Free Admission on September 23, 2017, with a Downloadable Museum Day Live! Ticket
Exhibitons include “Carol Steinmetz: An Artist’s Spectrum” and Go Figure!
Muscatine September 1, 2017— The Muscatine Art Center will open its doors free of charge on Saturday September 23, 2017, as part of Smithsonian magazine’s thirteenth annual Museum Day Live!, an initiative in which participating museums across the United States emulate the spirit of the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington DC-based facilities, which offer free admission every day, and open their doors for free to those who download a Museum Day Live! ticket.
Smithsonian recognizes the extraordinary power of museums, and other cultural institutions, to provide visitors with insight and inspiration. The event represents a nationwide commitment to boundless curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge wherever you are. Over 200,000 people downloaded tickets for last year’s event, and this year’s event is expected to attract more museum-goers than ever before.
This year, Museum Day Live! will feature special interactive lesson plans created by Smithsonian in partnership with Microsoft using Minecraft: Education Edition. The Muscatine Art Center will be able to utilize the Smithsonian material based lesson plans to enhance the Museum Day Live! experience.
“The Smithsonian has provided a great lesson plan where kids can make a “Museum of Me,” which has them think about what items they would include in a museum or exhibit of their life.” says Muscatine Art Center Program Coordinator, Teresa Stenstrup. She continues “It’s a fun way for kids to learn more about how museum’s curate and exhibit collections. With the Minecraft Education Edition, they could even go home and create their “Museum of Me” on the computer after their visit to the Muscatine Art Center.”
Currently on view at the Muscatine Art Center is Carol Steinmetz: An Artist’s Spectrum and Go Figure!
Local artist, Carol Steinmetz, has developed her artistic style over the last four decades. The exhibition spans her career from her works in oil to her well known florals, barns, and local landmarks and through her recent exploration with abstract and mixed media.
Steinmetz begins each watercolor painting with an open mind, putting colors on the paper and allowing them to move around “wet in wet”. Steinmetz is continuously learning and challenging herself. She explains, “I have always enjoyed creating – sewing, knitting, crocheting, home decorating, and gardening. When I was introduced to painting, it became my challenge and pursuit. I wanted to try any and all of the art media from drawing and pastel to watercolor and oil.”
Go Figure! transforms charming children’s books into a kid-sized world where children and adults can have fun exploring math with familiar characters such as Arthur, Frog and Toad, and Goldilocks and Three Bears. Each of the five colorful larger-than-life books in the exhibit includes a math-related activity such as measuring, weighing, or sorting, along with labels to guide parents. Featured books are Arthur’s Pet Business, The Doorbell Rang, The Quilt, Frog and Toad Are Friends: A Lost Button, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
The exhibit promotes books, libraries and family reading as tools for children to learn math. “Using well-known children’s books, Go Figure! offers our community wonderful experiences with simple math in a way that appeals to young children” states Muscatine Art Center Program Coordinator, Teresa Stenstrup. She continues, “Children ages two to seven years old and their parents or caregivers will enjoy the engaging graphics and hands on activities.”
The Museum Day Live! ticket is available for download at Smithsonian.com/museumday. Visitors who present the Museum Day Live! ticket will gain free entrance for two at participating venues on September 23, 2017. One ticket per email address is permitted. For more information about Museum Day Live! 2017 and a full list of participating museums and cultural institutions, please visit Smithsonian.com/museumday.
For more information, please visit Smithsonian.com/museumday.
About Smithsonian Media
Smithsonian Media is comprised of its flagship publication, Smithsonian magazine, Air & Space magazine, Smithsonian Books, and the Smithsonian Media Digital Network. In addition, Smithsonian Media oversees the Smithsonian Institution’s interest in the Smithsonian Channel, a joint venture between the Smithsonian Institution and CBS/Showtime. Smithsonian Media is a division of Smithsonian Enterprises, the revenue-generating business unit of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum and research complex consisting of 20 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park, and nine research facilities. Approximately 30 million people from around the world visit the museums annually. (smithsonian.com / si.edu)
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