Last year I was invited to the very first smART Gallery pop-up exhibition and fell in love with the concept. This temporary gallery, geared toward children and families, is back once again!
THE CONCEPT
It is rare (unfortunately) to find a child that volunteers to go to a conventional art gallery. I have met some and am enamored by their love of art, but my boys, for example, would rather do homework. Enter an exhibition where the paintings and sculptures are AT THEIR EYE LEVEL – 36″!
At smART Gallery, the children can experience the art as it should be experienced without having to strain themselves to look. All artwork is created by professional artists from all over the United States. The art isn’t “kiddy” in nature (of course all PG-rated), but instead pieces that you would see in a conventional gallery or museum, just at a different height and flair.
Anabel Llopis, senior director of sales and marketing for Aventura Mall, said literacy and art are at the core of the shopping center’s mission to enhance the lives of local residents. smART Gallery will also welcome hundreds of students from area grade schools.
“smART gallery provides a fantastic experience for families and children of all ages,” Llopis said. “For many, this is their first time visiting a gallery, so we present art in an engaging, interactive way. Kids realize that art can be fun and it sets them on path to enjoying culture.”
SMART GALLERY GIVING BACK
All of the artwork is for sale, and my favorite part – proceeds go to Miami-Dade Family Learning Partnership! The Family Learning Partnership focuses on literacy for the entire family, support, child welfare, and research. They head up many different initiatives for the community such as Reach Out and Read Miami, All in the Family Program, Legal Up!, and the Read to Learn Book Club. You can learn more about each initiative HERE!
EVENT DETAILS
The smART Gallery is FREE! It will be located on the upper level of Aventura Mall, next to Zara. The hours of operation are Thursday, April 12 and Friday, April 13 from 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm. Saturday, April 14th will be full day of fun from 10:00 am – 6:00 pm.
Thursday | Kids Club (10:00-11:00):
- Self-Portraits
- Color Mixing Station
- Collage Color Matching
- Kusama Dots on White Wall Area
- Pop Art Tarts
- Book Give Away: Mouse Paint
Thursday & Friday 4:00-8:00 pm
- Self-Portrait
- Henri Matisse – The Cut Outs
- Kusama Dot Art
- Mondrian/Tile Art
Family Day: Saturday 10:00 am- 6:00 pm
- Self-Portrait
- Kadinsky Concentric Circles
- Henri Matisse – The Cut Outs
- Kusama Dot Art
- Mondrian
- Sculpture
- Pop Art
- Live Painting
The closest parking will be in the new garage on the east side of the mall, next to the Aventura Slide Tower.
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