Art Cart: Shape Up!

Explore the possibilities of shapes and colors at this week’s Art Cart. Get inspired by artist Yayoi Kusama at this week’s Art Cart to explore color and shapes. Artists will look closely at her art and use polka-dots to create their own work of art.

Find the Art Cart on the Third Level and pick up circular materials.


Do this at home! Create your own pinch pot inspired by artist Yayoi Kusama. Instructions here.

A small, two-leafed plant grows out of a orange pumpkin-shaped pot featuring vertical patterns of polka dots.


ABOUT THE ART CART

Want to make art inspired by your favorite Hirshhorn works on view? The Art Cart offers young artists a hands-on maker experience during their visit to the Hirshhorn. Each week’s Art Cart offers a fresh and fun theme featuring an artwork on view, an artmaking activity to do at the Museum, and kids projects to extend the fun at home! 

The Art Cart is free; no registration required. Drop in any Saturday between 10 am and 1 pm.  

Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. If there are access services or accommodations that can make your experience more inclusive (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact hmsgeducation@si.edu. 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required.

Art Cart: Cherry Blossoms You Can Wear

In celebration of cherry blossoms, join us for a spring-inspired Art Cart. We’ll take a close look at artist Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Two Circles, supply nature-inspired books and materials, and make our own blossom-inspired artworks.

Find the Art Cart on the Plaza, and pick up your blooming materials. In case of inclement weather, check in the Museum Lobby for our indoor locations. 


Do this at home!  If you could be anything from nature, what would you be? This project, inspired by artist Thierry de Cordier, encourages young artists to create a self-portrait using natural items. Instructions here.

Sections of bark, moss and plants lie on a white surface.


ABOUT THE ART CART

Want to make art inspired by your favorite Hirshhorn works on view? The Art Cart offers young artists a hands-on maker experience during their visit to the Hirshhorn. Each week’s Art Cart offers a fresh and fun theme featuring an artwork on view, an artmaking activity to do at the Museum, and kids projects to extend the fun at home! 

The Art Cart is free; no registration required. Drop in any Saturday between 10 am and 1 pm.  

Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. If there are access services or accommodations that can make your experience more inclusive (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact hmsgeducation@si.edu. 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required.

Storytime: Express Yourself!

We’re switching up Storytime to a drop-in experience while we prepare new exhibitions for spring openings. Join Hirshhorn educators any time between 10 am–noon; we will host read-alouds at 10:30 am and 11:30 am.

Join us for an exploration of how we express who we are. We will look celebrate the opening of the exhibition OSGEMEOS: Endless Story; read Julián Is a Mermaid, by Jessica Love; and participate in our own playful art-making.

Meet on the Plaza.


Do this at home! Create a complementary colors suncatcher inspired by our 2019 exhibition, Pat Steir: Color Wheel. Instructions here. 

A wet, just finished water color sits on top of a piece of newspaper.


ABOUT STORYTIME

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays for a one-of-a-kind storytime experience! Each week offers a fun and fresh theme for our youngest artists and their adults. Get a fun and hands-on introduction to a new artwork each week, and participate in a joyful read-aloud filled with music, stories, and movement. Then, stay and play while your little artist creates. No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. If there are access services or accommodations that can make your experience more inclusive (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact hmsgeducation@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required. For a group of ten or more, please contact mcgettigant@si.edu to reserve a program in advance.

Storytime: Fish Out of Water

We’re switching up Storytime to a drop-in experience while we prepare new exhibitions for spring openings. Join Hirshhorn educators any time between 10 am–noon; we will host read-alouds at 10:30 am and 11:30 am.

What lives in the sea? Join us and educators from the Zoo for an ocean inspired Storytime where we’ll look closely at Fish, by Alexander Calder; read Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister; and create our own fantastical loose-parts sculptures inspired by the ocean. 

Meet on the Plaza.


Do this at home! If you could be anything from nature, what would you be? Inspired by artist Thierry de Cordier, create a self-portrait using natural items. Instructions here. 

Sections of bark, moss and plants lie on a white surface.


ABOUT STORYTIME

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays for a one-of-a-kind storytime experience! Each week offers a fun and fresh theme for our youngest artists and their adults. Get a fun and hands-on introduction to a new artwork each week, and participate in a joyful read-aloud filled with music, stories, and movement. Then, stay and play while your little artist creates. No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. If there are access services or accommodations that can make your experience more inclusive (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact hmsgeducation@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required. For a group of ten or more, please contact mcgettigant@si.edu to reserve a program in advance.

Storytime: Call Me Tree

We’re switching up Storytime to a drop-in experience while we prepare new exhibitions for spring openings. Join Hirshhorn educators any time between 10 am–noon; we will host read-alouds at 10:30 am and 11:30 am.

In celebration of spring, join the Hirshhorn for a read-aloud of the bilingual book Call Me Tree, by Maya Christina Gonzalez (we’ll be reading it in English). Take a close look at the Museum Lobby’s tables, created by artist Hiroshi Sugimoto using a 700-year-old nutmeg tree, then create your own tree- and blossom-inspired works.

Meet on the Lower Level.


Do this at home! Celebrate spring by transforming a plain coffee filter into your own sculptural work of art bursting with color. Instructions here

A multi-colored tie dyed coffee filter is stapled to a white piece of paper, an artists signature on the bottom right.


ABOUT STORYTIME

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays for a one-of-a-kind storytime experience! Each week offers a fun and fresh theme for our youngest artists and their adults. Get a fun and hands-on introduction to a new artwork each week, and participate in a joyful read-aloud filled with music, stories, and movement. Then, stay and play while your little artist creates. No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. If there are access services or accommodations that can make your experience more inclusive (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact hmsgeducation@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required. For a group of ten or more, please contact mcgettigant@si.edu to reserve a program in advance.

Art Cart: Light of Mine

Celebrate color at this week’s Art Cart inspired by artist Olafur Eliasson. Young artists will look closely at his artwork Your Oceanic Feeling, play with reflective materials, and create their own works of art with light and color! 

Find the Art Cart on the Third Level and pick up your reflective materials.


Do this at home! Discover the science of light, shadows, and reflections through artful play. Bonus: you’ll only need a few materials to set the stage for extended play. Instructions here.

A flashlight is shone through a multicolored container.


ABOUT THE ART CART 

Want to make art inspired by your favorite Hirshhorn works on view? The Art Cart offers young artists a hands-on maker experience during their visit to the Hirshhorn. Each week’s Art Cart offers a fresh and fun theme featuring an artwork on view, an artmaking activity to do at the Museum, and kids’ projects to extend the fun at home!  

The Art Cart is free; no registration required. Drop in any Saturday between 10 am and 1 pm. 

Storytime: Express Yourself

Join us for an exploration of how we express who we are. We will look closely at Your Oceanic Feeling by Olafur Eliasson, read Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love, and participate in our own playful art-making.

Meet in the Museum Lobby.


Do this at home! Create a complementary colors suncatcher inspired by Pat Steir: Color Wheel. Instructions here.

A wet, just finished water color sits on top of a piece of newspaper.


ABOUT STORYTIME

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays for a one-of-a-kind storytime experience! Each week offers a fun and fresh theme for our youngest artists and their adults. Get a fun and hands-on introduction to a new artwork each week, and participate in a joyful read-aloud filled with music, stories, and movement. Then, stay and play while your little artist creates. No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. An ASL Interpreter may be requested for this program; two weeks advance notice is appreciated. For a group of ten or more, please contact mcgettigant@si.edu to reserve a program in advance.

Storytime: Express Yourself!

Join us for an exploration of how we express who we are. We will look closely at Your Oceanic Feeling by Olafur Eliasson, read Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love, and participate in our own playful art-making.

Meet in the Museum Lobby.


Do this at home! Create a complementary colors suncatcher inspired by our 2019 exhibition, Pat Steir: Color Wheel. Instructions here. 

Paper with red and blue paint lays on top of a newspaper. A brush is laid across the paper.


ABOUT STORYTIME

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays for a one-of-a-kind storytime experience! Each week offers a fun and fresh theme for our youngest artists and their adults. Get a fun and hands-on introduction to a new artwork each week, and participate in a joyful read-aloud filled with music, stories, and movement. Then, stay and play while your little artist creates. No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. If there are access services or accommodations that can make your experience more inclusive (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact hmsgeducation@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required. For a group of ten or more, please contact mcgettigant@si.edu to reserve a program in advance.

Storytime: Mix It Up!

What’s your favorite color? Join us to explore color mixing at this week’s Storytime. We’ll read Mix It Up by Hervé Tullet, look closely at Jessica Diamond: Wheel Of Life, and create collaboratively with colorful art-making and play! 

Meet in the Museum Lobby.


Do this at home! Painting with a budding artist? Keep it wonderfully simple—and get maximum results—by using a limited color palette In this Mini Art Lesson where we explore color mixing. Instructions here. 

Three white pieces of paper have been laid out over newspaper. Each contain a color scale consisting of six horizontal lines of color, experimenting with mixing yellow, red and blue paint.


ABOUT STORYTIME

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays for a one-of-a-kind storytime experience! Each week offers a fun and fresh theme for our youngest artists and their adults. Get a fun and hands-on introduction to a new artwork each week, and participate in a joyful read-aloud filled with music, stories, and movement. Then, stay and play while your little artist creates. No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. If there are access services or accommodations that can make your experience more inclusive (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact hmsgeducation@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required. For a group of ten or more, please contact mcgettigant@si.edu to reserve a program in advance.

Storytime: Mouse Paint

Mix it up at this week’s Storytime exploring color mixing. We’ll look closely at Mark Bradford’s Pickett’s Charge, read the story Mouse Paint by Ellen Walsh, and play with colorful, transparent materials to mix our own colors.

Meet in the Museum Lobby.


Do this at home! Explore color through your senses! Only a small amount of set-up is required for prolonged play. Instructions here. 

Birds eye view of the inside of a plastic bin containing six verticle rows of colored rice that make up a rainbow.


ABOUT STORYTIME

Join Hirshhorn Kids on Wednesdays for a one-of-a-kind storytime experience! Each week offers a fun and fresh theme for our youngest artists and their adults. Get a fun and hands-on introduction to a new artwork each week, and participate in a joyful read-aloud filled with music, stories, and movement. Then, stay and play while your little artist creates. No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby. If there are access services or accommodations that can make your experience more inclusive (e.g., ASL interpretation, live captioning, etc.), please contact hmsgeducation@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required. For a group of ten or more, please contact mcgettigant@si.edu to reserve a program in advance.