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Children/Family Program

School Vacation Week Art Camp
Kids ages 5 to 8 years old are invited to join art instructor Trelawney O’Brien and other creative kids this winter school break at the Farnsworth’s Gamble Education Center. Create your own crazy worlds out of string in the studio, look at cool maps and learn about other cultures by recreating traditional face painting and making Mexican “sun faces” out of clay, go outside and hang handmade birdfeeders, build snow sculptures and make awesome t-shirts to wear to school. We will inspire and learn from each other while also making cool art projects to take home!
 
Celebrate Valentine's Day
Families are invited to come make special Valentines Day cards for their special someones.
 
  • Use lots of great art supplies--colorful papers, doilies, tissue papers, markers, glue, glitter, etc.
  • Have a Polaroid photo taken of you inside a heart to present along with your lovely Valentine.  
     
  • Enjoy some sweet treats, such as hot cocoa and heart shaped sugar cookies. 
Recommended for ages 4 to 9.
 
This program is free of charge. No advance reservations necessary.
Fall Family Festival
Come to the Farnsworth and join in the Halloween spirit!

Schedule of events from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.:
  • Decorate your own trick-or-treat bag
  • Enjoy face painting
  • The film It's the Great Pumkin Charlie Brown will run in the museum auditorium throughout the day beginning at 10 a.m.
Shadow Box Workshop Presented by Penobscot Marine Museum
The Farnsworth is collaborating with the Penobscot Marine Museum to present a shadow box workshop. A shadow box can tell a story, honor a person or event, focus on a theme, or can be an assemblage of related or unrelated objects. In this workshop, participants will create a unique, self-contained diorama within a box, using a wide variety of techniques and materials including collage, assemblage, sculpture, painting, lettering, and more. A collection of objects and materials will be provided. Participants may also bring special objects and materials of their own to incorporate into their shadow boxes. Each participant will choose whether to bring an empty shadow box or use a provided 12” x 12”x ¾” black framed style.
 
Art for Creative Kids with Kristine Biegel
This weeklong workshop will provide kids ages 8 to 12 years old with a strong foundation of artistic skills including color understanding, line variety, and what makes a strong composition. There will be many creative opportunities for participants to share their unique stories and ideas. Weather permitting the group will work outside and make visits to the Farnsworth museum and local gallery shows. Students should come with a bagged lunch. Each session will end with a positive critique of the day’s work, which parents are invited to attend.
 
Artscapes for Young Artists: Creating the Magic of Place
Through a study of color, form, and space, young artists will transform a variety of media into unique artscapes. Venturing into the museum for discovery trips, participants will find inspiration from artists such as sculptor Louise Nevelson, photographer Paul Caponigro, and painter Andrew Wyeth. Through guided inquiry, children will explore how these artists create their places of imagination and carry the magic of these discoveries into the studio to transform materials into their own worlds of imagination. A healthy snack will be provided, and kids should also plan on bringing a lunch along with their creativity. Instructor Kathleen Gass studied drawing and fiber arts at the State University of New York and has been an art educator for the past 20 years.
Location: Gamble Education Center
Beginning Printmaking for Young Artists
In this one-day workshop, kids ages 5 to 7 years old are invited to come with their parents to learn simple printmaking processes. Using safe and easy to handle materials, kids will get to experiment with basic stamping, creating drypoints on soft plates, and building up surfaces with hand cut forms for relief printing. Participants will get to leave with a small portfolio of their original artwork. The workshop will be led by Kelly Finlay, Education Coordinator at the Farnsworth.
 
Location: Gamble Education Center
Level: ages 5 to 7 years
Class size: limited to 10 students
Cost: $10 members, $12 nonmembers
  
Figures of Speech Theatre Presents Cupid and Psyche at The Strand Theatre
On Saturday, April 16, at 2 p.m., the Farnsworth invites you to see a free puppetry performance live at The Strand Theatre exploring the themes of love and trust, and the struggle to grow and change. Like an invisible thread connecting us with the people of ancient Greece, the story of Cupid and Psyche celebrates the human spirit in the best kind of tale: a love story with a happy ending.
 
Family Festival at the Farnsworth

During school vacation week this February, families are invited to three afternoons of fun, art-related activities and exciting performances. The festival will include engaging in-gallery activities and hands-on art-making, followed by a live music, dance, and puppetry performances.

Wednesday, February 23
Enjoy an exploration of movement and inspiration! After looking at works of art, make three-dimensional sculptures with your body, then make a piece of sculpture to take home. Experience contemporary dance with Katie Thompson from the Rockport Dance Conservatory.

Live Music for Share the Wonder: 14 Strings Jazz Trio

Join us in the museum library as the 14 Strings Jazz Trio performs jazz standards. The 14 Strings Jazz Trio is:

Jon Luoma - Viola
Jon an artist and illustrator, studied jazz composition at University of Maine Augusta. He has also played in the UMA Tour Band directed by Steve Grover .

Harry Richter - Guitar
Harry makes and repairs violins at his shop, Somerset Violins, in Waterville. Jon plays a viola made by Harry. Harry also studied jazz guitar at the University of Maine in Augusta, UMA .