The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College announces its Spring 2020 Family Saturdays, a series of multigenerational creative collaborations on each Saturday from February 15 through April 4.
Each program includes looking at artwork in the museum’s exhibitions or collections, discussing and sharing ideas, and engaging in a hands-on art activity inspired by those conversations. Spring exhibitions include Mary Weatherford: Canyon-Daisy-Eden, Between the Mountains, Flex, Nicole Cherubini: Shaking the Trees, and Elevator Music 40: Melissa Thorne-Landslide/Solid.
The programs, which are free, mostly run from 1:00 to 2:30 PM, unless otherwise specified, and are suitable for children ages 5 and older, accompanied by their adult companions.
The Tang offers extra sessions starting at 3:00 PM just for tweens on two Saturdays: February 29 and March 21. On those Saturdays, the 1:00 PM session will be for children age 5 to 9 and their adult companions; and the 3:00 PM session will be for tweens and their adult companions.
Registration is required. You can register beginning one week before each program. To register, call the Tang Visitors Services Desk at 518-580-8080.
The Tang welcomes visitors of all abilities. Be prepared to get messy and have fun!
Share your Family Saturday photos on social media by including #tangfamsat.
SPRING 2020 FAMILY SATURDAYS
February 15: Shine Bright!
Dive into the abstract world of Mary Weatherford in the exhibition Mary Weatherford: Canyon-Daisy-Eden! After we take a closer look at her large-scale paintings that feature bright lights, we will create our own artworks that weave both paint and textiles that will shine as bright as the exhibition!
February 22: Rock Climbing Landscape
After looking at several scholars’ rocks and the jam-packed landscape by artist Yun-Fei Ji in the exhibition Between the Mountains, we will think about the natural world and our impact on the environment. Then we will create our own 3-D worlds using materials such as watercolor paint, rocks, model magic, and cardboard.
February 29: Fabric Works at the Tang
We will explore works from the Tang collection by artists Franklin Williams, “A Beautiful Dark Moment,” and Abdoulaye Konate, “Metamorphose de Papillon.” Both artists use fabric, texture, and color in unique ways, and we will create our own “fabric painting” inspired by their works.
February 29: Tween Family Saturday: Life Sized
After looking at several works in the exhibition Flex, we will investigate ideas of strength and what forms strength can take. Using these ideas, we will create life size portraits illustrating what makes us feel strong and empowered!
March 7: Beach Day
We will take a close look at works by Mary Weatherford where the artist incorporates objects such as starfish and seashells. Why would an artist add such natural objects into a painting? After thinking about the possibilities of what makes a painting, we will create our own mixed-media painting using similar natural objects in the spirit of Mary Weatherford.
March 14: Portrait Revised
We will be looking at works in the Tang collection by artists Hassan Hajjaj, Omar Victor Diop, and Atong Atem and thinking about how their portraits tell a story. After looking at and discussing their work, we will create our own self portrait where we imagine ourselves in a whole new way.
March 21: Operation Space
Let’s take a ride up the elevator and explore Elevator Music 40: Melissa Thorne-Landslide Solid and then land on the mezzanine with Nicole Cherubini: Shaking the Trees. Both artists address the idea of space and its potential for a wide variety of experiences. After discussing their installations, we will create a space that we would like to see and experience in a museum.
March 21: Operation Space for Tweens
Let’s take a ride up the elevator and explore Elevator Music 40: Melissa Thorne-Landslide Solid and then land on the mezzanine with Nicole Cherubini: Shaking the Trees. Both artists address the idea of space and its potential for a wide variety of experiences. After discussing their installations, we will create a space that we would like to see and experience in a museum.
March 28: Shattered Reality
We will take a closer look at work in the Tang’s collection by artists Paula Wilson, “Data Unloaded,” and Francesca DiMattio, “White Umbrella.” These artists combine a wide range of visual and conceptual elements like collage and painting, architecture and history that create a distinct perspective of their world. Inspired by an array of materials such as CD’s, specialty papers and masking tape, we will create our own large-scale view of the modern world.
April 4: Skidmore Dance Collaboration: Movement Workshop
Join us for a special Family Saturday in collaboration with Skidmore’s Dance Department. Olivia Bray ’20, a dance major, leads a workshop that fuses visual art with movement. Dress comfortably and let’s move!
About the Tang Teaching Museum
The Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College is a pioneer of interdisciplinary exploration and learning. A cultural anchor of New York’s Capital Region, the Tang’s approach has become a model for university art museums across the country—with exhibition programs that bring together visual and performing arts with interdisciplinary ideas from history, economics, biology, dance, and physics to name just a few. The Tang has one of the most rigorous faculty-engagement initiatives in the nation, and a robust publication and touring exhibition program that extends the museum’s reach far beyond its walls. The Tang Teaching Museum’s award-winning building, designed by architect Antoine Predock, serves as a visual metaphor for the convergence of art and ideas. Admission to the museum is free (donation suggested). Hours are Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., with extended hours until 9 p.m. on Thursdays. Closed Mondays and holidays. http://tang.skidmore.edu.
