“Family Saturdays” at the UICA

Let's face it.  An "artist" I'm not.  Draw?  Not a chance.  I have trouble drawing circles, let alone straight lines.  Paint?  A room, maybe, but not on a canvas.  Sculpt?  I did a wood sculpture in middle school once.  It fell over.

Well, I may have a chance to develop some of my non-skills at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts. In fact, we all will.  They are launching three new education programs in the next few months, beginning with what should be real fun,  Family Saturdays.

They begin this Saturday, August 4th, and will be a monthly program held the first Saturday of every month, for families to drop by the UICA and create their very own works of contemporary art.

Each month’s Family Saturday will be connected to art on exhibition at the UICA, on Fulton and Division, downtown Grand Rapids.

Families are welcome to drop-in any time between 1-4 p.m. on Family Saturdays for a new activity each month that they’ll be able to take home with them.

Yours probably won't fall over, either.

Here’s the lineup of activities:

Family Saturday: “Wasteland” on Aug.4Create your own landscape inspired by local artist Steven Vinson and his unique usage of found materials as a canvas.
Family Saturday: “Ceramic Toys” on Sept. 1
Create your own ceramic toy such as a whistle or a spinning top in UICA’s professional Urban Clay Studio. Finished pieces will be fired and ready to pick up the following week.
Family Saturday: “Mechanical Birds” on Oct. 6
Create your own marionette inspired by one of UICA’s ArtPrize artists.
Family Saturday: “Secret Worlds” on Nov. 3
Create your own secret world diorama inspired by one of UICA’s ArtPrize artists.
Family Saturday: “Holiday Special” on Dec. 1
Make your ceramic ornament in the Urban Clay Studio during UICA’s Holiday Artists Market. Finished pieces will be fired and ready to pick up the following week.

Admission to Family Saturdays is $2 for UICA members, $7 for non-members. Children age 6 and younger are free. General admission to UICA is included.