ACTIVITIES 10AM-2PM | FREE ADMISSION ALL DAY!
Celebrate the 53rd Annual Hartford Youth Art Renaissance, featuring artwork by K–12 students created in collaboration with Hartford Public Schools art classrooms. Join us to honor Hartford’s talented young artists, dedicated educators, and families. Create your own take-home art frame using a variety of materials and enjoy outdoor fun with face painting, lawn games, and more!
Second Saturdays for Families is supported by the Art Bridges Foundation, Connecticut Health and Education Facilities Authority (CHEFA), the Andrew J. and Joyce D. Mandell Family Foundation, the Ensworth Charitable Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee, the George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee, the J. Walton Bissell Foundation, Inc., the David T. Langrock Foundation, and the Charles Nelson Robinson Fund, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee. Program supplies are generously donated by S&S Worldwide.
ACTIVITIES 10AM-2PM | FREE ADMISSION ALL DAY!
Celebrate the 53rd Annual Hartford Youth Art Renaissance, featuring artwork by K–12 students created in collaboration with Hartford Public Schools art classrooms. Join us to honor Hartford’s talented young artists, dedicated educators, and families. Create your own take-home art frame using a variety of materials and enjoy outdoor fun with face painting, lawn games, and more!
Second Saturdays for Families is supported by the Art Bridges Foundation, Connecticut Health and Education Facilities Authority (CHEFA), the Andrew J. and Joyce D. Mandell Family Foundation, the Ensworth Charitable Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee, the George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee, the J. Walton Bissell Foundation, Inc., the David T. Langrock Foundation, and the Charles Nelson Robinson Fund, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee. Program supplies are generously donated by S&S Worldwide.
Escape into art with a new experience every month. Cash bar, nibbles, live music, and more. Join us for a Renaissance Faire on the front lawn! Come in costume, take a picture on the King’s throne, and enjoy a medley of entertainment, including acrobatics, stilt walking, and juggling. Outwit your opponent in a game of chess, enjoy a pint of mead, and stay for a screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Bring your own picnic blanket or lawn chair. No weapons or weapon props allowed. Program will move indoors in the event of inclement weather.
Free. Registration encouraged.
First Thursdays is generously funded by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All Program.
Erin Monroe, Krieble Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture, and Katie Tycz, Interim Richard Koopman Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts, examine the formation of the United States through the perspective of 19th-century American artists, and explore how the artworks on view in Radical Roots helped position the “Land of Steady Habits” as a center of radical thought and nation-building from the 17th century onward.
Free with admission. Registration encouraged. Meet outside the Museum Shop.
George Francis (American, 1790–1873), Charter Oak and Wyllys House, c. 1856–8. Oil on wood panel. Gift of William F. Steel, 1931.126
The Center for Contemporary Printmaking invites you to celebrate the opening of the 10th Biennial FOOTPRINT International Competition on Sunday, June 7, 2026, from 2–4 PM. Join us for an afternoon of drinks, lite bites, and conversation with several of the artists featured in this dynamic international exhibition. Juried by Dr. Amé Bell, the exhibition highlights contemporary innovation in printmaking from artists around the world.
The Biennial FOOTPRINT International Competition showcases current trends in contemporary printmaking within the unique constraint of the one square foot (12” x 12”) format. Though now embraced by contemporary artists, the square composition was historically uncommon in art and presents distinct creative challenges in balance, structure, and visual expression. Within these precise dimensions, artists are challenged to create compelling and original works that push the boundaries of printmaking.
All fine-art printmaking mediums are represented in the exhibition, including woodcut, intaglio, lithography, screenprint, monotype, and original digital media. For the 2026 competition, Dr. Bell reviewed 360 submissions from artists across the globe and selected 90 prints for inclusion in the exhibition.
Join us on Saturday, June 13, from 1–3 PM for a FREE Screenprinting Summer Sampler Session at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking! Perfect for beginners, families, and curious creatives, this hands-on workshop offers a fun introduction to the art of screenprinting. Open to all ages and experience levels, participants under 14 must attend with an adult.
We will be printing pre-designed images on paper, but if you would like to bring your own t-shirt, bandana, tote bag, or other fabric item, we will help you print our design onto that as well!
All materials are provided, and you’ll leave with a unique handmade print in just minutes!
Join us for a joyful, family-friendly afternoon celebrating Flag Day with art, music, and community.
Free & Open to All
• Complimentary Ice Cream Social
• Live Music by Sweetcake Mountain Bluegrass Band
• Family Fun Activities: Face Painting by Picasso Parties + Pop-up Circus Zone by Circus Moves
Celebrate Flag Day with Fairfield University | Arts & Minds!
Spend a summer afternoon on campus enjoying live bluegrass, free ice cream, and activities for all ages. Bring the kids, meet friends, and soak in the spirit of the day on campus.
The Fairfield University Art Museum will be open from 1–5 p.m., featuring the exhibition For Which It Stands in both galleries.
Location: In front of the Quick Center for the Arts + Fairfield University Art Museum (Bellarmine Hall Galleries and Walsh Gallery)
Join Carey Weber, curator of For Which It Stands… and Executive Director of the Fairfield University Art Museum, for an exhibition tour!
Wednesday, May 27, 12 noon: Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, Walsh Gallery
Thursday, June 18, 5:30 p.m.: Bellarmine Hall Galleries
About the exhibition: This exhibition examines depictions of the American flag through 70+ works by a diverse group of artists, beginning during WWI with Childe Hassam’s Italian Day, May 1918 and continuing to the present day, including a textile sculpture commissioned for the show from Maria de Los Angeles. The exhibition includes work in a variety of media by artists including Jasper Johns, Faith Ringgold, Robert Rauschenberg, Shepard Fairey, and Julie Mehretu, and challenges viewers to consider who the American flag truly represents and whether justice is available to all.
For Which It Stands… forms part of America250: The Promise and Paradox, an initiative through which Fairfield University Explores 250 Years of the American Experiment.
Join Carey Weber, curator of For Which It Stands… and Executive Director of the Fairfield University Art Museum, for an exhibition tour!
Thursday, June 18, 5:30 p.m. : Bellarmine Hall Galleries
About the exhibition: This exhibition examines depictions of the American flag through 70+ works by a diverse group of artists, beginning during WWI with Childe Hassam’s Italian Day, May 1918 and continuing to the present day, including a textile sculpture commissioned for the show from Maria de Los Angeles. The exhibition includes work in a variety of media by artists including Jasper Johns, Faith Ringgold, Robert Rauschenberg, Shepard Fairey, and Julie Mehretu, and challenges viewers to consider who the American flag truly represents and whether justice is available to all.
For Which It Stands… forms part of America250: The Promise and Paradox, an initiative through which Fairfield University Explores 250 Years of the American Experiment.
FAMILY DAY
Looking for creative, engaging activities for the whole family? AMP’s Family Days offer an exciting lineup of hands-on activities for children of all ages. Games, storytimes, art projects, and interactive learning programs spark kids’ curiosity and creativity—and celebrate the art of work. AMP’s Family Days are the perfect way to spend quality time together.
𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵. 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝘆!
Family Days also coincide with AMP’s popular Teen Art Studio from 10:30am–1:30pm—something for everyone in the family.
May 9 Family Day Schedule
𝟭𝟭𝗮𝗺: 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 & 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁
With beloved Beardsley children’s librarian Carol Parent
𝟭𝟮𝗽𝗺: 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗠𝗣
Art-making, scavenger hunts, puzzles, games and kid-friendly tours
𝟭𝟮:𝟯𝟬𝗽𝗺: 𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗕𝗨𝗗, 𝗠𝗢𝗠’𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗! 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺
Our May Family Day celebrates two things we love: motherhood and flowers. Our featured art activities include a crepe flower-making station, a Georgia O’Keefe-inspired tissue paper collage, and flower weaving. These make-and-take projects are all great Mother’s Day gifts for mom, aunts, grandmothers, or anyone you love! Budding gardeners can also work with members of local garden clubs to get AMP’s planter boxers ready for the summer.