Yesterday was Earth Day, and in celebration we hosted a 3-day series of “Art Detox” workshops here at MASS MoCA. Participants planted seeds in empty water bottles, made pinwheel “wind turbines,” decorated canvas bags to give in thanks to Wild Oats (who graciously donated some of our snacks for the week!), made seed bombs, and constructed bird feeders out of empty 2L soda bottles. We had a blast out in the sunshine and hope you were able to work some art and recycling into your spring breaks, too!

Read more about it here:  http://communications.williams.edu/news/kidspace-june2012/

Muir Vidler's "Rebels, Danny Lynch," which will be on view in the "Curiosity" exhibition opening at Kidspace in June.

]]> http://kidspace.massmoca.org/2012/04/04/big-changes-coming-to-kidspace/feed/ 0 http://kidspace.massmoca.org/2012/03/19/kidspace-to-offer-spring-break-art-detox-this-april/ http://kidspace.massmoca.org/2012/03/19/kidspace-to-offer-spring-break-art-detox-this-april/#comments Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:38:59 +0000 Amanda Tobin http://kidspace.massmoca.org/?p=1823 Kidspace at MASS MoCA presents…

Spring Break Art Detox

For 5- to 12-year-olds

Join us over spring break for a series of creative workshops to celebrate the planet and yourself just in time for Earth Day 2012. Plant, nourish, and get inspired. Parents are encouraged to join in on the fun; children may also be dropped off.

Tuesday, April 17,  9-11am

We’ll kick off the week by planting seeds together in a recycled plastic bottle—watch to see how much they grow over the next few days! Then paint your own pot in which you can plant seeds to bring home.

Wednesday, April 18,  9-11am

Give back to nature! Build your own birdhouse out of recycled materials, and decorate a reusable bag.

Thursday, April 19, 9-11am

Join us in making seed bombs! Drop them in parks, lawns, or abandoned lots and they’ll explode—flowers, veggies, and other plants will take root where they land. Finish the week by making pinwheels from old newspapers.

Children will help prepare healthy snacks for each other each day. Please alert us if your child has any food allergies.

Register by Friday, April 6.  Space is limited—reserve your spot today!

$12 per session, or $30 for all three. MASS MoCA members: $10/session, or $27 for all three.

Call Kidspace at (413)664-4481 x8131 or email Kidspace@massmoca.org with questions or to register.

Kidspace’s Under the Sea exhibition will be open to the public every day from 11am to 4pm over spring break (April 16 – 20, 2012). MASS MoCA’s main galleries will also be open every day from 11am to 5pm.

Our second artist-in-residency is well under way! This week Ginger Ertz, of Schenectady, NY, is working with K-4 students in our six partner schools. These lucky kids will have their own chenille stem (aka pipe cleaner) artwork, created with Ertz’s guidance, displayed in Kidspace! Ertz will install the schools of fish, sharks, sea turtles, crabs, jellyfish, and more that the students make this week right next to her own Slick–and each creature will show the stains of being caught in this oil spill.

 Proud artists display their creations

Make sure you stop by Kidspace again before Under the Sea closes in May in order to see how it turns out!

          5th and 6th graders from Gabriel Abbot Memorial School in Florida, MA with their under-the-sea menagerie

We kicked off this year’s artist residency program today with artist James Grashow, whose Under the Corrugated Sea installation has been a huge hit in our current exhibition! During the residency, Grashow is working with 5th-7th graders at five local elementary schools to help them create their own cardboard fish (he calls them the “rarest creature in the ocean!”). Students partnered up to design tails and fins (and in some cases, top hats and ballet slippers) for their fish and then used paint to apply the final touches.

Participants will then have the opportunity to show off their fish during the Under the Sea Parade on February 11th.

Grashow helping Clarksburg Elementary School 5th and 6th graders cut out their designs

Stay tuned for more about the Mermaid Parade and next week’s artist-in-residency with Ginger Ertz!

Dive in to a week of sea-inspired art and fun activities at Kidspace!

Inspired by the current Under the Sea exhibition, we will explore the human impact on the environment and our relationship to nature through morning art projects and afternoon bookmaking.

Each day will include:

Art Projects: Sand Mandalas, Treasure Chests, Windsock Printmaking, Watercolor & Pastel Seascapes, Jellyfish Water Bottle Mobiles, Seaweed Book-Making

Games and Movement Activities

Snacks

Gallery Visits

Fee

$75 per child for the entire week.  Before and/or after care, from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. & 3:00 – 5:00 p.m., can be provided for an additional fee of $10 per child. A 10% discount is available for additional siblings.

*Please let us know in advance if your child has a food allergy. Healthy snacks will be provided; please bring your own lunches.

Limited space available—reserve by calling (413)664-4481 x8131 or e-mail kidspace@massmoca.org today!

This year, at MASS MoCA’s annual Free Day, take a break from the cold and experience the ocean right here in North Adams! Kidspace is hosting an Under the Sea Parade, due to kick off at 2:30pm on Saturday, February 11th outside Kidspace on the 2nd floor of MASS MoCA. Come in costume: merpeople, fish, sharks, Spongebobs, sailors, and aquatic creatures of all shapes and sizes (and ages!) welcome–or if you stop by Kidspace between 11 and 2, you have the chance to make your costume or prop here! Prizes will be awarded.

Have a whale of a time at your very own Kidspace Birthday Party!

Rent out the Kidspace gallery for your exclusive use—invite your friends, get up close and personal with the artwork, play games and create your own masterpieces to bring home. Choose one of three birthday party packages to make your child’s birthday party one to remember!

- The Minnow (Basic) Birthday Package includes:

Features: instructions & supplies for 1-2 art projects (can be related to the current exhibition), instruction on 1-2 games, and exclusive use of Kidspace for two hours.

Cost: $275

-The Shark (Super) Birthday Package includes:

Features: All of the above as well as party favors for each guest (please give Kidspace a week’s notice for the precise number of guests).

Cost: $375

-The Whale (Super Duper) Birthday Package includes:

Features: All of the above and a meal from Lickety Split! Dinner if it is an evening party (pizza, vegetable sticks, soda, and an ice cream cake) or breakfast if it is a morning party (bagels, muffins, juice, fruit).

Cost: $475 All packages cover 15 children and 2 adults.

Each additional child is $10 with a maximum of 20 children. Beyond 20 we must hire additional staff, and the cost increases to $15 per additional child.

Kidspace Birthday Parties can be held from 9-11 a.m. or from 4-6 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays only.

Specialize your invitations! Kidspace invitations can be purchased at an additional cost of $12/10 invitations.

For more information or to book your child’s party, call Kidspace at (413) 664-4481 x8131 or email at kidspace@massmoca.org. Please book your party with at least one month’s notice. Payment due one week in advance of the party.

Here at MASS MoCA, “Take Your Child to Work Day” means more than just bringing our kids to work—we put ‘em to work, too! This December, four creative kids and their MoCA staff parents will be leading fabulous hands-on art workshops. So kids, grab your parents and join us over December Break to get to know the children behind your favorite museum!

Saturday, December 17^th at 9:30a.m.: Chic Jewelry With Isabel

Join Isabel Thompson and her father, MASS MoCA Director Joe Thompson, for the kick-off workshop! Isabel and Joe will be designing and fabricating very chic, rare, collectible jewelry: the kind of stuff they dream about in West Hollywood.

Wednesday, December 28^th at 9:30 a.m.: New Year’s Crowns With Deliah

Deliah Shulman and her mother, Kidspace’s very own Education Coordinator Shannon Toye, will teach you how to bend and weave pipe cleaners to create your own intricate tiara or hat!

Thursday, December 29^th at 9:30 a.m.: Mermaids and Mermen Sculptures With Tenley

Tenley Smith and her mother Katherine Myers, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, will help you turn your empty plastic bottles and other discarded materials into whimsical mermaids (and mermen!).

Friday, December 30^th at 9:30 a.m.: Model Rockets With Alex

Alex Babcock and mother Pam Babcock, teacher at Kidspace partner School Clarksburg Elementary, teach you how to make cardboard rocket ships, which you can then send out on a test flight!

$5/per person for each individual workshop or register for all 4 workshops for $15. Workshops are appropriate for ages 4 and up with parental guidance. Pre-registration required by Saturday, December 10^th. Call Kidspace at (413) 664-4481 x8131 to register OR email at kidspace@massmoca.org.

All workshops will run from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. in Kidspace.

The Kidspace gallery will be open for regular public hours (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) with art making every day of December break (12/22/11 through 1/2/12) except on Christmas Day (12/25).