Play Date: Free Family Art Day
Play Date: Free Family Art Day is a monthly ICA program offering families a full day of hands-on artmaking, gallery activities, performances, and workshops connected to contemporary art. Activities are designed for children and families, are drop-in and first come, first served, and may fill up because space is limited.
The December Play Date celebrates the ICA’s 90th anniversary and is described as the final Play Date of the year. Families can make party hats, create musical shakers, enjoy Afro-Brazilian and Samba Funk drumming, and join guided picture-book readings in the galleries.
When: December 6
Showtimes: 10 AM–3 PM
Venue: Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), Boston
Tickets: Free for families. Free admission tickets should be reserved online in advance. When accompanied by children age 12 and under, up to two adults per family can receive free museum admission with the code PLAYDATE.
Admission note: Advance reservations are strongly recommended, and day-of tickets are not guaranteed. Tickets become available in the middle of the month before each Play Date.
Schedule: Artmaking and the Art Lab run from 10 AM–3 PM, with a last call at 2:45 PM. The Birthday Bash performance time is to be announced. Books and Looks takes place at 11 AM and 1 PM.
Artmaking: In “Party Hats!” at the State Street Corporation Lobby on the first floor, participants can design birthday-party hats inspired by contemporary art in the galleries.
Art Lab: “Musical Shakers” takes place in the Bank of America Art Lab on the first floor. Families can decorate egg shakers and use them to make celebratory sounds.
Performance: “Birthday Bash with Grooversity” takes place in the Barbara Lee Family Theater on the second floor. Maestro Marcus Santos leads an ensemble featuring Afro-Brazilian traditional rhythms, carnival marching-band drumming, and modern Samba Funk.
Books and Looks: At 11 AM and 1 PM in the fourth-floor galleries, ICA staff lead readings of family-friendly picture books while connecting the stories to the art on view. Each reading lasts about 30 minutes.
Participation: All activities are drop-in and first come, first served. Artmaking sessions are also first come, first served, and space is limited.
Youth admission: Visitors age 18 and under always receive free museum admission. The ICA also offers the free +1 Membership program for youth ages 0–18.
Contact: Questions can be directed to familyprograms@icaboston.org.