>        Do you offer a group rate?  If so, what is it and how does it compare
>        with the regular admission rate for individuals?


We do not charge admission to the Art Center, therefore we do not have a
special group rate.


>
>        Do you offer docent-led tours?  If so, what is the group rate for the
>        tour?  Do you charge more for a tour?


Yes, we offer docent-led tours at $2.50 per person.  We tried to have a
sliding scale based on size of group combined with a group maximum, but it
got too confusing to explain to people so we now have this flat rate.

We used not to charge at all for tours and have a staff member give them,
but we have gotten so overwhelmed with tour requests since our new building
was constructed (and our staff is now less available to give tours) that we
have instituted a docent program and of course it takes staff time to work
with that program--also the tours are more in-depth and "educational" rather
than just "...and this is our ceramics studio."  We had a hard time at first
conveying the change from free tours to scheduled, paid tours, but now it
seems to be working out fine.  We will begin offering monthly, docent-led,
free building tours (we have about 40,000 s.f.) in January.

>        Do you require groups to pay a deposit or prepay for their visit?

We require at least 2 weeks notice for a tour and we invoice them, sending
them any pre-visit activities we have put together along with a sheet
outlining what they can expect from their tour.  Most groups bring the check
with them when the arrive for the tour.

One odd thing about our tours:  they are scheduled through the Special
Events Director, since she knows the most about what's going on in the
building on a given day.  She takes care of the invoicing, but our
department (Exhibitions) along with the volunteer coordinator takes care of
recruiting, training, and "deploying" the docents.  I'd like to know how the
hierarchy works in other institutions.

Since this whole business is still in its infancy for us (it's only been
about  4 months!), I'd appreciate a summary of responses that have NOT been
posted to the list.

Thanks,

Julia Moore
Director of Exhibitions and Artist Services
Indianapolis Art Center