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Valley museums get into the holiday spirit
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
Stefanie Morgan has been to the Butler Institute of American Art on only two occasions, but one major, family-friendly event likely will change all of that.
“It’s our new tradition,” the Niles woman said about having the internationally renowned museum on her to-visit list.
Placing the Butler front and center on Morgan’s radar screen was having attended Sunday afternoon’s second annual Holiday Fun Day at the museum, 524 Wick Ave., on the North Side, with her 5-year-old daughter, Chloe.
Sponsoring the three-hour fest was Stifel Nicolaus, a brokerage and investment banking firm.
Hundreds of children and adults attended the holiday-themed gathering, which was to expose more people to and make them feel welcome at the Butler, jump-start getting them into the holiday spirit, deepen their appreciation for art and culture and let them “explore art and creativity, which enriches lives,” noted Wendy Swick, public-relations director.
The event fit squarely into Chloe’s interest of painting pictures of people, rainbows and trees. In addition, Chloe, a kindergarten student at Seaborn Elementary School in Mineral Ridge, enjoys painting rocks and giving them to others, her mother said with pride.
In addition, Chloe, whose passions also are dancing, gymnastics and being part of a Girl Scout troop, was among the youngsters who challenged themselves to a scavenger hunt in one of the art galleries. Participants were tasked with matching the paintings with their titles, then connecting on a piece of paper a set of clues with the correct piece of artwork.
The funfest fulfilled a diet of fun for Jessica Farrier of Youngstown, who brought her son, Kvaughn Royal, 11, and granddaughters La’Kiyah Williams, 5, and Aubrielle Williams, 2.
“They love going and doing,” Farrier said about the youngsters. “Whatever events are in Youngstown, we go.”
Farrier, who works as a caregiver for an area group home, added that she frequently visited the Butler when she was a child and appreciates the changes it has undergone over the years. Sunday’s holiday gathering also brought back fond memories, she continued.
Even though art isn’t a budding interest for him, several exhibits were quite captivating, said Kvaughn, a Volney Rogers Middle School sixth-grader.
Other offerings included face-painting and decorating paper bags with colored markers. Several children, including siblings Amber Jarvis, 5, and Jamie Jarvis, 8, sat at another table with their parents to color a series of intricate designs.
Accompanying Amber and Jamie were their parents, Robert and Hazel Jarvis, who moved the family to Canfield last spring from London after Robert had accepted a job at Arconic Titanium & Engineered Products in Niles.
“We traveled all the way from London for this [event],” Robert joked.
Many children enjoyed a specialized activity called aluminum tooling art, in which they used high-grade aluminum artists foil, pieces of colored felt and wooden sticks to create drawings depicting something reminiscent of summer, before attaching the aluminum to the felt.
Others were busy making artwork that more closely captures the season: snow globe ornaments. The youngsters colored paper plates before adding white, flaky polyester fiber that simulated snow and enclosing the plates.
Another endeavor that was pleasing to some was using wooden sticks on black shapes of paper, which exposed a variety of hidden colors and allowed them to create a series of artistic designs.
Those not engaged in some type of artistic endeavor likely were standing in a long line waiting to visit Santa Claus, who made an early holiday appearance at the Butler.
Swick, the public-relations director, said she hopes events such as Sunday’s Holiday Fun Day also will have the long-lasting effect of stimulating people’s interest in the Butler across generations.
“Kids grow up knowing the museum and will bring their families,” she added.