On Saturday, May 16, 2009, more than 800 children and their families graced the grounds and the galleries of the Princeton University Art Museum for the much anticipated annual event, Family Day, sponsored by the Friends and Partners of the Princeton University Art Museum.

Drawing inspiration from the fascinating works on view in the special exhibition, Outside In: Chinese x American x Contemporary Art, on view through June 7, and the museum’s premier collection of Asian art, the Asian-themed event featured hands-on art projects including calligraphy, brush painting, origami, mask making, Chinese screens, and Chinese knotting; music and dance performances; and treasure hunts through the museum’s galleries. Next year’s Family Day will be held May 22, 2010.

 

Punctuating the event were live performances highlighting Asian culture, including fan and flag dances performed by the junior and senior dance troupe of the Princeton Chinese language School; a yo-yo team, also from the Princeton Chinese Language School, who dazzled audiences with their amazing skill; and a renowned chamber music ensemble, Music From China, who engaged families with their traditional Chinese instruments and interactive program.

 

Special thanks go to Susan Cheng and Music from China, as well as art teachers Amarilis Matteo, Phyllis Wright, Brad Holcombe, and Vicky Moy; the many students, parents, teachers, and staff from the Princeton Chinese Language School, who generously provided their time and talents to Family Day: Refen Koh, for her help in organizing the event’s program, Helen Nan, Tracy Kuo, Stephen Kuo, Jason Tam, Benjamin Hong, Mei J. Hong, Charlton Hook, Wen Chyi Shyu, Greg Tang, Yachuan Tang, Sheron Tang, Wee-fen Tsui, Shu-Hsin Hsieh and her senior dance troupe (Thea and Ingrid Ma and Emily and Brenda Lin), Grace Kuo and her junior dance troupe, Meiying Huang, Jeffrey Yang, Tian Tu, and Lavinia Zvyth.

 

Founded in 1882, the Princeton University Art Museum is one of the finest art museums in the country. Its collection features approximately 70,000 works ranging from ancient to contemporary art, and concentrating geographically on the Mediterranean regions, Western Europe, China, the United States, and Latin America, with particular strengths in Chinese painting and calligraphy, art of the ancient Americas, and pictorial photography. The museum is committed to serving the local community, the region, and beyond through innovative and dynamic programming, original research and new scholarship, an active loan program, and the organization of touring exhibitions of its works. By collaborating with faculty, students, and staff, and through direct and sustained access to original works of art, the museum contributes to the development of critical thinking and visual literacy at Princeton University.

 

The Princeton University Art Museum is located in the center of the Princeton University campus, next to Prospect House and only a short walk from Princeton’s Nassau Street. Museum admission is free and open to the general public. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Free highlights tours of the collection are given every Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays and major holidays. For information, please call (609) 258-3788 or visit the museum’s Web site at http://artmuseum.princeton.edu.