Mead Art Museum at Amherst College presents
The Nature of Art Pioneer Valley Community Celebration

This Saturday, April 30th families will have a free opportunity to visit the Mead Art Museum at Amherst College. Lots of interactive projects for kids and nature-themed lead tours of the museum's galleries.

On Saturday, April 30, 2011 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Mead Art Museum at Amherst College will host a family-friendly event exploring the natural world through art, and celebrating images of nature in Amherst’s art collection. The fun-filled afternoon of activities for children and adults of all ages is free and open to the public.

The Mead’s volunteer Docents, an energetic group of college students from Amherst and the Five Colleges, will lead the Nature-themed celebrations, guiding tours of the museum’s galleries and offering scavenger hunts that promise to challenge visitors’ powers of observation. The Docents will also lead interactive art-making projects, including animal mask making and face painting, and harnessing wind power with a custom kite building workshop.

“The natural world has inspired artists throughout history,” noted museum director and chief curator Elizabeth Barker. “The Nature of Art promises a fresh look at the natural wonders inside the Mead—and inside our visitors’ imaginations.”

A complete schedule of the museum’s events is posted on the Mead’s Web site. The Mead Art Museum houses the art collection of Amherst College, totaling more than 16,000 works. An accredited member of the American Association of Museums, the Mead participates in Museums10, a regional cultural collaboration. During the academic term, the museum is open Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to midnight and Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please visit www.amherst.edu/museums/mead, or call 413/542-2335.