smART Family Weekends

smART Family Weekends are:

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 6–12
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 5–10
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 5–12
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.

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