Art Start Class at the New Britain Museum of American Art

PLEASE NOTE: This post was originally written in 2014. While it should still give you a great idea of the overall experience, it is also possible that some information may be outdated. We encourage you to check out the New Britain Museum of American Art’s website for the most up to date information, especially for details like hours, class offerings and schedules, and pricing. If you notice something in this post that needs to be updated, please feel free to leave a comment with the updated information, or email us at outandaboutmom@gmail.com and we will be happy to make the updates. Hey, it takes a village, right? 🙂

PLEASE NOTE: NBMAA has recently undergone a renovation that has dramatically changed the building, including areas that we mention in this post like the art studio and the ArtLab. For a sneak peek at the newly renovated ArtLab, you can check out our original NBMAA post here.

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2014 Post

Cut to the chase. Take me to the Momsense.

Thanks to the New Britain Museum of American Art for providing our families with complimentary admission to the Art Start class. All opinions expressed are my own.

Last year, I made my first visit to the New Britain Museum of American Art during the run of their Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are) exhibit. Because I wasn’t sure how well my 3-year-old and newborn would do at a *real* museum, I decided to take advantage of the FREE admission on Saturday mornings.

At the time, I didn’t even know that there was such a wonderful, world-class museum just down the road in New Britain, CT. That was a pleasant surprise indeed! But what surprised me even more was how family-friendly this fine art museum is. In addition to all the family-friendly features we found on our first visit, we discovered that the Museum also offers a series of drop-in classes for pre-schoolers (and also for older kids). The preschooler program, called “Art Start,” meets on Saturday mornings at 11:00 a.m. from September to June (and then on Tuesday afternoons at 1:00 for July & August). And just a few weeks ago, Mandy and I were lucky enough to be invited to attend this class with the senior members of the OAAM crew (a.k.a. Boo, Bruiser, & Sparkles).

First let me say that anytime that Mandy and I get to do an outing together these days, it is extra special. When we started this blog with just 2 non-walking babies and a wobbly toddler, we had a pretty easy time going places just the two of us and our kids. But as the crew grew in numbers and mobility, it became almost impossible for us to take on 5 kiddos and a camera on our own. Fortunately, we have some very supportive husbands whom we drag along with us invite to come along for some quality family time, probably more often than they would like 🙂 But the reality is, when we have to coordinate the schedules of 4 adults and 5 children, it’s not often that the stars all align like they did for this adventure. So you’ll have to forgive me if I get a little nostalgic on this one.

The class start time was 11:00 a.m., and of course I was running about five minutes late. The hope was that the little guy would fall alseep on the 20-25 minute drive over there from my town of Glastonbury, then hubby would hang out in the car with him until he finished his little nap while Boo and I scoped out the Art Start class. (Don’t feel bad for hubby; he was totally happy to have some quiet time with his smart phone 🙂 ). The plan mostly worked. Fortunately, Mandy was there on time with her crew, so she could let them know we were on our way. You can find most of the logistical details about the museum in my previous post, but I’ll include a few pertinent pictures here too.

Parking area:

Walkway to front entrance (totally stroller accessible):

Boo mimicking the statues out front:

Boo showing off in front of the museum:

Oh, wait. Those aren’t logistics. My bad. But cute pics, right?

So back to the story. We met up with the rest of the class attendees in the main lobby by the admission desk (there is a $5/child fee, which you can pay when you arrive). When it seemed like everyone coming for the class had gathered, we headed into the galleries for the first part of our Art Start adventure: storytime.

As we would discover, each segment of the Art Start class is tied together by a common theme. Today, Margaret, our teacher, led us over to a painting of flowers, which she encouraged the children to look at.

Then, right there in front of that beautiful painting, we sat down and read a story about a garden. The children seemed captivated. Sparkles, for one, kept trying to inch her way closer to the book 🙂

The storytime lasted about 10-15 minutes, which as anyone with a preschooler knows is just about the length of time you can expect them to sit still and pay attention to anything. Next, a walk back through the galleries and down the stairs (there is an elevator too) to the Art Studio where we would create a themed art project.

Anyone have a guess what we were making today? Flowers, of course! All the materials were set up in the middle of a long table and each kid hopped up onto a stool within easy reach of everything.

After Margaret gave a short demonstration (just look at our attentive little angels–isn’t that a rare moment!), it was off to the races.

The kids had a blast stringing pieces of tissue paper and beads onto pipe cleaners (not to mention what a great age-appropriate activity that is for developing fine motor skills).

We needed to help a little, but they got most of it on their own.

Ta-da!

Okay, forgive me while I get a little teary here. Can I just show you this picture from one of our very first OAAM outings. Yup. Sniff, sniff. Those are our babies. Where did the time go?!

Alright. Enough with the nostalgia. So once the kids had finished their flowers (and by the way, the adults are welcome to participate too), we headed back upstairs to the Art Lab for a little unstructured play time.

The Art Lab is open anytime the Museum is open, and you can feel free to go on in and play/create with any of the materials there. From dress up clothes to a reading nook to a computer station to an art table, drawing easel and more, this room is filled with fun ways for your little one to explore his or her creative side.

Before we finished up our museum excursion, we decided to bring all the kids (and the husbands) to the upstairs gallery (BTW-the class fee does include museum admission for adult chaperones, so after class families are welcome to tour the galleries together at no additional charge) to see the current James Prosek: Wondrous Strange exhibit (which ends this weekend on June 8th so hurry to see it now!). It is filled with animal representations that we thought the kids might enjoy looking at. But more importantly, we wanted to make sure you all know that it is totally fine to bring your little ones–strollers and all–into the various galleries. In fact, it is encouraged!

Even though this particular exhibit is coming to an end, there is always something new and interesting going on here. For example, here’s the new overhead installation above the staircase. That’s pretty awe-inducing.

I think almost any exhibit could be fun for little kids to browse (you know, just be realistic about their attention span; probably 10-15 minutes in each gallery is all they’ll be able to handle). Think about it. Kids love to look at things. Pictures in books, signs on the road, images on your smart phone. Why not art?

At this point, Team Mandy and Team Shawna parted ways, thinking we wouldn’t be seeing each other again that day. Well, turns out we both ended up in the Museum’s cafe a few minutes later! Great minds think alike, right?! 🙂

The cafe is located adjacent to the lobby, in the rear of the building (more details in my original post). We had eaten here on our first visit, so I already knew it was delicious. They have a variety of soups, salads and sandwiches plus a kids’ menu too (hot dog, grilled cheese, PB & J).

But on this glorious day, our favorite thing on the menu was the lovely outdoor patio (BTW, there should be umbrellas there now; the day we were there they had just started using the outdoor patio and the umbrellas were not set up yet).

The atmosphere was completely relaxed. The kids got to run around a bit and blow off some steam (after all that studious attention to art 🙂 ), and we adults actually got to chat for a bit without tiny voices interjecting every two minutes.

After lunch, Mandy and her crew headed down to the gorgeous park just beyond the museum building for a little more frolicking in the sunshine (seriously, it was an unbelievably gorgeous day).

But this time we really needed to head back to our car and get going–time for the little guy to have another motor vehicle-induced naptime. Although, he didn’t look too sleepy, did he?

Fine art. Fun crafts. Delicious food. And good friends. I can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning 🙂

Have you been to the New Britain Museum of American Art with your little ones? Tell us about it in the comments section below.

Thanks to the New Britain Museum of American Art for providing our families with complimentary admission to the Art Start class. All opinions expressed are my own.

 

 

 

 

New Britain Museum of American Art (NBMAA)

56 Lexington Street, New Britain, Connecticut

Phone: 860.229.0257
Email: nbmaa@nbmaa.org

Hours:

• Art Start Class meets Saturday mornings from 11:00 to 11:45 in September through June, and Tuesday afternoons from 1:00-1:45 in July and August. (For 2014, the Tuesday sessions will meet July 8th – August 26th). See my original post for Museum hours.

Pricing:

• Art Start Class is $3/child for members and $5/child for non-members (price will go up to $5/child for members and $7/child for non-members starting in July). There’s no additional charge for chaperones attending the class, and museum admission is included in the class fee! So feel free to stay and browse afterwards. See my original post for Museum admission pricing.

Details:

• Stroller Friendly: YES. Ramps, elevators, and wide open spaces make this museum very easy to navigate with a stroller. There is even an elevator that goes right down into the Art Studio.
• Coffee Mug Friendly: YES and NO. Beverages are not allowed in the galleries (no surprise there), but closed containers (like a travel mug) are allowed in the Art Studio and the Art Lab.  If you bring your own beverage and are attending Art Start with your child, you can simply leave the beverage in one of the coatroom cubbies while the class visits the galleries, and then retrieve it on your way back down to the Studio. The Cafe also serves coffee, which you can get in a to-go cup that can be brought into the Art Lab or the Art Studio as well. Lots of options for you as we know how all us moms LOVE our coffee in the morning…and sometimes in the afternoon too 🙂
• Baby Changing Station:  YES.  A baby changing station is located in the family restroom that is at the end of the coat room on the righthand side, and also in the upstairs family bathroom next to the elevator.
• Restrooms:  YES. Men’s and Women’s restrooms plus a family restroom on the first floor in the coat room, and another family restroom upstairs by the elevator. There is also a restroom located in the Art Studio (great for potty training preschoolers!), but it does not have a baby changing station.
• Parking:  FREE parking is available on the side of the building. There is also street parking in front of the museum.
• Food for Sale: YES. The Museum’s cafe has a wonderful selection of menu items plus a kids’ menu. In the warmer months you can enjoy the outdoor patio.
• Outside Food Allowed: YES, so long as it is only consumed in the outdoor areas of the museum or on the grounds but NOT on the cafe patio. Cafe seating, both indoors and outdoors, is reserved for cafe customers (i.e. people ordering food). However, you can certainly bring in food or snack items for your little ones who need it (bottles, baby food, items for those too young for the kids’ menu, allergies, etc.) if you are ordering food for yourself. If needed, you can also feel free to give your kids snacks, etc. in any of the non-gallery areas of the museum: the lobby, the Art Lab, & the Art Studio.
• Cash Required: NO. Credit cards accepted for the class fee, museum admission, and in the cafe.
• Dress Code: NO.
• Evening/Weekend Hours: YES. The Museum is open Thursdays until 8:00 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday. For the months of September to June, the Art Start class meets on Saturday mornings.

Tips & Things to Bring:

• Art Start is designed for preschool age children. Although there does not seem to be a specific minimum age requirement, I would say age 2 and up based on my own personal experience. Obviously, children develop at different rates so use your own judgment when it comes to your own child.
• This is a drop-in class. No registration required.
• This is NOT a drop-off class. Parents/caregivers must remain with their children.
• The class is scheduled to last 45 minutes, but the second half of the class is the art project so your child can take as much time or as little time as he or she needs to complete it. It took our kids about 15 minutes. After that, they were ready to move on. Sounds about right for 3-year-olds 🙂
• Each class is a totally new experience with a different theme and project! Sometimes they are even themed with the Museum’s current exhibits.
• Don’t worry if your little one likes to wander; it’s okay for them to move around a little during class. No one will mind.
• It’s also fine to bring a younger, stroller-bound sibling to the class while your preschooler participates.
• This class fee includes adult admission to the museum! So be sure to stay awhile and browse the galleries with your little one after class.
• Find out more about all their children’s programs here.
• Check out their BRAND NEW Museum & Me: Playdates with Art program for ages newborn to 2 years.
• Don’t forget that museum admission is FREE on Saturday mornings from 10:00-12:00!

 

• 4D Vision Gym – A vision training center located in Cromwell, CT where Dr. Juanita Collier,MS, OD and her staff show members how to utilize Vision Therapy to correct visual issues and make learning and playing easier and more fun.
• The Independent Day School – Located on a rural campus in Middlefield, CT this private pre-school, elementary and middle school serves families from over 20 communities.

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