Miami Beach, FL. (January 2012) — On Sunday, January 29, 2012 the Bass Museum of Art will introduce the Lindemann Family Creativity Center. The museum will commemorate the opening of the center with an inauguration ceremony and ribbon cutting at 12:30 p.m. followed by family activities from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. as well as a fortune telling by artist David Rohn, also known as “The Amazing Ultran.” Regularly scheduled family day activities will also take place in the museum’s café from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
“Finally, we have a place to experiment, essentially create a laboratory for artistic experiments, where teachers, parents and children can be inspired to solve design problems and stimulate their imaginative energies. The specially designed work tables and art equipment make this classroom space unique in South Florida,” says President of the Board of Directors at the Bass Museum of Art, George Lindemann.
The fun-filled afternoon will celebrate the magic of art, featuring inventive art projects for children and a magic show by Gary Goodman at 3 p.m. The new Lindemann Family Creativity Center will be the home of the museum’s IDEA@thebass program of art classes and workshops. Developed in conjunction with Stanford University’s acclaimed Institute of Design, IDEA classes employ a method of teaching known as “Design Thinking,” an open-ended method of problem solving that allows children to brainstorm, work in teams and engage in creative play.
“IDEA@thebass is about creativity and promoting 21st century skills through art. For the past three years, George Lindemann, our Board President, has championed and supported this program and its in-school and in museum components. The Lindemann Family Creativity Center, the base camp for this program, will serve as a lab for innovation,” says Bass Museum of Art’s Executive Director and Chief Curator Silvia Karman Cubiñá.
In addition, the Bass Museum of Art will introduce two new children’s programs with multiple sessions spanning February through May. The Bass Babies program for ages 2 – 4 will be held weekly on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and allow parents and their toddles to tap into their creative side while learning the basics of art. The Bass Buddies program for ages 4 – 6 will be held every other Saturday from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and will include specific art lessons that are paired with a fitting song. Other activities may include science experiments, slide shows, museum walks and short stories.
On February 3, 2012 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. the Bass Museum of Art will host its monthly Beats After Sunset happy hour with sounds by DJ Joesef-K. The event will serve as the unofficial beats relaunch with an introduction of its new host committee and after party sponsor Chalk Ping Pong & Billiards Lounge.
Guests will enjoy complimentary Little Black Dress vodka and Herradura tequila cocktails provided by Brown Forman as well as sparkling water by Perrier. Chalk Ping Pong & Billiards Lounge will set the tone for the evening with a ping pong table centered in the museum’s café. Following the happy hour, guests are invited to the after party at Chalk and will receive two drink tickets along with free ping pong from 11 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Exhibits on view include “Laurent Grasso: Portrait of a Young Man” and “Erwin Wurm: Beauty Business.” As a special additional to this month’s beats, Erwin Wurm’s “Drinking Sculptures” will be activated with classic spirits to enjoy while admiring the exhibit.
Admission to the museum and activities are free of charge as always on IDEA@thebass family days.
The Lindemann Family Creativity Center will be open during regular business hours and serve as a creative outlet for drop-in art fun for the entire family. An art instructor will be available to assist with the many projects developed for the center. Additionally, the center will house the very popular Thursday afternoon Art Club for Adults led by the museum’s Director of Education, Dr. Adrienne von Lates. Admission to the museum and the Lindemann Family Creativity Center is free for Miami Beach residents and cost of museum admission for adults ($8, students $6, and children under 6 are free).
Lindemann Family Creativity Center is generously supported by George Lindemann, the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; The Children’s Trust – The Trust is a dedicated source of revenue established by voter referendum to improve the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County; John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Debbie and Jeff Weschler and Bass Museum of Art membership.
About the Bass Museum of Art:
Located in Miami Beach, the Bass Museum of Art offers a dynamic year-round calendar of exhibitions exploring the connections between contemporary art and works of art from its permanent collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings, sculpture, textiles, Apulian Vessel Gallery and Egyptian Gallery. Artists’ projects, educational programs, lectures, concerts and free family days complement the works on view. Founded in 1963 when the City of Miami Beach accepted a collection of Renaissance and Baroque works of art from collectors John and Johanna Bass, the collection was housed in an Art Deco building designed in 1930 by Russell Pancoast. Architect Arata Isozaki designed an addition to the museum between 1998 and 2002 that doubled its size from 15,000 to 35,000 square feet. Most recently, the museum selected internationally acclaimed Oppenheim Architecture + Design to lead its first phase of design and renovation tied to the 2010 completion of Miami Beach’s Collins Park. Oppenheim redesigned and relocated the museum’s arrival area to flow from and into the new park on Collins Avenue. For more information, please visit http://www.bassmuseum.org
The Bass Museum of Art is generously funded by the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; The Children’s Trust. The Trust is a dedicated source of revenue established by voter referendum to improve the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County; the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; and sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture and Bass Museum of Art membership.