Family Art JAMs

Family Art JAMs combine age-appropriate tours and hands-on art projects carefully planned to make the Museum’s exhibitions accessible to young children. The introduction of new materials and techniques challenges children to think in new ways, and interactive tours help them develop the confidence to talk about art. By asking parents to serve as assistants, models, and collaborators in their children’s projects, Family Art JAMs create an enriching experience for the whole family. Reservations are required; drop-ins are permitted only if space is available. Call 434.243.2050 or email.

All Family Art JAMs are divided into the following sections:

1–3 pm: 5–7 year olds and their grownups
3–5 pm: 8–12 year olds and their grownups

Fees
Museum members: $10 for one adult and 1-2 children
Non-members: $20 for one adult and 1-2 children
$3 for each additional child or adult

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Schedule

An Eye for Detail:
Jefferson’s Architecture Up Close
Sunday, September 20

Portfolio of children's photographs >

Family Art JAMs combine age-appropriate tours with hands-on art projects carefully planned to make the Museum's exhibitions accessible to young children. After an introduction to the architecture of the Greeks and Romans, and the work of 16th-century Italian architect Andrea Palladio, participants will tour the Museum's exhibition, Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village: The Creation of an Architectural Masterpiece, and get a firsthand look at Jefferson's drawings and plans for the University of Virginia as it took shape in the early 1800s. Following their tour of the exhibition and a lesson in the use of simple cameras, children journey to the Lawn to document their observations on a treasure hunt for architectural details in Jefferson's Academical Village.

Tell-Tale Bones:
Scary Stories & Sketching Skeletons
Sunday, October 25

Fright for the whole family! Celebrate Halloween by listening to excerpts from stories by Edward Gorey and Edgar Allan Poe, learning about positive and negative space, and drawing from the human skeleton.

Bird's Eye View:
Design Your Own Academical Village
Sunday, November 22

Local architect and builder Dan Zimmerman of Alloy Workshop uses the museum's exhibition, Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village: The Creation of an Architectural Masterpiece, to help children understand the design process. After exploring the concepts of space, function, and scale used in the Academical Village; the children will create an academical village of their own design using boxes, blocks, and props.

Animal Statuary from the Collection
Sunday, January 24

Lions and tigers and bears? Maybe not. We compare several sculptures of domesticated animals from the Museum’s Cypriot and Pre-Columbian collections, and use Virginia clay to fashion animals of our own.

Ritual and Tradition:
Understanding Chinese Sculpture
Sunday, February 21

Participants view the Treasures Rediscovered exhibition, learn about the gestures of Buddha and the role of these objects in Chinese culture, and then create their own carved sculptures from synthetic stone.

Fourth Annual Flower Creations
Sunday, April 18

Children will explore the line, shape, color, and movement in artworks, and use fresh flowers to create a floral interpretation of their own.

African Masks
Sunday, May 16

Children look at several African masks from the Museum’s collection, and talk about the materials and processes used to make them, as well as the ritual and meaning behind the masks. We then use sculpting wax, shells, beads, and raffia to create our own stylized masks.

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Artwork by young artists

These images were made by young artists participating in the March 29 Family Art JAM, Printmaking and Lines: Exploring the Matisse, Picasso, and Modern Art in Paris Exhibition.

Georgia by Luka, age 8

Hannah by Jane, age 6

Jane by Maya, age 5