Minneapolis, April 27, 2012—The Walker Art Center’s Raising Creative Kids programs in May and June include the Free First Saturday family events Made You Look (Saturday, May 5, 10 am – 3 pm), featuring the short film Second Hand, and Open Laboratory (Saturday June 2, 10 am – 3 pm) with
special guest artist Ruben Nusz. Also in May and June, the Walker presents Arty Pants: Your Tuesday Playdate, the popular program designed to nurture creativity and engage a child’s mind. Arty Pants programs are presented on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month and feature art projects, films, gallery activities, and story readings.

A complete listing of Raising Creative Kids programs in May and June follows.

Free First Saturdays Are for Families

Activities are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis from 10 am–3 pm. Gallery admission is free from 10 am–5 pm on Free First Saturday.

Families can enjoy live performances, films, gallery adventures, and hands-on art-making from 10 am–3 pm. Activities recommended for ages 6–12.

May Free First Saturday

Made You Look

Saturday, May 5, 10am,-3pm

Not everything is always what it seems. Explore the idea of reality vs. fiction inspired by the exhibition Lifelike with gallery activities and hands-on artmaking.

Film: Second Hand by Isaac King

U. S. Bank Orientation Lounge, 10 am–3 pm

Two neighbors have extremely different lifestyles and through a series of mishaps they discover there is a way to coexist in peace.

Gallery Activities

Target and Friedman Galleries, 11 am–1:30pm

Families can experience the exhibition Lifelike through mini tours, scavenger hunts, and props.

Art-Making Activity: Diamonds in the Rough

Art Lab, 10am-3pm

Explore the many forms of carbon in this transformative art-making activity led by artist Ruben Nusz. Organized in conjunction with the exhibition Lifelike, the project examines the fictitious notion that diamonds come from coal. Starting with a silicone mold, cast a wax object and then paint and decorate its surface to transform it into a realistic lump of coal or a luxurious diamond.

Originally from South Dakota, Minnesota artist Nusz was raised by cowboys and later graduated summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota. In 2003 he directed a feature-length documentary that toured the festival circuit. He has exhibited mixed media works at the Minnesota
Museum of American Art, Rochester Art Center, Rosalux Gallery, Umber Studios and the Hopkins Center for the Arts. His work is featured in the permanent collection of the Minnesota Museum of American Art. He’s also a regular contributing writer to mnartists.org. Nusz is co-founder/editor of Location Books & Editions.

June Free First Saturday

Open Laboratory

Saturday, June 2, 10 am – 3 pm

Walker Open Field

Families join artist David Hamlow, specialists from the Science Museum of Minnesota, and other partners to learn about bugs, plants, and art through hands-on activities and creative play. Guest curator Abigail Anderson builds a day that investigates the act of observation.

Open Phenology

Garden Tour and Workshop

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, 11 am-2 pm

Walker staff member Abigail Anderson, the Open Field Phenologist-in-Residence, leads this workshop. Throughout the summer, she will be exploring Open Field and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden through the lens of phenology. Phenology refers to recurring life cycle stages, such as leafing and flowering, emergence of insects, and migration of birds.

Workshop: Close Encounters

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, 10am-3pm

Use microscopes to examine, observe, and document living plants and creatures outside of the Walker with Science Museum of Minnesota. Look for different shapes that exist in nature ovals, cubes, hexagon and dodecahedrons!

Art-Making Activity: Geodesic Domes

Open Field, 10am-3pm

Join David Hamlow in making geodesic domes out of post-consumer packaging.

Film: Mondo’s Search for the Sun

US Bank Orientation Rock, 10 am- 3 pm

Follow Mondo on adventure on his flying machine through surreal worlds and wonders to find the sun and restore his garden to its once beautiful state. Directed by Jana Prchalova.

Arty Pants: Your Tuesday Playdate

Tuesdays, May 8 and 22; June 12 and 26, 11 am–1 pm

For kids ages 3–5 and adults

Free with gallery admission; Walker members and kids ages 12 and under
are always free

What do hip kids and their (possibly) cooler parents do to spark creativity? Attend Arty Pants: Your Tuesday Playdate, featuring activities for adults and youngsters ages 3–5. Join us each month on the second and fourth Tuesdays for art projects, films, gallery activities, and story time. Meet other families for a treat at the Garden Café.

Arty Pants in May and June: Poetic Nonsense

Come for sing-alongs, games, art-making, and a film that celebrates the topsy turvey world of art. Special guest Steve Sanders, creator Snapdragon Seed, will create songs about your kid’s favorite work of art.

Art-making Activities

Star Tribune Art Lab

Join us each week for a new and exciting way to explore the nonsense nature of art.

May 8: Curious Company

May 22: Printing Play

June 12: Silly Strings

June 26: Grass Green; Raspberry Red

WAC Packs for the Galleries

Enhance your artistic escapade with these hands-on activity packs. Games, story-telling, and art-making will enliven artworks for the whole family.