smART Family Weekends

smART Family Weekends are:

smART Family Second Saturday Programs:

On the Second Saturday of each month, the Art Center invites children along with an adult companion to learn more about art through a variety of cool activities.
Please join us for a family activity that begins in the lobby at 10:15am and ends at 11:15am. All sessions are FREE.
Advanced registration is required for each Second Saturday program. Please contact Jennifer Cooley at 515.271.0328 or jcooley@desmoinesartcenter.org.
Each session has a limited number of participants (which includes children and adults) and places are secured by advanced reservation only.

Second Saturday Schedule

Saturday, July 12 – Wanted: Globe Trotters

Best for ages 7–12
Limited to 15 people
Get introduced to new cultures by touring the exhibition World Histories. This show features eleven artists from around the globe. We will focus on the paintings of South African artist Mustafa Maluka as the basis for an exciting hands-on art project.

Saturday, August 9 – Drawing in the Galleries

Best for ages 8–12
Limited to 10 people
The painting The Hour of Tea, c.1916, is a visitor favorite at the Art Center. Focusing on this painting, kids will learn observation and drawing fundamentals while also sketching their own work of art.

Saturday, September 13 – Moves in the Museum

Best for ages 5–10
Limited to 20 people
After a short guided tour of the galleries, kids will interpret artworks by using their bodies. Who knew interpreting artwork could be this fun?

On the Second Sunday of each month, the Art Center offers a family workshop that is designed for parents and children ages 5 and older.
Please plan for each adult to work with no more than two children.
Advanced registration is required for each Second Sunday program, call 515.271.0306 to register.
Participants must prepay by the Friday prior to the workshop.
All materials are furnished except where noted.

Second Sunday Schedule

Sunday, July 13 – Personal Totem Poles

Limit 20 family groups – advanced registration is required
$5 ($4 members) per person
Sonny Assu’s work in the Art Center’s main gallery exhibition World Histories incorporates themes from popular culture and his Native American heritage. Borrowing from the Northwest Coast Indians, create a totem expressing your personal identity.

Sunday, August 10 – Paper Toys

Limit 20 family groups – advanced registration is required
$5 ($4 members) per person
Fashion fun little birds out of paper using simple folds and vibrant colors. Create a paper nest or bird house for your family of birds.

Sunday, September 14 – Family Portraits

Limit 20 family groups – advanced registration is required
$5 ($4 members) per person
Experiment with simple and fun printmaking techniques to create unique impressions of your family. Learn how to ink a matrix and pull a print. Construct an accordion book to hold your collagraphs and relief prints.

Please click here for a complete smART Family Second Sunday schedule:
smART Family Second Sunday Schedule