All the museum’s galleries will be open to the public free of charge during the festival.
This year marks the 22nd anniversary of the Long Beach Museum of Art’s Children’s Cultural Festival, a free, day-long celebration which will take place on Sunday, May 3 from noon to 4pm.
The Festival showcases performing artists and art-making activities that reflect the diversity of cultural and artistic traditions found in Long Beach and the surrounding communities. A storytelling component includes Long Beach VIPs and community leaders reading children’s stories to youngsters. As part of the celebration, all of the museum’s galleries are accessible free of charge to the general public during the festival, including the special “TAP Into Creativity” exhibition of artwork by homeless students.
The Children’s Cultural Festival was started 22 years ago by the Junior League of Long Beach and is now run by the museum’s Docent Council.
The festival is an enduring tradition because of the museum’s long-standing partnerships with local organizations and businesses. This year’s partners include Dramatic Results and the Long Beach Symphony, among others.
This year’s international artmaking booths include the following exciting activities: Chilean Rainsticks, Venetian Carnivale Masks, Lakota-Sioux Charm Bags, and Folk Art Pins. The Long Beach Symphony will present their hands-on “Instrument Petting Zoo” that allows visitors to experiment up-close and personal with a variety of orchestral and other musical instruments. Dramatic Results will host a fun and educational origami project.
A variety of performing groups are scheduled to participate in the festival, including: the Immortals— a Chinese lion dancing group that features colorful costumes, daring acrobatic feats, weaponry demonstrations and the pounding of drums and cymbals. Island Grooving Steel Drum Band will also perform their charismatic sounds of Caribbean melodies. The main stage will also feature a magician to engage family members of all ages. The Xipe Totec Aztec Dancers will light up the stage with colorful indigenous dances.
For more information, call (562) 439-2119 or visit www.lbma.org.
