The museum studies class was given the opportunity to host activities of our choosing at the Katonah Museum's Family Day based on the Matisse exhibition. Local families were invited to observe Matisse's artwork and take part in fun projects and free admission! During or F period meetings my museum studies class and I brainstormed ideas for fun, interactive family activities that connected to the Matisse artwork on display. We focused on Matisse's overarching style of line, and lack of detail that forces the viewer to imagine and interpret. The activities included "Trace a Face" and "Drawing with Yarn".

The thinking behind the yarn drawing activity was to challenge the young artists by allowing them to duplicate one of Matisse's works using only one piece of yarn and a felt background.

The activity that we favored as a class was "Trace a Face". It was very appropriate for family day because it required two participants. Artist and model sit across from each other, with a sheet of plexiglass between them. The artist uses a dry-erase marker to simply outline the models face.

Family day was a huge success, it attracted more than 500 curious-minded kids and our Wooster students were working alongside the other volunteers for five hours straight. The Museum Studies class was thrilled to be given the opportunity to contribute and volunteer at a the KMA. We learned a lot about what it takes to run a museum and to educate young learners about the significance of artwork and creation through the eyes of such an exquisite artist like Matisse.

All photos provided by Margaret Fox Photography