These Museums ROCK!
Springfield (MA)—The Springfield Museums present These Museums Rock! April School Vacation week, with special, facilitated and independent programing April 18-22, free with museum admission.
Inspired by current exhibits Under the Arctic: Digging into the Permafrost and Front Row Center: Icons of Rock, Blues and Soul, the school vacation week activities explore themes of geology and music with hands-on, facilitated activities.
“Connections help people of all ages better understand ideas,” said Clarissa Leverich, Family Engagement Coordinator for the Springfield Museums. “Our wonderful task is to take complicated ideas and present them in accessible, fun ways. Playful learning is a wonderful pathway to ah-hah moments and memories that fuel creative thought.”
In addition to daily activities, listed below, the Museums will host the Fourth Wall Ensembleon Thursday, April 21, 12:30 pm at Davis Auditorium. The Fourth Wall’s mission is to create programming that engages everyone from elementary school children to classical performance connoisseurs through a new hybrid of the performing arts in which musicians are also actors and dancers. In a theater, breaking the fourth wall brings the world on stage directly into the audience; as an ensemble, The Fourth Wall, breaks the barrier between serious art and serious fun.
The very popular Watershed Table will also be available for hands-on exploration facilitated by US Fish and Wildlife Service staff. “This is a wonderful opportunity to learn how flowing water can change the landscape,” Leverich said. “This activity is always popular, especially with our Fish and Wildlife friends offering thoughts about conservation, preservation, and recreation.”
The exhibits that inspired all the playful learning also include experiences that go beyond looking.
Under the Arctic: Digging into Permafrost examines the science of climate change with a series of hands-on, immersive stations. “This exhibit is inspiring,” said Jenny Powers, Director of the Science Museum. “For even the youngest visitor, there is accessible science available to help us all better understand how change in one area can affect us all.” The exhibit is also enhanced by video interviews of Indigenous peoples talking about how their landscape has changed and how they are working to preserve it.
Front Row Center: Icons of Rock, Blues, and Soul gives visitors the opportunity to view remarkable and memorable musicians in the midst of performance. “Larry Hulst, who is the photographer behind the works in this exhibit, offers us a rare glimpse into modern music history in the making,” said Maggie North, Curator of Art for the Springfield Museums. “With his own remarkable sense for composition and eye for capturing energy, he presents images that speak to the individuality and power of each performer.” This exhibit includes directional speakers, which visitors can step beneath to hear music, and visual descriptions, which visitors can access with their phones to hear the photograph described. “The visual description is a feature especially for visitors who are Blind, and they also help all visitors pause and look closely,” North said.
SCHOOL VACATION WEEK SPECIAL EVENTS
Tuesday (April 19) & Thursday (April 21), 11:00-3:00: Watershed Table – Join our friends from Fish & Wildlife to learn about how water impacts the local geology. (Springfield Science Museum, lower level)
Thursday (April 21) 12:30: The Fourth Wall Ensemble – Watch music come to life in this entertaining show! The Fourth Wall Ensemble will delight you with a new hybrid of the performing arts in which musicians are also actors and dancers! (D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts, Davis Auditorium)
ONGOING DAILY ACTIVITIES
Daily 11:00-3:00 Graham Tectonics – Explore the science behind plate tectonics with graham crackers and cool whip. Create your own mini earthquake! (Springfield Science Museum, Science Lab)
Daily 11:00-3:00 Crayon Rocks – Learn about the different processes behind the 3 rock types by experimenting with crayons! Make your own rock to take home and color with! (Springfield Science Museum, Science Workshop)
Daily 11:00-3:00 Instrument Making – Make your own instrument to rock out on with recycled materials. (Springfield Science Museum, Tolman Auditorium)
Daily 11:00-3:00 Rockin’ Scavenger Hunt – Explore the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts to find the instruments and rocks represented throughout the Museum. Claim your prize when done! (D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts, Blake Court)
Daily Noon-4:00 pm Pet Rocks – Looking for a pet that can sit and stay and won’t run away? Come make your own in the Art Discovery Center! (GWV Smith Art Museum, Art Discovery Center)
Springfieldmuseums.org, One Admission/Five Museums,
including the one and only Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum
Parking is always FREE
About The Springfield Museums
THE SPRINGFIELD MUSEUMS are located on the Quadrangle at 21 Edwards Street in the heart of downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. The nationally accredited and Smithsonian-affiliated consortium of museums includes the Springfield Science Museum, the Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts, the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, and the Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum, the first and only museum dedicated to the beloved children’s book author and Springfield native.