Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit with dance parties and Chinese Zodiac story time, Saturdays in May
TORONTO — Imagination blooms every weekend at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), where admission is always free for kids! Open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday, the AGO’s Weston Family Learning Centre is Toronto’s go-to spot for family fun – alive with art making, dance parties and creative play for kids of all ages.
“Family weekends at the AGO do more than just welcome young visitors – they offer ways for caregivers to connect with their children through creative play and learning,” said Audrey Hudson, the AGO’s Richard & Elizabeth Currie Chief, Education & Programming. “That’s why we’re particularly excited to be hosting inter-generational art making workshops and welcoming storyteller Catherine Little in May – these are opportunities for families to create and learn together.”
For a complete guide to upcoming programs for families, including summer camps, visit ago.ca/learn/family and ago.ca/events.
Family-friendly weekend programs this spring:
- Beginning Saturday, May 6, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., the AGO’s Weston Family Learning Centre celebrates Asian Heritage Month with a weekly Year of the Rabbit-inspired family dance party with disco lights and bunny ears. This drop-in event is free with General Admission. No registration required.
- Beginning Saturday, May 6 and continuing through June 10, the AGO’s Dr. Anne Tanenbaum Gallery School presents a series of one-day sculpting workshops for children ages 6 to 10 and their caregivers, inspired by the work of artist Brian Jungen. Advanced registration required. AGO Members receive a discount. For more details, please visit ago.ca/events/sculpting-together-exploring-brian-jungen-ages-6-10-adult-1-day-workshop.
- On Saturday, May 13 at 11:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., the Weston Family Learning Centre hosts story time with author Catherine Little and illustrator Sae Kimura. Little will read her book Twelve in a Race, a retelling of the origin story of the Chinese zodiac, and Kimura will facilitate an art making activity for families inspired by stories in the book. Free for AGO Members and with proof of General Admission, no pre-registration is required.
- Open every weekend beginning at 10:30 a.m., the Dr. Mariano Elia Hands-On Centre offers families with children aged 0 to 6, art-making activities, stories and play-based learning. No registration needed. Free for AGO Members and with proof of General Admission.
- Every weekend from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., AGO Art Carts, loaded with artistic materials to make and do will be on the move in the museum. Sponsored by Cricut, visitors are encouraged to create and design bunny boxes and Zodiac-inspired family portraits. Free for AGO Members and with proof of General Admission, no pre-registration is required.
Admission to the AGO is always free for Indigenous peoples, AGO Members, Annual Pass holders and visitors aged 25 and under, and includes access to the AGO Collection and special exhibitions Wolfgang Tillmans: To look without fear and Radical Remembrance: The Sculptures of David Ruben Piqtoukun.
Acknowledgments
Family Programs generously supported by:
Janis Rotman
Dr. Mariano Elia Hands-On Centre generously supported by:
The Mariano Elia Foundation
Art Cart
Lead Sponsor:
Cricut
ABOUT THE AGO
Located in Toronto, the Art Gallery of Ontario is one of the largest art museums in North America, attracting approximately one million visitors annually. The AGO Collection of more than 120,000 works of art ranges from cutting-edge contemporary art to significant works by Indigenous and Canadian artists to European masterpieces. The AGO presents wide-ranging exhibitions and programs, including solo exhibitions and acquisitions by diverse and underrepresented artists from around the world. The AGO is committed to being welcoming and accessible: admission is free for anyone under 25 years, and anyone can purchase an annual pass for $35. In 2022, the AGO began the design phase of an expansion project intended to increase exhibition space for the museum’s growing modern and contemporary collection. When construction begins in 2024, it will be the seventh expansion that the AGO has undertaken since it was founded in 1900. Visit AGO.ca to learn more.
The AGO is funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Additional operating support is received from the City of Toronto, the Canada Council for the Arts and generous contributions from AGO Members, donors and private-sector partners.
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Wendy So; Communications Officer
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Andrea-Jo Wilson; Manager, Public Relations
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