Student-Led Tours at Rutgers’ Zimmerli Art Museum Increasing Engagement, Opportunity
Student-led tours at the Zimmerli Art Museum have run twice as often since spring 2025. The change came as more people wanted to visit Rutgers University’s art space.
Rutgers senior Roshan Kenath (left) and doctoral student and teaching assistant Megan Mauriello stand in the Art of the Americas Gallery at the Zimmerli Art Museum.
Image Courtesy Jeff Arban/Rutgers UniversityStudent-led tours at the Zimmerli Art Museum have run twice as often since spring 2025. The change came as more people wanted to visit Rutgers University's art space, pushing tours from monthly to every two weeks.
This year brings 16 tours to life through the work of 17 student guides. Visitors can join these free walks through art-filled rooms on select weekend days.
"We've seen a huge increase in our audience. So, we've doubled the number of tours essentially and the number of student educators offering them," said Claire D'Amato, associate curator of education at the Zimmerli, per Rutgers.edu.
Each guide spends months learning their craft. The staff changed how they teach these skills when Brandon Truett took charge of community programs in 2023.
"This is in line with trends in museum education and gallery pedagogy across the nation, where tours are less focused on content dumping and being very lecture-based. Instead, these tours are designed to help visitors look more closely at specific artworks and create conversations," Truett said.
Students from many fields sign up to guide. Take Megan Mauriello; she studies tiny living things for her Ph.D. but leads tours to stay close to art. Her science work fills her days, yet art fills her soul.
Tech student Roshan Kenath spotted unexpected connections to his field. "A lot of it focuses on visual analysis or composition, which are very key aspects of user interface design," said Kenath.
Board member Michael McCulley stands behind the program's growth. "It seemed like a great opportunity to expand the student learning experience," he said. "I hope the program provides a hands-on educational experience in art, public speaking and interpersonal interactions."
The museum keeps growing its student roles. D'Amato points out, "The Zimmerli is here for everyone, but especially for Rutgers students. And now with our gallery attendants, our student educators and our internship programs, we have really integrated students into the fabric of the museum."
Want to join a tour? They run 2-3 p.m. on these dates: Oct. 11 and 19, Nov. 15 and 2, Dec. 6 and 14. Pick a Saturday or Sunday that works for you.
