Philadelphia Museum of Art - Information : Press Room : Press Releases : 2004

March 15th, 2004

Museum Offers Family-friendly Performances, Gallery Tours, Storytelling And More During Spring And Summer Seasons

The Division of Education at the Philadelphia Museum of Art welcomes families to take part in exciting hands-on activities, gallery tours, performances, storytelling, and kid-friendly tours during the Spring/Summer 2004 season of Family and Children’s Programs. The Museum continues to set a national standard for excellence in its educational offerings that include art classes, family activities, lectures, teacher resources and workshops, and accessible programs for people with disabilities. The new season includes family events exploring sculpture and features the popular Something Every Sunday activities at family-friendly prices.

Something Every Sunday
The award-winning Something Every Sunday programs offer imaginative ways for families to explore the galleries and to make their own art in the Museum’s studios. Museum admission is pay what you wish on Sundays providing an affordable option for families to spend the day together here. Among the many free activities offered is the popular Drawing Together, which encourages family members to try their hands in the galleries, assisted by an artist. Another favorite, and a perfect introduction for youngsters is Early Bird Read and Look, which invites preschoolers and their families to a storytelling session followed by a related craft workshop. Try a Technique, for ages 6-12, enables families to learn methods that artists use and then try similar techniques in the studio classrooms. Self-guided family tours focusing on different aspects of the Museum’s collections are always available at the West Information Desk. For a full schedule, visit the website at www.philamuseum.org/education or call for a brochure at (215) 684-7580.

Special Family Events
Special Family Events are designed around a theme to highlight different artistic heritages through performances and hands-on activities at family-friendly prices. Museum teachers assist children in hands-on crafts that complement the performance.

School’s Out, June 23: This special Wednesday night presentation of the Museum’s Something Every Sunday family programs includes a performance by The Give and Take Jugglers, and a Family Square Dance starring The Forge Mountain Ramblers. Children and family members can explore themes in the galleries with Education Staff, and create a shadow puppet from India, construct a hat incorporating the Museum’s architectural elements, or decorate an Asian fan in the Make and Take Workshop.
Celebrate: Lipchitz, July 11: To celebrate the special exhibition Jacques Lipchitz and Philadelphia (on view from June 27 through August 22, 2004), Klingon Klezmer presents festive traditional eastern European Jewish music. Families can take a selfguided tour of the exhibition of the renowned 20th century sculptor, draw threedimensional artwork in the galleries and make a Lipchitz inspired sculpture to take home.
Celebrate: Sculpture, August 8: In honor of the Lipchitz exhibition and the upcoming 75th anniversary of the Rodin Museum, families can meet well-known Philadelphia sculptors and watch as they demonstrate how to create sculpture out of wood, clay and bronze. A self-guided tour through the galleries teaches more about sculpture throughout the world. Families can make a temporary sculpture during the Make and Take Workshop and enter it in a contest.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest museums in the United States, with a collection of more than 227,000 works of art and more than 200 galleries presenting painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, decorative arts, textiles, and architectural settings from Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Its facilities include its landmark Main Building on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the Perelman Building, located nearby on Pennsylvania Avenue, the Rodin Museum on the 2200 block of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and two 18th-century houses in Fairmount Park, Mount Pleasant and Cedar Grove. The Museum offers a wide variety of activities for public audiences, including special exhibitions, programs for children and families, lectures, concerts and films.

For additional information, contact the Marketing and Communications Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art at (215) 684-7860. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street. For general information, call (215) 763-8100, or visit the Museum's website at www.philamuseum.org.