The following English- and Spanish-language weekday and weekend programs for children up to age 12 and their adult companions will be offered by The Metropolitan Museum of Art from Tuesday, July 6, through Sunday, August 8, 2004. These drop-in programs are free with Museum admission, and all materials are provided.
Hello, Met! – for ages five through 12. Families new to the Museum receive a warm and stimulating introduction to its encyclopedic collection through discussion and sketching of its masterpieces. Prior to the program, a short film may be viewed. Scheduled for 2:00-3:00 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays, and Sundays, July 6 through August 8.
Start with Art – for ages three through seven. An hour of storytelling, sketching activities, and other ways of exploring art, scheduled for 2:30-3:30 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays; 3:30-4:30 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays; and 10:00-11:00 a.m., Saturdays, July 6 through August 7.
Art Mornings for Families – for ages five through 12. An adventure in art through conversation and sketching, each day's theme will focus on a continent of the Earth: Tuesdays' topics will be devoted to Africa; Wednesdays' to Asia; Thursdays' to Europe; and Fridays' to the Americas. Scheduled from 11:00 a.m. to noon, Tuesdays through Fridays, July 6 though August 6.
El Primer Contacto con el Arte – a Spanish-language program for ages six through 12. An hour of discussion and sketching activities, focusing on a particular theme and a different area of the Museum each week, scheduled from 11:00 a.m. to noon on Fridays, July 9 through August 6.
Look Again! – for ages five through 12. Topics unlocking the history, meaning, and cross-cultural connections of works of art in the museum are explored through conversation and sketching. From time to time, performances will enhance this program. Scheduled on Saturdays 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2:00-3:30 p.m., and on Sundays 11:00-12:30 p.m., July 10 through August 8. (The 11:00 a.m. program on July 11 and August 8 will be Sign-Language interpreted.)
Art Evenings for Families – for ages six through 12. An encounter with the Museum's collection through conversation and sketching, scheduled 6:00-7:00 p.m. on Saturdays, July 10 through August 7. About once a month a performance segment is added to the program.
Two additional programs of special note have been scheduled in July. On Friday, July 16, 6:00–7:00 p.m., The Charles H. Tally Lecture Series for Families: Curator Contact -- Dirk Breiding and the Head and Hands, will feature Dirk Breiding, curatorial assistant in the Department of Arms and Armor, with Anna Sahr from Education. Through conversation and sketching, they encourage families to explore how European, Islamic, and Japanese armor mask and protect the head and hands, and how these extremities appear in other works of art. And on Saturday, July 17, 1:00–1:35 p.m., the film From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1978), with Ingrid Bergman and Madeline Kahn, will supplement the day's Look Again! family programs of the same title.
A variety of complimentary printed guides for independent activities within the Museum are provided, and reduced-fee family Audio Guide tours are available. Also available are Touch Tours for the visually impaired; Discoveries, a series of Sunday workshops for children and adults with developmental disabilities; and Sign Language interpretation of one family program each month (call 212-879-5500, ext. 3561). There is a special children's shop on the second floor, and the Museum's cafeteria features special meals for children under 12 years of age – priced at $4.95 each and served in a unique three-dimensional tray designed to look like a New York City taxicab. Prior to visiting the Museum, families can log onto the MuseumKids page of the Metropolitan Museum's Web site (www.metmuseum.org). Children under 12 accompanied by an adult are admitted free.
Family programs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art are supported by: Uris Brothers Foundation Endowment, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Bloomberg, Mr. and Mrs. Marvin H. Schein, May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc., Pat and John Rosenwald Fund, the Aronson Endowment Fund, Staten Island Advance, The Roberta & Allan Weissglass Foundation, Inc., The Rotary Foundation of New York, and The Goodman Memorial Foundation.
For further information on family programs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, call (212) 570-3961.
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