Events

An Alexandria tradition for almost a quarter-century, Art Safari returns for a day of hands-on activities for kids and families. Dozens of artists lead budding art enthusiasts in exciting and creative projects throughout the building.

Dress to get a little messy. Great for kids ages 5+. Younger children may need some extra help, but will still have a lot of fun!

List of Activities

• Grand Hall – Papier-Mâché Animal – Led by Lisa Schumaier
  Children use simple paper and paste to transform a wire frame into a wild animal. Arrive early to fill in the wireframe. Stay late to see the finished piece.
• Grand Hall – Clay Experience – Led by Tracie Griffith Tso
  Children play and experiment with a piece of wet clay to mold and shape into any form they can imagine. Potters will demonstrate their technique for throwing clay on a pottery wheel.
• Grand Hall – Button Making – Led by Alexandria Library
  Alexandria Library staff help design and create custom buttons.
• Grand Hall – Doodle Party – Led by Abrakadoodle
  Doodle, scribble, sketch, and draw in this creative drawing project.
• Grand Hall – Creative Reusables – Led by UpCycle Creative Reuse Center
  Rethink waste and use recycled materials to create new, wearable art.
• Studio 7 – Group Painting Project – Led by Mina Oka Hanig
  Kids and parents alike paint a large 10’×10’ canvas spread on the studio floor.
• Studio 21 – Gallery Scavenger Hunt – Led by The Art League Gallery
  Find special things within The Art League Gallery’s current exhibitions. Each completed hunt earns a prize.
• Studio 25 – Sumi Black-Ink Painting – Led by Jamaliah Morais
  Learn about this East-Asian artform and experiment with the special black ink, brushes, and rice paper.
• Studio 29 – Fiber Collage – Led by Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery
  Create a dynamic, textural collage using bits of fabric and fiber.
• 2^ndFloor Hall – Easel Stations – Led by Christine Cardellino
  With acrylic paint and paper, children paint anything they can imagine. As the works dry on the balconies, the catwalks burst with color and creativity.
• All 3 floors and Studio 325 – Silk screen printing – Led by Patrick Sargentof Printmakers, Inc. 
  Visit four different inking stations spread across the building to create a full-color silk-screen image. The final station is in Studio 325.
• Studio 326 – Macaroni Rigatoni Necklaces – Led by Sissy Cutchen
  Design, decorate, and string pasta together for an original piece of wearable art.
• Studio 329 – Metallic Leaf Impressions – Led by Nancy Ramsey
  Capture the season’s beauty with leaf rubbings in beautiful metallic colors.
• Third Floor – Scrap City – Led by AIA Northern Virginia
  Turn cereal boxes into houses and cardboard tubes into trees. Work with professional architects to imagine new buildings and add them to the grid of Old Town Alexandria.
• Studio 327 – Drawing on the Past – Led by Alexandria Archaeology Museum
  Artifact illustration is still used by archaeologists to reveal details that otherwise might be missed by a photograph. Visitors will choose a real artifact to measure and illustrate on their lab sheet. Artistic representations of other artifacts will also be on display throughout the museum. There will also be a demo going on for part of the day that shows how dendritic mochaware designs were made on ceramics in the late 18^th and early 19^th century.