KIDS + FAMILIES

Bayou Bend, the American decorative arts center of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, hosts a free Family Day the third Sunday of each month from September through May. 

Sunday, February 20, 2011:   Chocolate!

Need we say more? The world´s most popular dessert was one of our most popular Family Days ever in 2008, and will enjoy a revival in 2011. Ever since America´s first chocolate factory was established in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1771, Americans have been enjoying chocolate in every conceivable form.

This month, Bayou Bend joins the celebration with a day of chocolate-based art and activities. 

The February 2011 Family Day features a set of musical “suites” by Houston’s renowned Paragon Brass Ensemble, chocolate-themed craft activities, storytelling in the Kitty King Powell Library with Bayou Bend Library Assistant Serena Newmark, a chocolate-making demonstration by River Oaks’ Araya Chocolate, and a Valentine’s Day-themed performance by Puppet Pizzazz.

Tours of the 1st floor of the house are hosted by volunteers of the Houston Junior Woman’s Club, while giveaways and promotions are offered through our media sponsor, KUHF 88.7 FM and Bayou Bend.

Performances:
Diana Terrace:
1:30 p.m. – Classical Guitar
2:30 – 4:30 p.m., Paragon Brass Ensemble, “Musical Suites”
Diana Terrace MC – Eric Ladau, KUHF 88.7 FM Radio
Giveaway Drawings – held twice during the day between performances

Additional Performances & Demonstrations:
Araya Chocolate, The Process of Making Chocolate, Bailey Room of the Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center (30 minute presentation at 2:45 p.m.)

Puppet Pizzazz, Chocolates for my Valentine – Performance on the Heverdjes Plaza of the Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center

Craft Workshops:
Chocolate Mosaics – in the Kilroy Visitor and Education Center
S’More People – Diana Lawn

Door prizes are provided by our media sponsor, KUHF 88.7 FM, and the MFAH.

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, Houston’s home for America’s treasures, features one of the world’s great collections of American decorative arts and paintings. The objects are displayed in the home of legendary Houston philanthropist and collector Ima Hogg (1882-1975), who gave her estate to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in 1957. More than 20 room settings reveal the evolution American style and taste from 1620 to 1876. The mansion is situated on 14 acres of formal gardens and lush woodlands. Bayou Bend is open year-round to visitors, and offers many programs for children, families, and adults.

The Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center is now open. The new Kilroy Center is as a destination resource dedicated to American art, culture, and history, one that will foster a greater understanding of Bayou Bend’s unique contributions to the field through its collections, its architecture, and its surrounding gardens and woodlands.