Munson is offering a free Art Alive! Family Day this midwinter break, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, featuring a special community art project in the Museum’s Root Court that will be displayed at the new Utica Children’s Museum on the Memorial Parkway, opening soon. The event will feature the Utica Children’s Mobile Museum and a performance and music workshop by Alex and the Kaleidoscope in the Sinnott Family – Bank of Utica Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.

 

Artist-in-Residence Tina Mitchell is designing a mobile project that will include hundreds of small-scale art pieces created by children and families at Munson’s February and April 2025 Art Alive! programs. Working with acrylic cutouts, each young artist will create their own unique piece, adding one of their creations to a mobile device designed by Mitchell soon to be on view at the Utica Children’s Museum.

 

“The Utica Children’s Museum is dedicated to fostering creativity, collaboration, and a sense of community for our youngest visitors. Our partnership with Munson and Tina Mitchell’s ‘Create and Illuminate’ project perfectly reflects this mission,” said Meghan Fraser McGrogan, Utica Children’s Museum executive director. “As we prepare to open our NEW museum, this project immediately engages children in the creative process, inviting them to contribute to a collaborative work of art that will become a lasting part of our space. Not only does it introduce children to two incredible organizations that support arts and learning, but it also immerses them in an artist’s work, inspiring potential future careers in the arts. We are thrilled to give children the opportunity to see their own artwork become part of a vibrant, collective installation—one that will spark curiosity and pride for years to come in our new museum.”

 

“With my background in art education, I am thrilled for the opportunity to create a space that inspires young minds to dream and collaborate,” said Mitchell. “In my own work, I aim to tap into the imaginative nature of a child discovering light, color, and the possibilities of space. This project, titled “Create and Illuminate,” is designed to give the local community an opportunity to contribute a small artwork to a larger hanging mobile that will be illuminated with colorful light in the exhibition space at Utica Children’s Museum.”

 

Mitchell is a visual artist who works with paint, paper, fabric, wood, clay, metal, string, and other found materials to create two- and three-dimensional sculptures and installations. She is interested in using imagery of doorways, nets, holes, and cells to explore internal and external themes of play, systems, and freedom. Mitchell earned an MFA degree at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and is currently the Artist-in-Residence at Pratt Munson College of Art and Design in Utica. As such, she teaches in the community arts program, exploring abstraction through experiments and critical thinking.

 

At 11 a.m., kids and families can sing along with Alex and the Kaleidoscope for a lively and unforgettable concert experience that will delight audiences of all ages! This dynamic, award-winning group invites children and families to explore a world of imagination and discovery. Their concerts feature an eclectic mix of musical styles, from rock and pop to world music. Each song is crafted to inspire curiosity, celebrate diversity, and promote positive values such as kindness, empathy, and environmental awareness. At 1 p.m., the group will hold a music workshop in the Auditorium.

 

“Alex and the Kaleidoscope is a musical adventure where wonder takes center stage,” said Bob Mortis, director of Performing Arts. “Every song becomes a gateway to joy, learning, and connection for the whole family.”

 

Art Alive! Family Days at Munson are held during school breaks as a way of getting kids and their families connected and familiar with the Museum. This season will also feature one other act: Captain Nemo’s Adventure Academy on April 24 during spring break.

 

Funding for Art Alive! is provided by the MetLife Foundation, Sheila and Ron Cuccaro, and by Rona Lucas, in memory of Roslyn and Irving Levine. The 2024–25 AIR Program is made possible with generous funding by Sunithi S. Bajekal.

 

An American Sign Language interpreter will be on stage at the 11 a.m. performance.

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