Salt Lake City – The Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) invites families to celebrate Earth Day and sustainable living at Artful Afternoon, the Museum’s family-friendly art-making festival, from 1 to 4 pm on Saturday, April 19. All ages and abilities are welcome, and attendees are admitted free into all activities and Museum galleries.
The program, inspired by Exploring Sustainability, an exhibition of sustainable design projects currently on view, invites participants to make recycled art, learn about the Earth and how to protect it, and view performances and art that champion a more sustainable planet. Activities will be held inside the Marcia and John Price Museum Building and outdoors on the patio, including hands-on stations for repurposing vinyl signage into useful objects and for decorating dust masks; a treasure hunt; a giveaway; and an “upcycling” demonstration of how to crochet with plastic grocery bags.
Several University of Utah and community groups will exhibit in the Museum’s Great Hall: Utah Open Lands, saltfront magazine, Commuter Services, Edible Wasatch, Slow Food Utah, Downtown Farmer’s Market, Artists for Local Agriculture, Campus Garden, Salt Lake City Public Library, and the J. Willard Marriott Library, which will host a story time and reading corner. The Museum Store will also host a story time, featuring Here On Earth: An Animal Alphabet, written and illustrated by Marcia Perry, in the shop from 2 to 3 p.m. A 1996 documentary about insect life, Microcosmos, will be shown in the UMFA Katherine W. and Ezekiel R. Dumke Jr. Auditorium throughout the afternoon.
Artful Afternoon, the Museum’s twice-yearly family art celebration, is one of many UMFA educational programs meant to enrich the lives of children and adults in our community and across our state. The April program is funded in part by the Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts and Parks Program (ZAP) with additional support from the C. Comstock Clayton Foundation.
The Museum, located on the South Campus of the University of Utah, is easily accessible by car from Foothill Drive—free parking will be available adjacent to the Museum—and by Trax. The UMFA is located only a short walk northwest of the South Campus Drive stop on the University (red) line. For more information, please visit http://umfa.utah.edu/artfulafternoon