Adventures Await Kids This Summer at The Brandywine River Museum
(July 2004; #019)


This summer, the Brandywine River Museum invites children to become museum explorers in a series of fun-filled educational workshops. Designed for kids ages 3 to 14, each of the programs features an adventurous museum tour followed by a creative hands-on art project to inspire every budding artist.

For children ages 3 to 10 accompanied by an adult, the museum offers two sessions, 9:30 to 11 a.m. (session A) or 10:30 a.m. to noon (session B), for each workshop. The first, on July 8, examines shape and form in art. Getting into Shape helps children to discover the ways artists use shapes to create works of art and learn the secrets artists use to make painted shapes look like realistic objects. Following a tour, participants draw colorful shapes using oil pastels.

Children attending the Colorful Characters workshop on July 15 search for interesting characters in museum paintings. The workshop focuses on a variety of characters featured in paintings throughout the museum, including Long John Silver, brave Revolutionary War soldiers, Goldilocks, and more. Following a museum tour, children create 3-D figures using colored wire.

On July 22, children explore Brandywine Valley landscape. In Your Backyard, children examine area artists' views of local landscape. Following a tour, participants design landscape collages using a variety of materials.

The All in the Family workshop offered on July 29 focuses on three generations of Wyeth family artists, including N.C., Andrew, and Jamie Wyeth. After the museum tour, children draw family portraits using scratch art paper.

For children ages 10 to 14, the museum offers Advanced Explorer Morning workshops from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The first, on July 13, is titled Illustration Design. Children discover the art of illustrators on a gallery tour including works by N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, and Jessie Willcox Smith, and then evaluate illustrations from the museumís collection. Afterward, explorers create images to accompany a poem by Shel Silverstein.

Putting it into Perspective is featured on July 20. Children analyze artists' depictions of interior and exterior spaces according to the use of line, perspective, and scale. Next, participants capture the museum from different viewpoints, both inside and out, using drawing materials.

The workshops are free with museum admission ($8 for adults; $5 for seniors and students; free for children under six and Brandywine Conservancy Members). Space is limited and pre-registration is required. To register, please call the Education Office at 610-388-8382 or send an email to education@brandywine.org.

The Brandywine River Museum is located on U.S. Route 1 in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. The museum is open daily 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information about the museumís exhibitions and educational programs, please call 610-388-2700 or visit the museum's website at http://www.brandywinemuseum.org

Photography available upon request.

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