Museums are for Everyone: Experience the Arts with your Family at the Hilliard University Art Museum’s Play Day Events

Disclosure :: This post is sponsored by our friends, the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum.

Museums are for Everyone: Experience the Arts with your Family at the Hilliard University Art Museum’s Play Day Events

Museums can be intimidating places. The modern building, the priceless art; I get it.

I have worked at the Hilliard University Art Museum for the past three years, and the most common phrase I hear from my
friends with kids is “I just don’t know if my family and I could relax in there.” A common misconception about the Hilliard Museum is that it is just for people who know about art, can stand and quietly observe a piece for hours, and are used to “museum living”.

If you feel like you want to come to the Hilliard Museum, but in the back of your head you worry it might be too “fancy” for you and your family, we are here to help.

There are so many ways for everyone to experience the arts at the Hilliard, but if you too are feeling a little intimidated, one of the best ways to get involved with the museum is by bringing your family to Play Day. The Hilliard’s Play Day events happen three times a year, and are a free and easy way to ease yourself into “museum living”. Our education staff develops activities that are specifically geared toward art lovers of all ages, and families are encourages to play, run, draw and even sing in the gallery spaces. During the last Play Day, there was a glow-in-the-dark-dance party, complete with awesome DJ, and the chance for families to create their own animated short films.

Play Day is about fun, learning about art, being in the museum in a new way, and bringing your family together.

No pressure, no looking at one piece of art for hours (unless that’s your thing), and absolutely no worries about being quiet. Whether you know a lot about art, or you have never been to the museum before, the Hilliard Museum staff can help guide you and your family through hands-on art activities and gallery games that will have you feeling like a museum regular in no time.

The Hilliard’s next Play Day event, taking place on Saturday, July 20^th from 10am to 2pm is called Play Day: Sketch, Scribble, Doodle!

The summer season of exhibitions is filled with sculpture, animation, installation and plenty of illustration. On view at the museum will be Gisela Colon: Pods; Kota Ezawa: Two Views; Paths and Loops: Automatic Drawings by John F. Simon Jr; and Tripping Over Cypress: Recent Work by Cliff Tresner. Local author and illustrator Denise Gallaher will be joining us too, and giving us the inside scoop about what it takes to write, illustrate and publish your own book. Sketchbooks will be available to capture your child’s inspirations and ideas, and dancing in the galleries will be highly encouraged.

You are cordially invited to join our Play Day celebration. We hope to teach you and your family about drawing, illustration, and how making your own art can be extremely rewarding and a whole lot of fun. I encourage you to experience the arts with us, and I hope to see you there!

About the Author

Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Susie moved the warmer climates of sunny Lafayette 6 years ago and she has never looked back. She has degrees in Biology, Medical History and Graphic Design, and when she’s not busy working as the Manager for Marketing and Design at the Hilliard University Art Museum, she can be found tandem biking with her husband, listening to podcasts, and reading the latest Stephen King book. Susie is not a mom, but instead lives her best life as auntie to two darling nephews.

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