Rienzi Programs for Educators and Students
Rienzi is dedicated to making art available to everyone with a curiosity to learn.
School Tours
Dihl and Guérhard, Partial Tea and Coffee Service (detail of saucers), c. 1800, porcelain, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.
To inquire about school tours, call Rienzi’s education office during business hours at 713.639.7800.
Tours of Rienzi encourage students (pre-K through grade 12) to develop a lifelong love of learning through art. Thematic tours connect with established curricula, encouraging students to engage in topics such as European history, world cultures, geography, and language arts. Specially trained gallery educators lead interactive tours, which emphasize close observation of objects and facilitate the development of essential visual and critical-analysis skills.
Are you a homeschool family looking for a variety of options? Visit mfah.org/homeschool for information about programs and resources for homeschool educators and students.
Before Your Tour
Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory, Bust of Madame du Barry, c. 1771–73, soft-paste porcelain, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, Museum purchase funded in memory of Caroline Wiess Law by The Brown Foundation, Inc., Isla and Tommy Reckling, Mrs. James Anderson, Jr., James A. Elkins, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. J. Cooke Wilson, Jr., Fayez Sarofim, James and Elise Reckling, Mr. and Mrs. A. Leslie Ballard, Jr., Mrs. Fred T. Couper, Jr., Mary Criner Blake, Alfredo and Celina Hellmund Brener, Rosslyn and Marshall Crawford, Ellen and Ed Randall III, Mr. and Mrs. Cliffe Reckling, Wilhelmina and Ed Smith, Jr., Mrs. Harold Stream, Jr., Sue and Bill Whitfield, Isabel B. Wilson, Jas A. Gundry, Betty Lou and John Carter, Jr., Joan and Irvin L. Levy, Harry Masterson IV, Alice C. Simkins, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas D. Anderson, Kitty Neuhaus, Buddy English, Jr., Fran Fauntleroy, Katherine S. and George E. Howe, Carolyn and Harry Hudson, Mrs. Joseph C. Hutcheson III, Barbara and John Riddell, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Wickman, and Caroline Rotan.
George Romney, Elizabeth, Lady Blunt, c. 1764, oil on canvas, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.
Bartolomé Estebán Murillo, The Nativity, c. 1665–70, oil on obsidian, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.
Angelica Kauffman, Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus, 1774, oil on canvas, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III in memory of Neill Turner Masterson, Jr.
Guido Reni, Saint Joseph and the Christ Child, 1638–40, oil on canvas, the MFAH, the Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.
Worcester Porcelain Manufactory, Punch Pot and Cover, c. 1765, soft-paste porcelain, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.
As you prepare to visit Rienzi, you can do a few things as a classroom to get ready:
• Visit mfah.org/rienzi to view photos of art objects in the Rienzi Collection and to read about the history of the home and gardens.
• Practice looking at art with these handy tips designed by MFAH staff members.