Frank Stella Family Day
Nov 16, 2015
Families play with a mega-sized marble run designed by McKendree Key, November 2015. Photograph by Filip Wolak
On Saturday, November 7, the Whitney welcomed more than 1,100 kids and adults to a special Family Day, planned in conjunction with the exhibition Frank Stella: A Retrospective. The centerpiece of the program was a mega-sized marble run, designed by Brooklyn-based artist McKendree Key and inspired by the movement, forms, and colors in Frank Stella’s work. Education staff, schools, teachers, and community organizations worked with Key to build sections of the installation.
Kids play with the marble run at the Whitney’s Frank Stella Family Day, November 2015. Photograph by Filip Wolak
For Key, Stella's work often seems like a journey for the eye, and the marble run echoed this concept. Families were invited to interact, play, and experiment with the marble run, creating a physical experience related to Stella's paintings.
A Whitney Educator leads a Frank Stella Highlight Tour, November 2015. Photograph by Filip Wolak
In the galleries, families joined Whitney educators for introductory tours that highlighted some of the most kid-friendly works in the exhibition. Families could also pick up a Frank Stella Kids Activity Guide and a free multimedia guide to explore the exhibition on their own.
Families experiment with printmaking, November 2015. Photograph by Filip Wolak
In the Laurie M. Tisch Education Center, families participated in Print It!, a printmaking workshop inspired by Frank Stella’s large-scale artwork The Fountain (1992), on view in the exhibition. This work was made using many different styles of printmaking that come together in a complicated composition of shapes and colors.
McKendree Key works with kids on the marble run, November 2015. Photograph by Filip Wolak
Billie Rae Vinson, Coordinator of Family Programs reflected on the event: “The most special thing about this Frank Stella Family Day was the families’ spirit of play and creativity that I saw throughout the Museum. In particular, everybody was working together to activate parts of the marble run, creating intricate systems of experimentation and collaboration. McKendree Key interacted with parents and their kids throughout the day, bringing the installation to life.”
Check out our full lineup of tours, art-making workshops, and artist-led programs for families.
By Dina Helal, Manager of Education Resources