TOLEDO, Ohio — If you're looking for a way to beat the heat and give the kids something to do, the Toledo Museum of Art is something to consider.
The Family Center, located inside the air conditioned art museum, is the perfect place for young museum visitors to create memories with their parents and caregivers. The space is open five days a week, and the museum supplies all the materials for free as well.
"All you have to do is come with an imagination, and you can create together in our art studio space, and then we also have an interactive playroom where you can enjoy a lot of fun activities, too," Regina Jankowski who works at the center said.
"I came here because my nana loves art and so do I, and I just really enjoy this place. This is my favorite art museum that I would like to go to," 7-year-old Emily Jankowski said.
It does get busy in the summer, but there's always room to join in on the fun.
The Family Center also offers themed activities on certain days that open up the world of art for kids and their loved ones.
Family Center Hours
- Tuesdays and Thursdays: 10 a.m - 3 p.m.
- Fridays: 3:30 - 8 p.m.
- Saturdays and Sundays: Noon - 5 p.m.
For information on special events, visit the Toledo Museum of Art website.
You can also enjoy the museum's exhibits both inside and outside, or visit the cafe for lunch.
There's also options to participate in at the Glass Pavilion. Toledo's own Muddy the Mud Hen created a mini Mud Hen made of glass.
This is something fun that YOU can do too!
Learn to create objects made of glass under the guidance of a Toledo Museum of Art instructor during a workshop at the Glass Pavilion.
Adults and children 14 and older accompanied by an adult are welcome.
The molten glass is expertly molded in ovens heated to over two thousand degrees Fahrenheit with the help of the experts, and then cooled for you to keep!
Misha Naleppa, Glass Studio Artist, Toledo Museum of Art explains the process, saying, "As soon as you pull glass from the furnace, it immediately starts cooling down, and while we are doing the sculpture or any blown glass object, you have roughly about maybe 45 seconds or so to really work with the glass outside of the heat before you have to reintroduce it."
These summer workshops happen from Thursday to Sunday every week, and for a cost, you can make all kinds of items including creating an apple, donut, confetti paperweight, flower, blown ornament, fortune cookie, mushroom or pumpkin, and of course, a world famous Toledo Mud Hen.
Visit tickets.toledomuseum.org for availability and purchase tickets.