The Phoenix Art Museum is offering free admission to kids — ages 17 and younger — from Sunday, July 1, through Sunday, Sept. 30. The PhxArt Open for Kids program was made possible by a grant from the Steele Foundation and offers free youth admission during normal admission hours.
Some of the exhibits kids and families can explore at the museum this summer include:
To Be Thirteen. Centered on those now coming of age in a tumultuous social and political climate, the exhibition chronicles the lives of 250 13-year olds across the country through photography and video. It explores the similarities that every young person experiences as they transition to adolescence. Hands-on activity: Guests can write a letter to their 13-year-old selves. See it through Oct. 14.
In the Company of Women. On the heels of the #MeToo movement and conversations about gender inequality, this exhibit features nearly 50 artworks from the Phoenix Art Museum’s holdings by women artists including Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keeffe, Faith Ringgold, Erica Deeman, Daniela Rossell, Cindy Sherman, Marguerite Zorach, and many others in an array of styles and media. See it Saturday, July 7 through Sunday, Aug. 12.
Moonage Virtual Reality. Swap those video games for this cutting-edge, virtual-reality exhibition, showcasing a suite of films celebrating the music, fashion and style of three legendary figures: pop artist Andy Warhol, glam-rocker David Bowie and Kenny Scharf, whose psychedelic art influenced the ’80s underground New York art scene. Using an ordinary smartphone inserted into a virtual-reality headset, guests will be able to explore the simulated environments simply by moving their heads. See it Saturday, Aug. 11 through Sunday, Sept. 30.
Other permanent and current exhibits kids will enjoy include:
You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies. Yayoi Kusama’s piece is a dark room lined with mirrors on every surface and strands of looping LED lighting suspended from the ceiling. Kids of all ages love exploring this space — and finding their way out of it.
Black Cloud. Inspired by the annual migration of monarch butterflies from Canada to Mexico, Carlos Amorales’s installation of 25,000 black paper moths and butterflies of 30 different species seem to hover in mid-air. See it as you enter the museum from the main entrance. It’s on display through Sunday, Nov. 4.
The Phoenix Art Museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Independence Day, Wednesday, July 4.
The museum is closed on Mondays and open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays (admission is free for all from 3-9 p.m.) and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. 1625 N. Central Ave. 602-257-1880 or phxart.org
https://www.raisingarizonakids.com/summer/
