Kids & Families (Age 5 to 12 years)

All ages (Kids under 13 must be accompanied by an adult) | Join us in the Smurfit WestRock Art Education Center studios anytime between noon and 3 pm on the first Sunday of every month! Each Open Studio Sunday features a new art activity inspired by objects from VMFA’s world–class collections or special exhibitions.

Ages 5–8 | Boost skill and confidence in drawing by learning fun, beginner-level techniques. Explore lines and shapes to illustrate objects from observation and your own imagination. 

Instructor: Elizabeth Daly

Ages 5–8 | Capture the colors of the season! Use leaves and other natural materials to create plant prints and cool collages. Experiment with shape, texture, and warm hues to create an autumn-inspired composition.  

Instructor: Elizabeth Daly

Ages 5–8 | Using a blend of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) concepts, participate in an art challenge using a variety of recyclables and art supplies to construct small-scale sculptural creations. Engage in problem-solving in playful and inventive ways!  

Instructor: Elizabeth Daly

Ages 5–8 | Discover the heroines and heroes of the past from a variety of cultures within VMFA collection. Then create your own masked crusader with supernatural powers.

Instructor: Elizabeth Daly

Ages 5–8 | Celebrate Diwali, India’s Festival of Lights, and learn how cultures around the world use light in art. Explore patterns, colors, and design elements to craft diyas (candleholders), rangoli (colorful patterns), and other luminous creations.

Instructor: Elizabeth Daly

Ages 5–8 | Immerse yourself in a fun variety of painting techniques that focus on texture and design elements. Use traditional and non-traditional applications to create artistic painted surfaces on canvas.

Instructor: Elizabeth Daly

Ages 5–8 | Put your lab coats on: It’s time for some ooey-gooey artsy science experiments! Learn about color mixing and scientific reactions while making crazy color-changing slime with some silly or spooky add-ins. 

Instructor: Elizabeth Daly

Ages 5–8 | Feel the beat, then make it visual! Explore how music and rhythm can inspire colorful expressive artwork while discovering musical themes and instruments found in art around the museum.

Instructor: Elizabeth Daly

Ages 5–8 | Refine your artistic talents while learning how to create a delectable still life with a warm color palette. Add a dash of fun by using food as a printing medium and soft pastels for adding details to your unique composition. 

Instructor: Elizabeth Daly

Ages 5–8 | Celebrate Native American Heritage Month by honoring the history and creativity of various cultures. Connect traditional legends to purposeful artmaking as inspired by the ingenuity and reverence for nature held by Indigenous peoples.

Instructor: Elizabeth Daly

Ages 5–8 | With a focus on patterns and lines, learn about stained glass artworks—from Frank Lloyd Wright’s geometric shapes and straight lines to Louis Comfort Tiffany’s organic forms and 
vibrant colors—to inspire your own “stained glass” suncatchers. 

Instructor: Elizabeth Daly

Ages 5–8 | Gain a basic understanding of elements of graphic design while venturing through the galleries, filling your sketchbook with symbols, icons, and illustrations along the way. Every stop is a new discovery!

Instructor: Elizabeth Daly

Ages 5–8 | Stroll through the galleries in search of shiny examples of all things bright and shiny, from gilded frames to golden treasures! Decorate your own frames, boxes, and other gifts that glisten using metallic paints, foils, and sparkly embellishments.

Instructor: Elizabeth Daly

Ages 9–12 | Follow an inspiring compilation of drawing prompts and mixed-media activities designed to spark creative thinking and introduce a variety of new techniques. Sketchbooks and tools are provided for this artistic process.

Instructor: Catherine Purdy

Ages 9–12 | Step into the universe of cartooning! Learn the basics of character design and storytelling and use professional tools to create your own imaginative comic book panels. 

Instructor: Dan Kaczka

Ages 9–12 | Learn how to use watercolor paints and processes to create wonderful works of art! Take advantage of gallery visits for inspiration and reflection.

Instructor: Catherine Purdy

Ages 9–12 | Connect storied legends to symbols and motifs in the art of Indigenous Americans! After learning about the rich artistry of Indigenous peoples from the Northwest, incorporate similar imagery in your own patterns and printmaking. 

Instructor: Dan Kaczka

Ages 9–12 | Go wild about animals in art! Discover different creatures hidden in the museum’s collections to influence your own art making, then craft a palm-sized pet using armatures, plaster gauze, and paint. 

Instructor: Dan Kaczka

Ages 9–12 | Capture the essence of autumn on a canvas while exploring color mixing, painting applications, and the basics of perspective. View natural landscapes both in the galleries and outside for ideas to inspire your own colorful compositions. 

Instructor: Dan Kaczka

Ages 9–12 | Inspired by upcoming cultural celebrations and traditions such as Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead), focus on traditions and art elements to sculpt and design “sugar skulls” with air-dry clay, colorful paints, and other adornments.  

Instructor: Dan Kaczka

Ages 9–12 | Let music be your muse! Explore visual art that combines songs with expression in this melody-inspired experience that engages multiple senses at once.   

Instructor: Dan Kaczka

Ages 9–12 | Piece together a colorful collage that focuses on pattern, imagery, and intentionally selected themes. Cut, glue, and assemble a myriad of materials that reflect works from artists in our American collection.

Instructor: Dan Kaczka

Ages 9–12 | Welcome the season of thanks by exploring the abundance of nature. View examples of still lifes from the museum’s collection to inspire illustrations that capture the plentiful treasures of the natural world.

Instructor: Dan Kaczka

Ages 9–12 | Go on a drawing adventure through the galleries and participate in creative art challenges, prompts, and exercises to boost your drawing abilities, skill, and confidence.

Instructor: Dan Kaczka

Ages 9–12 | Inspired by VMFA’s upcoming expansion, learn about architectural styles and elements that can be used to construct a three-dimensional model of your own mini museum.

Instructor: Dan Kaczka

Ages 9–12 | Share your love of art with someone special! Combining a variety of studio skills, have fun making creative gifts and cards with mixed media materials and imagination. 

Instructor: Dan Kaczka

Ages 5–8 | Jump into the fascinating world of portrait drawing! Experiment with line, shape, and expression before venturing throughout the museum in search of picture-perfect props, costumes, and scenes to inspire your own imaginary self-portrait.

Instructor: Espy Manning

Ages 5–8 | Go on a quest to find your favorite colors throughout the museum and its grounds (weather permitting). Learn about color mixing, mark-making, and how your mood can affect your art while painting expressively with acrylics on canvas. 

Instructor: Theo Tweeddale

Ages 5–8 | Using simple looms and colorful yarn, learn the basics of weaving to fabricate your own miniature designs inspired by Indigenous American creators and artistry. (Students can take their cardboard looms home!) 

Instructor: Lauren Bleam

Ages 5–8 | Gain inspiration from a menagerie of animals found in the galleries. Draw, paint, and sculpt your very own crafty creatures, from building basic forms to adding tiny textures and details!

Instructor: Catherine Purdy

Ages 5–8 | Share your passion for art and science with friends and family this season! Observe scientific reactions and properties while making fluffy cloud dough, bouncy balls, and more. All projects include packaging and gift bagging.

Instructor: Elizabeth Daly

Ages 9–12 | Make your artwork come to life by learning how to paint an eye! Practice drawing in the galleries and let your observations inspire your own proportional portrait.

Instructor: Theo Tweeddale

Ages 9–12 | Spark your imagination by putting the right side of your brain to work! Receive a 
sketchbook and necessary tools to take part in a multitude of drawing and mixed-media exercises designed to help you develop your creative process.

Instructor: Lauren Bleam

Ages 9–12 | Dive into hands-on projects inspired by Indigenous American traditions and the  wonders of our national parks! Learn about the cultural and historical significance of the land to various Indigenous American cultures and discover how art objects and techniques reflect each individual area’s landscape, flora, and fauna.

Instructor: Elizabeth Daly

Ages 9–12 | Create miniature works of art with colorful polymer clays! Discover methods to mix, mold, and form this clay-like material to craft tiny, three-dimensional sculptural scenes from your 
own imagination.

Instructor: Alex Parrish

Ages 9–12 | Explore the wonderful world of watercolor painting and hand-lettering while designing custom cards for loved ones. Experiment with watercolor washes, blooms, and brush control to create wintery scenes and learn basic calligraphy to write heartfelt greetings for the season. 

Instructor: Madeleine Eliason

Ages 5–12, accompanied by an adult | Paint playful watercolor scenes using fun techniques such as washes, blooms, and layering. Then learn ways to turn your favorite designs into cards, bookmarks, or tiny treasures with hand–lettering and “punny” captions.    

Instructor: Madeleine Eliason

Ages 5–12, accompanied by an adult | Craft a wreath to welcome friends and family for the upcoming holiday season! Choose from an array of ribbons, bows, florals, and other embellishments to create seasonal décor for your front door.    

Instructor: Lindsay Steele

Ages 5–12, accompanied by an adult | Build a beautiful—and delectable—architectural structure out of gingerbread pieces, royal icing, and a buffet of colorful candies!
This workshop may not be suitable for individuals with severe food allergies. Email questions to youthstudio@VMFA.museum.  

Instructor: Alex Parrish

Ages 5–12, accompanied by an adult | Build a beautiful—and delectable—architectural structure out of gingerbread pieces, royal icing, and a buffet of colorful candies!  
Due to high demand, we’ve added another workshop on Saturday! Please only register for one gingerbread workshop (F4 or F5). Also note that workshops may not be suitable for individuals with severe food allergies. Email questions to youthstudio@VMFA.museum.

Instructor: Alex Parrish