If you’ve visited Wade Oval in recent weeks, you may have noticed the large white tent that took up residence next to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in late April. This is the Cleveland Museum of Art’s parade workshop tent, an annual fixture that serves as a home base for guest artists, community groups, and families and individuals participating in Parade the Circle.
Maya Meets Mommy’s Latest Assignment
Excited to showcase the great Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn to my four year old, Maya, I decided to bring home the catalog for the exhibition. For Maya, flipping through exhibition catalogs is as commonplace as reading an Eric Carle book. We sat down one the bed, and I said, “Tell me what you think.”
Spring is in the air, and that means it’s time for another Museum Ambassadors Community Day this Sunday! At the end of each spring semester, our high school Museum Ambassadors present student-led tours, scavenger hunts, and studio activities summarizing their experiences at the Cleveland Museum of Art over the past year. While the public only gets to see the culminating event of the program, a lot of work goes into this one day.
Every spring, Sawsan Alhaddad looks forward to the Cleveland Museum of Art's Parade the Circle. She has participated in the event for more than 20 years. She started to participate when her daughter Sarah was six years old and it’s been an annual tradition for them since. They only missed last year because of Sarah’s wedding.
"For us, it always meant that summer has started. The Parade was the first thing she did when school was out. She gained confidence by participating in the Parade each year. We have a lot of great memories."
When the snowy days approach and inclement weather beckons for indoor activities, consider bringing the family to visit our permanent collection. Go on a hunt through our galleries for paintings that have snow. Each painting can spark fun discussion about the content and context of the work. For older children, the discussion could evolve into a research project about the artist.
It’s never too early to gain experience in a field of interest, especially as a high school student. For Aaron, Jake, Patrick, and Leah, tenth grade students at Trinity High School, they are getting a head start on their careers by interning in the museum’s curatorial department every Thursday for the entire school year.
Don’t miss our Members Appreciation Weekend on Saturday, December 3 and Sunday, December 4.
As our thermostats drop and the end of daylight savings time approaches, the festive colors and sounds and the jubilant community atmosphere of June’s Parade the Circle may seem like distant memories.
The Cleveland Museum of Art loves children. Listen here for the sounds of children enjoying our art classes.
By Seema Rao
Museum Educator
The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art may not seem to have too much lure to someone who can’t read English poetry, let alone Japanese. However, the exhibition can hold quite a draw to the under 5 set. Below is a tour of the exhibition by Maya, a 4-year-old visitor who chose a few of her favorite works.
“My name is Maya. I like to do stuff at school and home like painting. Here are some things here that I like.”
