KIDS + FAMILIES

Rienzi Center for European Decorative Arts, MFAH and Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, MFAH present Family Day at Rienzi & Bayou Bend: Things Worth Writing, Sunday, April 17, 1pm-5pm.

Rienzi and Bayou Bend team up for a FREE Family Day to mark National Poetry Month in April. An afternoon of fun and entertainment await, with art activities, music, poetry, storytelling, performances, puzzles, and more. Learn about poetry and try your hand at prose!

Events and Programs at Rienzi:

Poetry and Art Making Activities, 1 - 4:45 pm, Great Lawn
Celebrate the art of the written word with several poetry writing activities. Frame and decorate your final written work of art.

Nature and Object Scavenger Hunt, 1 - 4:45 pm, Rienzi Gardens and Galleries
Search Through Rienzi´s gardens and galleries to find flowers, plants and animals. Prizes will be given at the registration booth.

The Non-Toxic Band, 1:30 - 4:30 pm, Rienzi Terrace
Put on your dancing shoes and enjoy the lively, original music from The Non-Toxic Band. These former Sesame Street song-writers engage every audience member through kid-friendly music and lyrics.

Storytime Tours, 2 - 2:45 pm, Rienzi Ballroom
In honor of poetry month, join our Storytime Docents as they read children´s poems from English poetess, Christina Rossetti and other internationally celebrated writers.

Mural Making, 1 - 4:45 pm, Rienzi Gardens
Participate in creating a group mural reflecting on the many themes of family day. Artist Judy Malone-Stein will lead children in this colorful and energetic activity incorporating several different mediums and techniques for a one-of-a-kind project.

Refreshments, 1 - 4:45 pm, Rienzi Terrace
Cool off all afternoon on the terrace with some cookies and lemonade overlooking Rienzi´s sparkling pool and grounds!

Events and Programs at Bayou Bend:

Performances:
Diana Terrace:
Houston Brass Band – The Songs of Stephen Foster
2:30 p.m. – The Houston Brass Band is a traditional “British Brass Band,” but they’ll be performing a distinctly American program of songs by the legendary Stephen Foster (“Camptown Races,” “Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair,” “My Old Kentucky Home”)

Kilroy Center – Bailey Room
Julian Franklin – Tribute to Chris Van Allsburg
3:00 p.m. – Bayou Bend favorite Julian Franklin combines magic and puppetry  into a show honoring Chris Van Allsburg, author of The Polar Express, Jumanji, and other popular children’s book titles.

East Garden Terrace:
Dan Gordon – Adventures in Storyland
2:00 & 3:30 p.m. – Popular storyteller Dan Gordon takes the audience on a journey through the magic of story.

Additional Performances & Demonstrations:
Story Time in the Library w/ Serena Newmark, 2:30 p.m. in the Kitty King Powell Library, 2nd Floor of the Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center.

Workshops and Activities:
Word-of-the-Day Game
1:00 – 4:30 p.m.
(pick up your game card at the KUHF table on the Diana Terrace)

“Mix & Match” Poems
1:00 – 4:30 p.m., Diana Garden
Cut out words and phrases from magazines, newspapers, and more to create your own poem!

Admission is free! Free parking is available at Bayou Bend: use the entrance at Memorial Drive and Westcott Street. A complimentary shuttle runs between Rienzi and Bayou Bend (last trip to Rienzi at 4:30 pm, last trip back to Bayou Bend at 4:45 pm).

Rienzi is the center for European decorative arts at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Comprising a remarkable art collection, and a house and gardens, Rienzi was given to the museum by arts patrons Carroll Sterling Masterson and Harris Masterson III. This handsome residence is named for Mr. Masterson's grandfather, Rienzi Johnston, and is situated on 4.4 acres in Houston's River Oaks neighborhood. The structure was designed in 1952 by John F. Staub, the same architect who designed Bayou Bend.

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 of 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. Visitors are also invited to enjoy the new Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center that showcases the cultural, civic and philanthropic legacy of the Hogg family; a public research library that houses 6,000 volumes dedicated to American art, culture, history and gardening; as well as two meeting rooms and a retail shop.