
smART Family Weekends
smART Family Weekends are:
- Free Second Saturday Family Programs
- Second Sunday Family Workshops
- Fun for the whole family!
smART Family Second Saturday Programs:
- On the Second Saturday of each month, the Art Center invites children along with an adult companion to learn more about art through a variety of cool activities.
- Please join us for a family activity that begins in the lobby at 10:15am and ends at 11:15am. All sessions are FREE.
- Advanced registration is required for each Second Saturday program. Please contact Jennifer Cooley at 515.271.0328 or jcooley@desmoinesartcenter.org.
- Each session has a limited number of participants (which includes children and adults) and places are secured by advanced reservation only.
Second Saturday Schedule
Saturday, April 12 Celebrate Art
- Best for ages 612
- Limited to 20 people advanced registration is required
- This year the Art Center celebrates its 60th anniversary! Become a treasure hunter to help us celebrate our art. Discover art from different time periods with interesting details made by exceptional artists. Every participant will receive a gift for helping us celebrate!
Saturday, May 10 Spring Flowers
- Best for ages 510
- Limited to 15 people advanced registration is required
- As a group, see and discuss how different artists represent flowers in their artwork. Then create flowers of your own using simple paper folding and cutting techniques.
Saturday, June 14 Get to Know: Andy Goldsworthy
- Best for ages 512
- Limited to 20 people advanced registration is required
- Get up close and personal with Andy Goldsworthy’s outdoor sculpture, Three Cairns (weather permitting). Then learn more about this artist by watching a part of the documentary about his work, Rivers and Tides.
smART Family Second Sunday Programs:
- On the Second Sunday of each month, the Art Center offers a family workshop that is designed for parents and children ages 5 and older.
- Please plan for each adult to work with no more than two children.
- Advanced registration is required for each Second Sunday program, call 515.271.0306 to register.
- Participants must prepay by the Friday prior to the workshop.
- All materials are furnished except where noted.
Second Sunday Schedule
Sunday, April 13 Produce Pretty Paper
- Limit 20 family groups advanced registration is required
- $5 per person ($4 members)
- Celebrate Earth Day by using recycled materials to make ecologically friendly paper. Add leaves, twigs, flowers and other natural objects found in Greenwood Park.
Sunday, May 4 Pomme de Terre-iffic!
- Limit 20 family groups advanced registration is required
- $5 per person ($4 members)
- Be inspired by the French artist Henri Matisse’s simple shapes to create enchanting animals or imaginative images. Use a pomme de terre, French for potato, to carve shapes for printing. Bring in a pre-washed article of cotton clothing suitable for printing.
Sunday, June 8 The Wonders of Watercolor
- Limit 20 family groups advanced registration is required
- $5 per person ($4 members)
- Explore a variety of techniques unique to the medium of watercolor. Use salt resist, masking, and other tricks to unlock the magic of this fascinating medium. Make a collage of an imaginary animal with the papers you paint.
Please click here for a complete smART Family Second Sunday schedule:
smART Family Second Sunday Schedule