Families

Free family programs

Family Days at the Smart Museum are designed to celebrate the creative potential in all of us.

With new projects every month, Family Days offer opportunities for kids and their caregivers to create together and connect with one another. Each program is unique, fun, and free, emphasizing invention, improvisation, and hands-on creativity.

The afternoon begins with an inquiry-based, family-centric tour. The discussion highlights key issues and ideas that in turn inspire the artmaking projects that spill out into our lobby and sculpture garden. Occasionally, guest artists who live and work in Chicago come to the Museum to share innovative Family Day projects they’ve created just for the Smart. Often these guest artist projects help tap into the contemporary moment in a way that relates to kids’ lives and their questions, illustrating the ways artmaking can help families engage in a discourse about critical social issues.

Family programs are supported by the Harper Court Arts Council.

To learn more about family programs, contact Meg Jackson Fox, Director of the Feitler Center for Academic Inquiry and Head of Education.

Family programs at the Smart are free and open to all. Art-making supplies and other materials are provided. Family programs are best for kids 4–12, but all ages are welcomed! Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.