Family Friendly Art Museum Programs by State!

Here is our list of art museums with family friendly programs and events for ALL 50 states including Washington D.C.! 

Alabama                                                                                        
Huntsville Museum of Art
Mobile Museum of Art
Birmingham Museum of Art
Montgomery Museum of Art

Alaska                                                                                           
Museum of the North - University of Alaska

Arizona                                                                                         
Tucson Museum of Art
Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona
ASU Art Museum
Mesa Arts Center
Idea Museum
Museum of Northern Arizona

Arkansas                                                                                       
Arkansas Arts Center
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

California                                                                                      
The San Diego Museum of Art
Bowers Museum
Oceanside Museum of Art
California African American Museum
LACMA
Norton Simon Museum
Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Cantor Arts Center at Stanford
Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento
Fowler Museum at UCLA
Oakland Museum of California
Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive
De Young Museum
Contemporary Jewish Museum
Morris Graves Museum of Art

Colorado                                                                                       
Denver Art Museum
Aspen Art Museum

Connecticut                                                                                   
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
Mattatuck Museum
New Britain Museum
Bruce Museum

Delaware                                                                                       
Delaware Art Museum
Winterthur

Florida                                                                                          
Harn Museum of Art - University of Florida
Morse Museum of American Art
Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Art, Deland
Vero Beach Museum of Art
Boca Raton Museum of Art
Tampa Museum of Art
Perez Art Museum Miami
Polk Museum of Art
Frost Art Museum

Georgia                                                                                         
High Museum of Art, Atlanta
Telfair Museums
Carlos Museum - Emory University
Hudgens Center for the Arts
Columbus Museum

Hawaii                                                                                           
Honolulu Museum of Art

Idaho                                                                                            
Galleries at University of Idaho
Spori Gallery BYU Idaho

Illinois                                                                                           
Smart Museum of Art - University of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
National Museum of Mexican Art
Krannert Art Museum
Illinois State Museum
Peoria Riverfront Museum
Cedarhurst Center for the Arts

Indiana                                                                                         
Indianapolis Museum of Art
Mathers Museum of World Cultures
Fort Wayne Museum of Art

Iowa                                                                                              
Cedar Rapids Museum of Art

Kansas                                                                                          
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Wichita Art Museum
Mulvane Art Museum, Washburn University
Johnson County Museum

Kentucky                                                                                      
The Speed Art Museum
Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft
Frazier History Museum

Louisiana                                                                                      
NOMA
Alexandria Museum of Art
Masur Museum
Ogden Museum

Maine                                                                                            
Farnsworth Art Museum
University of Maine Museum of Art
Portland Museum of Art

Maryland                                                                                      
The Walters Museum
Baltimore Museum of Art

Massachusetts                                                                               
Cape Ann Museum
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Carle (Eric Carle Museum)
Fitchburg Art Museum
The Clark
Smith College Museum of Art
Worcester Art Museum
Attleboro Art Museum
Berkshire Museum
Mass MOCA
Concord Museum
Norman Rockwell Museum
deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum
Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston
Museum of Fine Arts

Michigan                                                                                       
Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum
Detroit Institute of the Arts
Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

Minnesota                                                                                     
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Tweed Museum of Art

Mississippi                                                                                    
Mississippi Museum of Art
Lauren Rogers Museum of Art
Meridian Museum of Art

Missouri                                                                                        
St Louis Art Museum
Kemper Art Museum
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Springfield Art Museum
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis
Margaret Harwell Art Museum

Montana                                                                                       
Montana Museum of Art and Culture
Missoula Art Museum
Yellowstone Art Museum

Nebraska                                                                                       
MONA
Joslyn Art Museum

Nevada                                                                                          
Neon Museum
Nevada Museum of Art

New Hampshire                                                                            
Currier Museum of Art
Margret and H.A Rey Center
Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum

New Jersey                                                                                    
Montclair Art Museum
Zimmerli Art Museum - Rutgers
Newark Museum
New Jersey State Museum

New Mexico                                                                                  
O'Keeffe Museum
New Mexico Art Museum
Albuquerque Museum
Museum of International Folk Art
University of New Mexico Art Museum

New York                                                                                      
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Rubin
MOMA
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Bronx Museum of Art
American Folk Art Museum
Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse
Brooklyn Museum
Guggenheim
Museum of Arts and Design

North Carolina                                                                              
Asheville Art Museum
North Carolina Art Museum
Ackland Art Museum

North Dakota                                                                                
North Dakota Museum of Art
Plains Art Museum

Ohio                                                                                              
The Cleveland Art Museum
Columbus Museum of Art
Toledo Museum of Art
Cincinnati Art Museum
The Dayton Art Museum
The Akron Art Museum
The Butler Institute of American Art
Allen Memorial Art Museum - Oberlin
Canton Museum of Art
Massillon Museum
The Taft Museum

Oklahoma                                                                                     
Oklahoma City Museum of Art
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art - University of Oklahoma
Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art
Gilcrease Museum
Philbrook Museum

Oregon                                                                                          
Portland Art Museum
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
Coos Art Museum

Pennsylvania                                                                                 
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Allentown Art Museum
Michener Museum
Erie Art Museum
PAFA
Woodmere Art Museum
Mattress Factory
Barnes Foundation Museum
Brandywine River Museum of Art
The Westmoreland
The Frick
The African American Museum in Philadelphia
Glencairn Museum
The Warhol
Winterthur


Rhode Island                                                                                
Newport Art Museum
RISD Museum

South Carolina                                                                              
Columbia Museum of Art
Greenville County Museum of Art
SAM Spartanburg Art Museum
Florence County Museum
Bob Jones Museum and Gallery

South Dakota                                                                                
Dahl Arts Center
Days of 76 Museum

Tennessee                                                                                      
Knoxville Museum of Art
Frist Center for the Visual Arts
Tennessee State Museum
Cheekwood Art & Gardens
Hunter Museum of American Art
Memphis Brooks Museum Of Art
Belz Museum of Asian and Judaic Art 
Dixon Gallery & Gardens 


Texas                                                                                            
Kimbell Art Museum
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Dallas Museum of Art
McNay Art Museum, San Antonio
Blanton Museum of Art at UT Austin
Art Museum of South Texas
Art Museum of Southeast Texas
Modern Art Museum of Ft. Worth
San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts
Pearl Fincher Museum of Art
The Contemporary Austin
Contemporary Art Museum Houston

Utah                                                                                              
BYU Museum of Art
Springville Museum of Art
Utah Museum of Fine Arts
Woodbury Art Museum
UMOCA

Vermont                                                                                        
Shelburne Museum
Burlington City Arts
Fleming

Virginia                                                                                         
MOCA
Longwood Center for the Visual Arts
Chrysler Museum of Art
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
The Fralin Museum of Art at University of Virginia

Washington                                                                                   
Seattle Art Museum
Bellevue Arts Museum
Maryhill Museum of Art
FRYE 
Chihuly Garden and Glass 
Moses Lake Museum and Art Center
Bainbridge Island Museum of Art
MONA
Whatcom Museum

West Virginia                                                                                
Huntington Museum of Art
Clay Center

Wisconsin                                                                                      
Milwaukee Art Museum
John Michael Kohler Arts Center
The Trout Museum of Art
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
Rahr-West Art Museum
Chazen Museum of Art
Racine Art Museum
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum
Museum of Wisconsin

Wyoming                                                                                       
Nicolaysen Art Museum
National Museum of Wildlife Art
Buffalo Bill Center of the West


Washington DC                                                                            
The Smithsonian American Art Museum
National Gallery of Art
Hirshhorn
The Phillips Collection
Freer/Sackler - The Smithsonian's Museums of Asian Art
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
Art Museum of the Americas
National Portrait Gallery
The Kreeger Museum
National Museum of the American Indian


See anyone I missed? Send me a comment with your favorite family friendly art museum and a link to their site and I'll add it to the list!



*Please note - many museums are "family friendly," but these museums were selected specifically for their family programming and events. 

What is a Curator?

September 16th is #AskACurator Day where you can ask a curator from museums throughout the world any question you like! To see if your favorite museum is on the list look here.

Before you get to asking questions, let's review just what a curator is. Simply put, an art museum curator is someone who is a specialist in their field of art. They select what pieces of art will be displayed in the museum and where the pieces will go.

Here's a short video with the curator for the Oakland Museum of California - one of my favorite museums!

Online Art Games and Activities for Kids!

Looking for a fun way to introduce your child to the world of art without leaving the comfort of your own home? What better way to engage them than with games?! There are more art history games online than you probably thought. Museums all over the world, seeking to engage the next generation of art lovers, are creating fantastic apps and online games to get kids interested in art.

Today I thought I'd share a few of my favorites with you...

Mind Blowing Art to Kick Off Your Weekend

I don't often use the phrase "mind blowing," mainly because I think it's overused in online articles, but when I saw these 3D printed sculptures that use strobe lights to simulate animation, my mind was a little bit blown.

One thing I love about looking at art is that because it's visual, you can almost always have an immediate "ahhh" or "ooh" moment, an instant connection or emotional experience. Looking at these sculptures is one of those "ooh" moments for me, not only are these visually stunning, but they make you appreciate the artist's attention to detail, their cleverness, and their ability to mesmerize you.

So here's what you do...

WATCH
 Watch this video of the sculpture in action and tell me you don't feel something right away! Watch it with your kids (who will want to watch again and again).

ASK
Ask them what they think about the work.
Was it hard to make?
How do you think they did that?
Do these exist in real life or are they just computer animations?

READ
Now read the caption under the video to find out how they did it and then watch it again!

Let's Visit a Museum!

Many parents might feel intimidated by the thought of taking a child into a museum, after all it is a place filled with millions of dollars worth of expensive, fragile works. But I say fear not parents! With a few guidelines you can make a visit to the museum a reality...

Let’s go!

Pick a museum that isn’t too far. I can’t think of any kid I know who likes driving long distances in the car only to get out and walk around a place where they aren’t supposed to run, touch or yell. Keep it within the limits of fun and try to find a museum near your house or vacation spot. Even if the museum isn’t large, the experience is still worth it.

The RULES!!!

Friends of mine has three daughters all under the age of 10 and they take them EVERYWHERE. When they get to a museum the first thing she tells them is “museum hands girls!” which means, we walk with our hands behind our backs to avoid the temptation of touching any of the art. While they don’t keep their hands behind their backs the entire time, the girls seem to understand the importance of looking, but not touching, to keep the art safe.

It’s always a good idea to go over the rules with your kids before you enter. Simple reminders like “we walk, we keep our hands to ourselves and use our eyes to see the art, and we can talk, but we don’t yell” are often enough to get you started. Don’t feel like you need to inundate them with rules and don’t worry if they aren’t perfect about remembering them all. I guarantee you they aren’t the first kids to enter a museum.

Begin Your Tour

Almost every museum I’ve ever been to has something for children. Whether it’s a map, an activity book or a special area just for them, there’s almost always something. Take advantage of this. Ask the person at the information desk or ticket booth for materials and start your journey!

In the rare chance that they don’t have ANYTHING for kids, ask if it’s ok to take pictures. If it is, I like to give my son our camera or phone and ask him to take pictures of his favorite pieces. Then afterwards we check them out at home and talk about why chose the ones he chose.

Another idea is to bring a small drawing notebook and pencil. Let your child sit and sketch in the gallery. They could try and recreate the a piece they are looking at, or make a spontaneous piece of their own.

Remember - go at your child's pace. This means you might not get to see everything, but you'll enjoy your visit so much more if you aren't trying to force your child to sit and stare at one piece for too long.

*HELPFUL HINT - If you go with another adult, you can take turns on kid duty. That way you each get time to meander through the galleries at your own pace and enjoy the art on your own time.

Take a Break!

You’ve been walking around the museum for about an hour now, are you hungry yet? Tired? Need to sit down? Chances are the answer is most likely “yes.” Make sure to take a break and often. Visiting a museum means lots of walking, lots of stimulation and for a child who has to follow so many rules, lots of self control! You could grab a bite to eat - most museums now have really yummy cafes, go hang out in the kid’s area - after a day of looking, but not touching, being free to draw, paint, explore and create is just what they’re little body needs, explore outside or on the rooftop - sometimes museums have sculpture gardens, or rooftop exhibits like this one at the MET featuring Jeff Koons’ playful, metal balloon animals.

Hit the Gift Shop

I know many parents dread the gift shop. It’s a trap! I know. But I always make a point to give my son a dollar or two when we visit a museum and encourage him to buy a magnet or a post card. The rule is, you have to get something related to our trip, not some cheap knick knack you could get anywhere else.  Taking home one of these items is a good way to remember your visit and the works you saw. Your child can pick out their favorite piece and it can hang on your fridge reminding them of their visit. Plus, I don’t know about you, but I will never have enough money to own fine art, but I think this is a good second runner up.

Above: My child showing his enthusiasm for art at the Cincinnati Art Museum this summer.