optical devices, from cameras to telescopes and lenses to microscopes.

Tree-Ring Lab

Step into the exciting world of dendrochronology at the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research! Discover some of the oldest trees on Earth and uncover the science stories they hold in our dynamic Exhibit Hall. Take a guided peek into our cutting-edge laboratories, meet the researchers pushing tree-ring science forward, and be among the first to experience our newest exhibits: Remembered Light by artists Jacinda Russell and Brent Cole, and Prometheus by artist Caroline Landau and ecologist Dr. Madison Sankovitz. Bring the kids to dive into our interactive children’s area, packed with engaging, hands-on activities that make science come alive for all ages.

Coit Museum of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

The Coit Museum is home to one of the world’s leading collections of pharmaceutical artifacts including the Upjohn Pharmacy Collection from Disneyland. Enjoy hands-on activities for all ages in our beautiful courtyard. and guided tours of our interpretive gallery. Try our new discovery hunt, sit at a soda fountain counter in our old-time drugstore

Museum Association of Arizona

Visit the Museum Association of Arizona table to learn more about our projects and programs that serve Arizona museums, including our upcoming Spring Conference in Fountain Hills AZ on April 27, 2026. MAA provides communication and information networks, and professional development opportunities for the more than 300 museums across the state. We also advocate on their behalf at the local, state, and national levels.

Museum of Democracy

Discover the rich history of American democracy at the We The People! Electing the American President exhibit, now on display at the University of Arizona Student Union Bookstore, Lower Level. Brought to campus by Arizona State University and the Museum of Democracy through a partnership with the Arizona Board of Regents, the exhibit features artifacts from the Wright Family Collection, the nation’s largest collection of campaign memorabilia. The exhibit spans from George Washington’s 1789 inauguration to the 2024 presidential election, and includes works from our local students! Interactive materials will be available for kids of all ages.

Health Sciences Innovation Building

Considered an architectural marvel, the Health Sciences Innovation Building features soaring windows that flood the space with natural light, while south-facing garage doors open to a welcoming patio that is perfect to enjoy a pleasant day. Known for it’s state of the art educational facilities, the HSIB is also home to El Mirador Project, a collection of world-renowned digital art featuring visionary artists Bill Viola, Ragnar Kjartansson, Jennifer Steinkamp, teamLab, and Jim Campbell.

In addition to art-viewing, UA Museum Day participants can enjoy the HSIB’s amenities including its expansive patio and tiered auditorium to cool off from their walk across campus while also taking part in family friendly art and health activities.

Location:
1670 E. Drachman St,
Tucson, AZ 85721
El Mirador Project at the Health Sciences Innovation Building

Contact:
Alex Dubois
duboisa@arizona.edu
520-621-2655

Kid friendly?
Yes, there will be art and health sciences activities for kids to engage with

Reservation required?

NO! Please drop in

Audience:

Building can accommodate large number, fits 200-300 in Forum/patio area for seating using the tiered theater seats and many more walking through including through the third floor; public restrooms and drinking fountains available onsite

Which hub do you land (can land in more than one hub): Science, Art

Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum

The Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum invites you to explore its three galleries through a self-guided tour highlighting Earth’s geological story and artistic transformation. The Mineral Evolution Gallery explores the formation of our planet through rock-forming minerals, meteorites, and fossils, while the Arizona Gallery showcases the region’s rich mineral heritage, with a focus on Arizona and Mexico’s turquoise and copper-bearing minerals. The Gem Gallery reveals the cutting processes that transform raw materials into dazzling gemstones and fine jewelry.

Main Menu

Saturday, March 29, 2025

Explore Campus Wonders

Participating Museums:

Biosphere 2

African American Museum of Southern Arizona

Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium

The Archive of Visual Arts

Poetry Center

Worlds of Words Center

Center for Creative Photography

University of Arizona Museum of Art (UAMA)

John E. GreivenKamp Museum of Optics

Tree-Ring Lab

Coit Museum of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Museum Association of Arizona

Museum of Democracy

Health Sciences Innovation Building

In addition to art-viewing, UA Museum Day participants can enjoy the HSIB’s amenities including its expansive patio and tiered auditorium to cool off from their walk across campus while also taking part in family friendly art and health activities.

Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum