As a young child, Josef Albers watched his handyman father paint houses. Josef grew up to become a famous artist, studying color and reducing images to their simplest shapes.
On Saturday, March 31, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum will host its spring Community Day, a free afternoon of all-ages activities, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Events will include tours, performances, art-making and a reading of the children’s book An Eye for Color: The Story of Josef Albers, which depicts a diminutive Albers climbing amongst his signature, multicolored squares.
The reading, which begins at 11:30 a.m., will take place in the museum’s permanent collection gallery, which includes Albers’ Homage to the Square: Aurora, 1951-55.
At 1 p.m., assistant curator Karen Butler will lead a guided walk-through of the exhibition John Stezaker, which features more than 90 collages constructed from classic movie stills, vintage postcards, book illustrations and other found materials. In addition, local artists Maria Ojascastro and Joyce Yarbrough will lead collage and silhouette-making activities.
Other events will include scavenger hunts, button-making and performances by WUSTL a capella group The Stereotypes, at 12:30 p.m., and WU-SLam, the university’s spoken-word poetry group, at 2 p.m.
“Community Day is a chance for everyone in St. Louis to enjoy a day of art, art-making, games, music, snacks and much more,” says Allison Taylor, manager of education programs.
“Building on the success of last fall’s Community Day, we’ve added even more activities for families and children,” Taylor says. “Everything is free and parking is easy on the weekends, so I hope to see lots of people at the museum.”
The Kemper Art Museum is located near the intersection of Skinker and Forsyth boulevards. Lemonade and cookies will be served throughout the day.
Community Day is funded in part by a grant from the Women’s Society of Washington University.
For more information, call (314) 935-4523 or visit kemperartmuseum.wustl.edu.
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum
The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, part of Washington University’s Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, is committed to furthering critical thinking and visual literacy through a vital program of exhibitions, publications and accompanying events.
The museum dates back to 1881, making it the oldest art museum west of the Mississippi River. Today, it boasts one of the finest university collections in the United States.
Regular museum hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The museum is closed Tuesdays.