Imagine Nation Revisited: The NEW Artists Circle Series

Cut to the chase. Take me to the Momsense.

This post has been sponsored by Imagine Nation, A Museum Early Learning Center. All opinions expressed by this blogger are 100% her own.

As parents, I feel like we are afforded a unique perspective on the passage of time. Somehow days can feel like years and years can feel like seconds, right? That strange sensation of time being turned inside out washed over me just recently when my little clan returned to Imagine Nation in Bristol to experience their inaugural Artists Circle Series in the museum’s art studio.

“We were just here yesterday! I’m sure not a lot has changed,” I mused. First of all, apparently “yesterday” and “one and a half years ago” are now the same in my mind and secondly, a lot has changed. Bug is now almost 5, with the addition of Bean a little over a year ago we are now a family of four, and Imagine Nation has grown too! Though we had returned specifically for the Artists Circle, I’m so glad we had a chance to visit the newly renovated Science & Energy Studio.

Exterior photo of the museum from our previous trip in March 2017. Don’t worry, Bristol hasn’t received any September snow…that I know of.

The stunning augmented-reality sandbox in the recently renovated Science & Energy Studio.

We loved the museum the last time we visited, but the recent upgrades to the Science & Energy Studio are certainly impressive; the augmented-reality sandbox pictured chief among them, in my opinion. The kids obviously loved it and, I’ll admit it, even I was mesmerized by the way the projected ocean landscape image, complete with animated sea creatures, would change as we pushed the fine, soft mounds of sand around. Digging pits yielded deep “underwater” trenches and building big piles created islands. What an incredible sensory experience! The interactive image changes hourly, so you could play for a while in the sand, go visit another studio, and come back to investigate something new.

Bug and Bean experimenting in the sandbox.

I was glad we had arrived for the Artists Circle a little early because I can imagine it would have been difficult getting Bug to blow by this obviously cool studio and head straight upstairs. And Bean really enjoyed himself too!

“Look, Ma! Glowing hands!”

But because we did arrive early and we did have time to be leisurely and enjoy ourselves, I didn’t get a fight when it came time to move on to the true reason for our visit: the Artists Circle!

Zooming up the stairs to the Art Studio.

The Artists Circle Series is held in the Art Studio on the second floor at 1:30 pm (just about) every day that the museum is open (Wednesday-Saturday through December, but check their calendar for exceptions – they are open outside of their usual schedule for some school holidays!).

Imagine Nation has offered a variety of daily workshops at 10:30, 11:30, and 1:30 in the past, but this is the first time an art series is being offered over an extended period of time during the 1:30 time slot. All are free with admission. Just drop-in! No need to register ahead of time. (Be sure to check out all the current offerings in their fall 2018 newsletter.)

This series will include six different Artists Circle workshops offered over the next few months, each focusing on a different artist (like Matisse, Van Gogh, Picasso) and highlighting aspects of their work. As a bonus, if you attend at least four different workshops in the series, your child will receive a free canvas and paint brush to create masterpieces with at home!

The workshop that we attended, which runs through October 6, focused on the work of Andy Warhol and Pop Art while talking about the color wheel, complementary color, and the beauty of everyday objects.

Sounds like heady stuff, but it really is very accessible! The staff at Imagine Nation has done a wonderful job developing a curriculum that combines easy-to-digest tidbits about important artists and art concepts alongside a hands-on project that is simple enough for preschool-aged artists but also puts into practice what they just learned about.

As an example, for the Pop Art workshop each child was given a small square canvas divided into four smaller squares. They were then allowed to pick out two different neon colors and were encouraged to find the corresponding complementary colors on the color wheel, as they had just learned. The museum educator then demonstrated how they could paint each square a different color and place a thumbprint of the complementary color in the center of each square.

Voila! We soon had prints fit for Warhol’s Factory.

The workshop lasted about 30 minutes. Afterwards, Bug and Bean were ready to do some more exploring.

While we waited for our artwork to dry, we visited a few of our favorite adjacent studios including the Wildlife Studio…

…and the Design and Engineering Studio…

…and, of course, no visit to Imagine Nation would be complete without stopping by the giant, interactive light-up floor in the Light & Reflection Studio…

They grow up (and multiply) so fast 😉 After a fun-filled afternoon of learning and exploration, we gathered our now-dry print and headed for home.

Bug displaying his art outside the museum entrance.

Though we were there for the express purpose of the Artists Circle and thoroughly enjoyed that experience, I must admit I also enjoyed the quiet satisfaction of knowing that I was right back in the early spring of 2017 when I wrote: “the exhibits are fantastic for a wide range of ages and would be engaging for children both younger and older than my little guy.” Now that I’ve gone back with a child both younger and older than Bug was at the time, I can attest to the fact that Imagine Nation is, indeed, still a joy.

Imagine Nation Museum, A Museum Early Learning Center

1 Pleasant Street, Bristol, Connecticut

Phone: (860) 314-1400

Email: info@imaginenation.org

You can also find them on Facebook, Instagram & YouTube.

Hours (through Dec 2018):

Regular Hours (2018):

Open Wednesday-Saturday 9:30am-5pm
(Closed Sunday-Tuesday)

Holiday Schedule (2018):

OPEN on Columbus Day, Monday, October 8th

OPEN on Election Day, Tuesday, November 6^th

OPEN on Veteran’s Day, Monday, November 12^th

Pricing (2018):

$10.00 per visitor ages 1+

Artist Circle Workshops (and many others) are FREE with admission!

Details:

Stroller Friendly: YES
Coffee Mug Friendly: NO (with the exception of the lobby cafe; food and drinks are not allowed inside the museum exhibit area)
Restroom: YES
Baby Changing Station: YES
Parking: YES
Food for Sale: YES. See the cafe menu here. ***BREAKING NEWS*** 🙂 Starting TODAY, Imagine Nation will be featuring a selection of specialty ice creams from The Big Dipper (made locally in Prospect, CT)!
Outside Food Allowed: YES
Cash Required: NO
Dress Code: Dress for play! The museum is highly interactive and there are a couple of exhibits where kids could potentially get wet or messy.

Age Recommendation: The museum studios are designed for children ages 2-8. The Artists Circle Workshops are designed for children in preschool through kindergarten, though a 6 or 7 year old would certainly be engaged as well.
Evening/Weekend Hours: YES

Birthday Party Venue: YES. More info here.
Discounts: Year Long Family Membership now starts at just $100.00! There are different levels of membership that include a variety of benefits. More info here. You can also check your local library for 50% admission passes, though special events are not included.

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