New Family Programs Offered at the Ringling Museum Beginning This Fall
Sarasota, FL – Sept. 12, 2008 – The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art introduces an expanded menu of family-friendly programs designed to offer families an opportunity to explore the Ringling Museum in a fun, interactive and educational manner. The family-friendly programs will be designed around a special exhibition or theme and will change on a quarterly basis. The expanded offering of family-friendly programs will replace the Handz-On program that was previously available on Saturdays and Sundays.
The first family-friendly programs will correspond to the To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum exhibition and will begin on Oct. 18, 2008 and end on Jan. 11, 2009.
“Families and children are a growing audience at the Ringling,” said Ringling Museum’s Executive Director Dr. John Wetenhall. “We are meeting their needs by offering a myriad of ways for them to engage with the special exhibitions and collections that we hope will establish the foundation for a life-long passion and support of arts and culture.”
Included in the new family -friendly programs are new family guides, a new Family Discovery Center and Saturday Family Days.
Daily Offerings
A Family Discovery Center will be set-up in select special exhibition galleries or Museum venue throughout the duration of the special exhibition or quarterly theme. The center will offer families a place to learn in a relaxed setting and will include interactive activities such as games, short videos, and hands-on art-making materials. Families will self-guide themselves through the center and can enter and leave at their own pace.
Complimentary family guides corresponding to select exhibitions or themes will be available daily in the Family Discovery Center
Saturday Family Days
Family Days offers a new way for families to spend their Saturday’s at the Museum. The day will include a Story Time at 10:30 a.m., family-friendly tours of the special exhibition from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and an Activity Cart.
The program will occur at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday mornings, excluding holidays, in the Family Discovery Center located in the special exhibition gallery or select venue. Stories will be chosen based on topics relevant to the special exhibition or theme and will be presented by trained Ringling Museum volunteers and staff.
Docent-led tours of the special exhibition will be available on Saturdays at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. These tours will be interactive and created for a family audience.
Hands-on art-making activities for the entire family will be available in the Family Discovery Center on Saturday’s only. Trained volunteers will be available to assist families.
Participation in Saturday Family Days activities and the Family Discovery Center are included in the price of regular Museum admission. The program is appropriate for children four and up.
For additional information, please visit www.ringling.org or contact Jeanne Perales at 941.359.5700 Ext. 3707.