Family Days

What is a VMFA Family Day?

Bring the entire family and discover the richness of cultures from around the world, the science behind art-making, and the stories of the artists and their art. Become an artist for the day while exploring traditional art objects, art activities, and performances and entertainment related to VMFA’s collection and special exhibitions. Activities are recommended for children ages 3–12. Children must be accompanied by an adult. All ages welcome. Free; no tickets required.

Upcoming Family Day Events: Save the Date

Family Day | Celebrate African & African American Art: Nigeria

Sat, Jun 8, 2024 | 11 am–3 pm
Museum-wide

Come to VMFA for this year’s Family Day celebration of African and African American art and culture. Explore the galleries, enjoy engaging performances, take part in art activities, and participate in collaborative projects!

Free; no tickets required. 

Celebrate the Art of Latin America: Brazil

Sat, Sep 14, 2024 | 11 am–3 pm
Museum-wide

Join us as we celebrate the art, culture, and traditions of Brazil! Through art activities, performances, and artist demonstrations, discover the history and culture of this diverse country. Play and relax in VMFA’s Sculpture Garden and stop by Best Café.

Free; no tickets required.

Want to Volunteer at Family Day?

Volunteers are key to making Family Days possible! Volunteers for Family Days should be friendly, patient, and customer service-oriented. Likewise, they should enjoy working with a large, diverse, multi-generational audience. A few of the Family Day volunteering positions include the following:

Greeting visitors and directing them to activities
Facilitating our Welcome Table and Survey/Prize Table
Helping with art activity stations
Assisting artists and performers
Ushering guests into and out of performances and film screenings
Preparing and disseminating event materials
Helping with setup and cleanup

Become a Volunteer

Artist Highlights

Artist Spotlight: Alfonso Pérez Acosta

During our 2023 Celebrate the Art of Latin America: Colombia Family Day event, guests joined in this participatory art demonstration by Colombian artist, Alfonso Pérez Acosta, involving a large-scale drawing made with Colombian coffee and an open invitation for guests to interact with very meaningful elements about Colombian culture.

Coffee tasting cups in the colors of the Colombian flag – yellow, blue, and red – were provided and guests created their own unique drawing directly onto the cup, which Alfonso Pérez Acosta then contributed to the large-scale drawing. The drawing itself contains an outline of Colombia and the words JÚBILO INMORTAL (Immortal Joy), which according to the artist, is inspired by a line from Colombia’s national anthem and represents the spirit of the celebration.

Alfonso Pérez Acosta intersects art and education through multimedia languages in a variety of community-based projects, with a special interest in contemporary drawing and healing practices.

To learn more about the artist and his work, visit the Alfonso Pérez Acosta website.

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Artist Spotlight: Noah Scalin

During our 2016 Celebrate African and African American Art: Culture King Family Day event, local artist Noah Scalin created an installation of a large-scale anamorphic portrait based on a photograph by James Conway Farley from the collection of The Valentine. Art Materials for this project donated by Diversity Thrift.