Kids + Family
Families and children of all ages are invited to join us for free, art-related activities at the museum.
Things to do with the whole family
During our temporary hiatus, the ASU Art Museum is finding innovative and exciting ways to virtually connect with our audience and bring the museum experience to our community.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the full virtual experience and to learn about the inspiration behind each activity.
Traditional Stories of Light: A Coloring Book
In celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we are happy to announce the launch of our new coloring book, Traditional Stories of Light, designed by Vanessa Moreno (Purépecha, Tepehuán) and illustrated by artists Eunique Yazzie (Diné) and Dustin Lopez (Diné, Yaqui, Laguna Pueblo). The coloring book represents traditional stories involving light from the Native American peoples of the Southwest. Stop by the museum beginning tomorrow to get your free coloring book or download the digital version below.
Traditional Stories of Light digital coloring book.
Saturday Storytime
Join us every other Saturday at 1 p.m. on our Instagram or Facebook to hear one of our Museum Ambassadors read a story.
Listen to past stories on our YouTube channel here!
Art at home!
Below are educational, art-making activities that can be done at home, with supplies that you already have. Share your finished products with us on social media by tagging @asuartmuseum!
Fishbowls
Sandra Ramos is a Cuban contemporary painter, printmaker, collagist and installation artist who explores issues of gender, nationality and identity in her works. Her lithograph, "Untitled (stage 11)," 1999, is the inspiration for this activity and can be found in our Art in Focus gallery. Download the Fishbowl activity instructions here.
Elements of Art Series
Watch our video on the seven elements of art with our Museum Ambassador, Alex Phillips, and stay tuned for more activities on each element!
- Texture: Texture Painting Texture makes two-dimensional art seem more realistic and three-dimensional art more interesting. Painting with different textures is not only fun, but can leave you with some amazing results. Download the activity instructions here.
- Color: Colorful Hands So, what is color? We perceive color when light hits an object and is reflected back to our eyes. This activity helps you explore how colors work with a simple, fun watercolor exercise! Download the Colorful Hands instructions here.
- Color: House by a Road This activity is based on Hopper’s painting “House by a Road,” which is part of the ASU Art Museum’s permanent collection. We will be paying attention to color in this activity. Download the instructions and coloring sheet here.
- Shape: Shapes can be two-dimensional — something drawn on a surface to look like a three-dimensional object, like a house. Shapes can also be three-dimensional, like we see in sculptures and architecture. Learn about shape while creating tessellations.
- Line + Space: Line is the connection of one point to another. Lines may be thick, thin, swiggly or straight. Space is the area around and between objects, involving the placement of elements in your artwork. Learn about line and space while creating string flowers.
- Form: Form refers to objects that are three-dimensional. Download the form activity instruction here.
- Value: Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. We visually process values based on how much light there is. Download the value scale instructions here
Endangered Animal Postcard
“For the Animals” by artist Tania Candiani is one of our current exhibitions that brings awareness to seven native Sonoran Desert animals that are most affected by the border wall between Mexico and the United States. Inspired by this exhibition, help spread awareness and make a postcard of one of the animals and send it to someone!
Download the postcard instructions here.
Sun Print Plats
Inspired by the Michael Sherrill Retrospective, learn to make your own plant inspired art based on your environment with sun print paper!
Download the Sun Print Plants instructions here.
Origami Hearts
While there are plenty of complex figures one can make with paper, there are simple ones, too. Here is an easy tutorial on how to make origami hearts!
Download the Origami Hearts instructions here.
Origami Pencil Holder
This activity shows you how to make a six-post pencil holder. It’s a great way to pass the time, and an excellent tool for organizing not only pencils or pens, but paintbrushes too!
Download the Origami Pencil Holder instructions here.
Coil Pots
Artist Toshiko Takaezu used a range of ceramic techniques, one of which is called coiling. Coiling is a method where clay is rolled out in thin rods and stacked on top of one another to build a ceramic form. This activity provides steps to make a bowl with the coiling method, and is inspired by Takaezu’s work that will be featured in our upcoming exhibition, “Look to Nature.”
Download the coil pot instructions here.
Claymation
Create colorful stop motion animations inspired by art history, cartoons and their original characters. Bring your own characters to life with this simple claymation tutorial!
Download the claymation instructions here.
Coloring Book
We have put together a coloring book featuring some of the best things about the ASU Art Museum, including our building, the local scenery and artwork. We will be sharing the full coloring book over the course of a few weeks, and we will include instructions on how to create a book out of your finished pages at the end. Be sure to print double-sided if you want to create the book at the end!
Click here to download the instructions on how to create a coloring book out of the pages below.
Download the last set of coloring pages here.
Download the second set of coloring pages here.
Download the first set of coloring pages here.
Ekphrastic Poetry
One of the features of our Artists’ Workshop is the poetry wall, where you can choose words to form your own literary masterpieces. Ekphrastic (ek-frass-tic) poetry is any sort of poem that responds to another piece of artwork and has a long tradition in literature.
Learn how to create your own poem here.
Make a Trading Card
Inspired by Tania Candiani’s upcoming exhibition “For the Animals.” Learn more about the Sonoran Desert animals that inspired Candiani using the trading cards we have created and then make your own trading cards inspired by your pets or favorite animal!
Download the instructions here.
Mandalas
Artist Bruce Conner creates highly detailed mandala-like designs with geometric shapes and lines. Create your own Bruce Conner inspired line art with only a black pen and paper!
Download the instructions here.
Stamping with Erasers
Personalize your paper with your own eraser stamp! These are perfect for adding decorative borders to thank you cards or stamping your letters with a little doodle.
Download the instructions here.
Plein-air Drawing
En plein-air, French for “outdoors” or “in the open air,” is the act of drawing or painting outside. We encourage you to use this tutorial as a way to slow down, observe your surroundings and spend some time outdoors.
Download the instructions here.
Edward Hopper Coloring Sheet
Inspired by our Masterpieces at Midday conversation about Edward Hopper?
Download the color sheet here!
Stamping with Nature
Find a leaf that you love and become a printmaker with us!
Download the stamping how to here.
Guided Nature Meditation Walk
Get out and experience nature with this meditative walk.
Make your own playdough!
Need something to keep your hands busy? This playdough recipe requires three ingredients you most likely already have: flour, salt and water.
Download playdough instructions here.
Still-life at Home
Still-life drawing and painting has been around for centuries. The term refers simply to an arrangement of inanimate objects, such as flowers, books, vases or fruit. Paul Cezanne and Henri Matisse were both known for their still-life paintings. Now you can join the ranks of great artists like them by making your own!
Download the still-life tutorial here.
Time Capsule
Learn how to make your own time capsule inspired by “Total Collapse,” download the instructions below and get started!
Download time capsule instructions here.
Michael Sherrill Nature Activity
Michael Sherrill finds inspiration from the natural world around him. This fun activity will help you connect with nature in your own neighborhood!
Download the activity booklet here.
Paper Cactus
Inspired by artist Cruz Ortiz and the murals he created for our Artists' Workshop, learn more in this fun video.