Storytime Studio: Community of Care

Get your New Year’s fresh start with art! Join us all month long to explore and express yourself inspired by a different artwork each week. This week, we’ll look closely at Belief + Doubt by artist Barbara Kruger and use our own big words (and images and symbols!) to explore fairness, love, and our own power in making the world a better place.

Featured Book: Martin’s Big Words, by Doreen Rappaport

Program Schedule: 

Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level.

Do this at home! What matters to you? Assemble a collage inspired by Loïs Mailou Jones’s Challenge—America. Choose a cause that you care about, and then arrange and rearrange images to create a collage that inspires change in your community! Instructions here.

children's art collage featuring images of kids, construction paper hearts, and cut out letters

ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO 

Join us at the Hirshhorn Art School for Storytime Studio—a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 8 as well as their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning, step into our studio where art comes alive, and enjoy a special Storytime adventure that is a free, flexible, drop-in experience. Stop in anytime to experiment with play and artmaking, immerse yourself in interactive read-alouds, or join a gallery tour to explore art on view!

No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby and on the Lower Level.

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.

Open Studio: This is Me

Start the New Year with fresh opportunities for artistic expression every weekend in January at Open Studio. Discover how you can use art to explore your identity, find your power, and change the world! Collaborate or craft your own artwork to take home. Each week will introduce new ideas and creative challenges!  

This week, we’ll be inspired by artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and explore how artists use self-portraits to explore their identity and define their power using symbols and motifs. Be bold with everyday materials such as notebook paper, crayons, markers, and colored pencils. 

Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level.

Do this at home! What represents you? Maybe it’s the places you’ve traveled, the people you’ve met, or the activities you enjoy. Create a flag representing you! Instructions here.

a yellow painting feature abstract blue and red lines and hand drawn planes and cars

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO 

Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in and explore modern and contemporary art through interactive, hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and remarkable artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.

Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on artmaking. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—allowing you to craft, create, and learn. 

No reservations or tickets required. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby and on the Lower Level.

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 hmsgeducation@si.edu to reserve a program in advance.

Storytime Studio: Totally You!

Get your New Year’s fresh start with art! This week, we’ll express what makes us special, taking inspiration from artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. We’ll explore symbols, look closely at Basquiat’s artwork, read stories, and make artful accessories that celebrate ourselves. 

Featured Book: Why Am I Me? by Paige Britt

Program Schedule: 

Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level.

Do this at home! What makes you who you are? Grab some paper, small objects, and scissors—and get ready to explore identity and create a collage self-portrait! Instructions here.

Three collaged self portraits with black and white photographs and colorful additions on pieces of paper laying beside each other on a wooden surface.

ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO 

Join us at the Hirshhorn Art School for Storytime Studio—a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 8 as well as their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning, step into our studio where art comes alive, and enjoy a special Storytime adventure that is a free, flexible, drop-in experience. Stop in anytime to experiment with play and artmaking, immerse yourself in interactive read-alouds, or join a gallery tour to explore art on view!

No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby and on the Lower Level.

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.

Open Studio: Words Matter

Start the New Year with fresh opportunities for artistic expression every weekend in January at Open Studio. Discover how you can use art to explore your identity, find your power, and change the world! Collaborate or craft your own artwork to take home. Each week will introduce new ideas and creative challenges! 

This week, we’ll explore the power of words, and how we can use them for creative expression through Barbara Kruger’s Belief + Doubt. Make a statement by combining newspapers, magazine clippings, and other print materials into your own miniature installation. 

Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level.

Do this at home! Transform a box into a unique space inspired by Siah Armajani! Instructions here.

Half of a medium sized cardboard box has been laid lengthwise displaying a scene within.

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO 

Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in and explore modern and contemporary art through interactive, hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and remarkable artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.

Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on artmaking. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—allowing you to craft, create, and learn. 

No reservations or tickets required. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby and on the Lower Level.

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 hmsgeducation@si.edu to reserve a program in advance.

CANCELED: Storytime Studio: Shape your Year

This program has been canceled.

Get your New Year’s fresh start with art! Join us all month long to explore and express yourself inspired by a different artwork each week. Take a close look at Belief + Doubt by Barbara Kruger, listen to a read-aloud, then stay to create an artwork that amplifies your own voice! 

Featured Book: Mi Voz by José Fragoso

Program Schedule: 

Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level.

Do this at home! Turn one piece of paper into a BIG call for justice, like the Guerrilla Girls. Instructions here.

a kids art collage project with paper cut outs of the museum, and two figures.

ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO 

Join us at the Hirshhorn Art School for Storytime Studio—a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 8 as well as their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning, step into our studio where art comes alive, and enjoy a special Storytime adventure that is a free, flexible, drop-in experience. Stop in anytime to experiment with play and artmaking, immerse yourself in interactive read-alouds, or join a gallery tour to explore art on view!

No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby and on the Lower Level.

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.

Open Studio: Put it into Perspective

Start the New Year with fresh opportunities for artistic expression every weekend in January at Open Studio. Discover how you can use art to explore your identity, find your power, and change the world! Collaborate or craft your own artwork to take home. Each week will introduce new ideas and creative challenges! 

This week, we’ll be inspired by Pablo Picasso’s use of perspective. Using crayons, markers, and colored pencils, create self-portraits that capture every side of you. 

Meet in Art School on the Lower Level.

Do this at home! Transform a rock into a colorful work of art inspired by Pablo Picasso’s vibrant and expressive portraits. Instructions here.

a painted rock with a face

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO 

Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in and explore modern and contemporary art through interactive, hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and remarkable artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.

Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on artmaking. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—allowing you to craft, create, and learn. 

No reservations or tickets required. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby and on the Lower Level.

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 hmsgeducation@si.edu to reserve a program in advance.

Open Studio: Focus on the Negative

Discover fresh opportunities for artistic expression every weekend in December at Open Studio. Explore how artists use light, reflection, and shadow. Collaborate or craft your own artwork to take home. Each week will introduce new ideas and creative challenges! 

This week’s Open Studio takes inspiration from artist Barbara Hepworth’s use of negative space in sculpture. Sculpt your own creations from clay, and explore how light and shadow interact with negative space. 

Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level.

Do this at home! Create a negative space sculpture. Instructions here.

A grey, organic sculpture made of clay and resembling a pelvis sits on a flat brown surface, a white background behind it.

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO 

Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in and explore modern and contemporary art through interactive, hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and remarkable artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.

Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on artmaking. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—allowing you to craft, create, and learn. 

No reservations or tickets required. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby and on the Lower Level.

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 hmsgeducation@si.edu to reserve a program in advance.

Open Studio: Artistic Reflections

Discover fresh opportunities for artistic expression every weekend in December at Open Studio. Explore how artists use light, reflection, and shadow. Collaborate or craft your own artwork to take home. Each week will introduce new ideas and creative challenges! 

This week, we’ll take inspiration from Olafur Eliasson’s Your oceanic feeling to create our own suspended sculptures. Join us and Boolean Girl to use LED lights and circuits to play with reflections of light and color! 

Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level.

Do this at home! Design your own glittering mosaic of geometric shapes inspired by artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian. Instructions here.

A mosaic with tin foil cut into a pentagon shape at the center surrounded by neon pink triangles, translucent trapezoids, sky blue triangles, and metallic squares, circles, and diamonds on a dark blue background.

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO 

Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in and explore modern and contemporary art through interactive, hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and remarkable artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.

Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on artmaking. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—allowing you to craft, create, and learn. 

No reservations or tickets required. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby and on the Lower Level.

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 hmsgeducation@si.edu to reserve a program in advance.

Storytime Studio: Reflect the Rainbow

Join us in December to light up your life! This week, we’ll explore the magic of reflections inspired by artist Olafur Eliasson’s light sculpture Your oceanic feeling. Young artists will explore the artwork, read together, and experiment with making their own reflective suspended sculptures. 

Featured Book: Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister 

Program Schedule: 

Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level.

Do this at home! Make your own rainbow using the power of prisms inspired by artist Olafur Eliasson. Instructions here.

The view from a makeshift kaleidoscope.

ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO 

Join us at the Hirshhorn Art School for Storytime Studio—a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 8 as well as their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning, step into our studio where art comes alive, and enjoy a special Storytime adventure that is a free, flexible, drop-in experience. Stop in anytime to experiment with play and artmaking, immerse yourself in interactive read-alouds, or join a gallery tour to explore art on view!

No reservations or tickets required. Nursing caregivers are welcome. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby and on the Lower Level.

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. 

Open Studio: Animated Imagination

Discover fresh opportunities for artistic expression every weekend in December at Open Studio. Explore how artists use light, reflection,  and shadow. Collaborate or craft your own artwork to take home. Each week will introduce new ideas and creative challenges! 

This week, we will explore how artists OSGEMEOS use reflective materials to transform their artworks. Experiment with sequins, mirrors, and tinfoil to create your own works of art!

Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level.

Do this at home! Use reflective materials you already have at home to create your own work of art! Instructions here.

a collage art project

ABOUT OPEN STUDIO 

Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in and explore modern and contemporary art through interactive, hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and remarkable artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.

Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on artmaking. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—allowing you to craft, create, and learn. 

No reservations or tickets required. Stroller parking is available in the Hirshhorn Lobby and on the Lower Level.

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 hmsgeducation@si.edu to reserve a program in advance.