Whitney Kids Opening
Jun 2, 2015
Kids look at Calder’s Circus (1926-31) by Alexander Calder, May 2015. Photograph by Filip Wolak
On Saturday, May 16, kids and their families celebrated the opening of the Whitney’s new building with a full line-up of activities. The Family Opening was designed to activate spaces where kids and families could come together and enjoy exploring, relaxing, art making, and music. The Circus, a section of the Whitney’s inaugural exhibition, America is Hard to See, provided the original idea for the program. Family educators were interested in introducing the themes of spectacle and performance as represented by artists such as Alexander calder and Reginald Marsh. During the day, families had the opportunity to explore the roles of spectator and performer by participating in the musical theatrics of a circus band, sketching from live models, and creating their own works of art inspired by the New York City skyline.
The Circus Amok Band performing in the Susan and John Hess Family Theater, May 2015. Photograph by Filip Wolak
In the Susan and John Hess Family Theater, the New York City-based circus theater company Circus Amok combined danger, laughter, and music into an interactive performance with kids and families. The band dazzled the audience with their instruments and a stilt walker, and they invited families to participate in a dance contest, sing-alongs, and even a backward-walking march to inaugurate the space!
Kids sketch the models in the Hearst Artspace, May 2015. Photograph by Filip Wolak
In the Hearst Artspace, extravagantly dressed models Fancy Feast and Foxy Squire brought to life the idea of the social spectacle invoked by many works in the collection. They posed as a part of a “See and Be Seen!” life drawing workshop while kids and families sketched them in their colorful costumes, capturing their feathered headdresses and voluminous skirts. The kids jumped at the chance to switch places—the models then sketched them as they dressed up and posed.
Kids pose while others sketch during the “See and Be Seen!” drawing workshop, May 2015. Photograph by Filip Wolak
In the fifth floor outdoor gallery, kids and families were invited to do a “Sit and Sketch” activity based on the painting and sculptural chairs in Mary Heilman: Sunset. Kids were encouraged to look at the shapes and lines of the buildings around them and make their own drawings inspired by the skyline, just as Heilmann drew on imagery of New York—and the Whitney’s new building in particular—to create her site-specific installation.
Kids do a “Sit and Sketch” activity in Mary Heilmann: Sunset, (2015), fifth floor outdoor gallery, May 2015. Photograph by Filip Wolak
Billie Rae Vinson, Coordinator of Family Programs, described the program: “In planning the event I was drawn to the theme of the circus because it represents the coming together of people, and the social spaces of the new Whitney are designed for just that. I was delighted to see parents and their kids at home here—dancing, drawing, listening to music, and engaging with the art in our new indoor and outdoor spaces.”
Learn more about upcoming Family Programs
By Zoe Dobuler, Interpretation Intern