KIDS + FAMILIES

October 3 is a Target Free First Sunday at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. 

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, offers free admission all day, the first Sunday of each month, courtesy of support from Target.  As part of Target Free First Sundays, the museum’s education department plans an array of art activities, performances, films, and refreshments from 1 pm to 5 pm designed to give families an interactive experience, with an emphasis on current exhibitions.

That means free admission all day for everyone, and special family-friendly programs.

Come discover the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston inside and out!   Enjoy family flicks, sketching, storytime tours, and refreshments.  The family flicks are shown in Brown Auditorium Theater on the lower level of the Law Building.   Art activities are held in both the Law and Beck buildings, and refreshments are provided.

Sunday, October 3, 2010:  Fascinating Faces.

Explore and make art, see a performance, hear a story, watch a family film, and much more! The first Sunday of each month offers a new opportunities to learn and have fun.

At this Target Free First Sunday, families will encounter Fascinating Faces from the exhibition Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria. Journey through the gallery with an MFAH educator for a hands-on, interactive experience as you learn about this ancient community.

Create your own jewelry, inspired by the beaded necklaces worn by women and men in the sculptures on display; notice incredible details as you sketch the faces of Ife royalty; and learn about many different cultures in Africa as you watch the incredible Kuumba House Dance Theatre perform music and dance.

Don’t miss Storybook Films at 1:30 with two imaginative tales set in Africa. At 2:30, watch Nora, which takes audiences to the Zimbabwe of dancer Nora Chipaumire’s childhood in a film that can be described as a moving poem of sound and image.

Schedule of Events:

Programming at the MFAH includes creative, interactive activities along with family-friendly films and performances.

Beck Building
The Beauty of Beads
Southwestern Bell Studio and Farish Classroom
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Be inspired by a work of art from ancient Nigeria to create your own work of art using beads. As part of the project, you will have a chance to make some beads to add to your creation.

Fascinating Faces: A Gallery Experience for Families
Beck building, Gallery Lower Level 1
2:00 and 3:00 p.m.
Learn about the amazing sculptural portraits on view created by Ife artists in ancient Nigeria. An MFAH Educator will guide this hands-on, interactive gallery experience.

Sketching in the Galleries
Beck building, Gallery Lower Level 1
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Sketch incredible works of sculpture inside the Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria exhibition. An MFAH Teaching Artist will be there to help get you started with paper, pencils and a stool.

Lemonade Stand
Beck lobby
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Law Building
Performance by Kuumba House
Second Floor - Upper Brown Pavilion
2:30 p.m.
Enjoy audience favorite Kuumba House Dance Theatre as they perform music, dance and storytelling from different cultures in Africa.

Storytime: What is a Pangolin?
Mezzanine, Gallery 201M
2:00 and 3:00 p.m.
Find out about this beautiful and scaly animal that lives in Africa as you listen to a storybook and explore a work of art inspired by this amazing creature. Families with young ones won’t want to miss this 30 minute experience.

Storybook Films
Brown Auditorium Theatre
Law building - Lower Level
1:30 p.m.
These animated films bring popular Caldecott award-winning storybooks to life. Families with young ones will enjoy these two imaginative tales.

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears
A tall tale sets off a comic chain of mishaps through the jungle grapevine - based on the book retold by Verna Aardema and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. (10 minutes)

The Village of Round and Square Houses
A young girl from West Africa tells how men came to live in square houses and women in round ones - based on the book by Ann Grifalconi. (9 minutes)

Free First Sunday Film
Nora
Brown Auditorium Theatre
Law building – Lower level
2:30 p.m.
Based on a true story, Nora takes us to the Zimbabwe of dancer Nora Chipaumire´s childhood as she journeys through the vivid memories of her youth. With the help of local performers and dancers of all ages, she brings her story to life in a swiftly moving poem of sound and image. (35 minutes)