Family Day: Rooted in Clay

Inspired by Theaster Gates’s work in ceramics and sculpture, families will create 3-D art objects using air-dry clay. In collaboration with Hyde Park Art Center and with guidance from local artist and educator Malika Jackson, families will be encouraged to construct mobiles, stamps, pinch pots, & more as they shape, construct, and sculpt together!

Malika Jackson is a visual artist and educator who has taught in the Chicago Public Schools, charter school, community organizations, and the Hyde Park Art Center. She earned her BFA & MFA from the School of the Art Institute, studied at Illinois State University, and completed a ceramic workshop in Tuscany, Italy. Her works have been exhibited in galleries, festivals, and in both group and solo shows.

Hyde Park Art Center is a hub for contemporary arts in Chicago, serving as a gathering and production space for artists and the broader community to cultivate ideas, impact social change, and connect with new networks. The Art Center functions as an amplifier for today and tomorrow’s creative voices, providing the space to cultivate and create new work and connections.

"Community Ties" is also generously supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Please note this program will take place off-site at Hyde Park Art Center, located at 5020 S Cornell Ave, Chicago, IL 60615.

Registration is strongly encouraged to help the Smart team best prepare for the day. Walk-ins will be welcome as space allows. If you no longer can attend, kindly release your tickets so other families can attend. Thank you!

Family Day is a free monthly program at the Smart Museum of Art that invites kids of all ages and families of all kinds to create together and connect with one another. Each program is unique, fun, and free, emphasizing self-expression, experimentation, and hands-on creativity. Families can enjoy looking at art in the galleries and then make their way to the museum's lobby and/or courtyard (weather permitting) for an afternoon of art projects inspired by work from the exhibition. Art-making supplies and other materials are provided. Children under the age of 15 should be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Image: Photo from previous Family Day program, courtesy of Smart Museum of Art.

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