Smithsonian American Art Museum Celebrates 2016 National Cherry Blossom Festival With Family Activities
The Smithsonian American Art Museum will present an afternoon of activities for children and families Saturday, April 9, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in honor of Washington, D.C.’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival. The museum’s Cherry Blossom Celebration will include crafts, live musical performances and taiko drumming.
Visitors can make koinobori windsocks to celebrate the arrival of spring and create hand-print cherry trees at craft tables, as well as enjoy paper-fan making with representatives from the Smithsonian’s Freer and Sackler galleries. Acclaimed musician Masayo Ishigure and her students will perform songs on the koto, a traditional Japanese string instrument, and the shakuhachi, a traditional bamboo flute. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library will participate with a spring book corner, featuring topical titles to encourage young readers. Taiko drummers from Nen Daiko, the ensemble of the Ekoji Buddhist Temple, will perform at the opening and closing of the program. The Cherry Blossom Celebration is part of the museum’s popular “Family Festival” series of monthly programs designed to spark learning, creativity and appreciation for the arts.
The family program will be held in the museum’s Kogod Courtyard and is free of charge. Visit americanart.si.edu/family for more information and a schedule of the activities planned throughout the day.
A selection of products featuring cherry blossom-themed artworks will be for sale in the museum store.
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About the Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is the flagship museum in the United States for American art and craft. It is home to one of the most significant and inclusive collections of American art in the world. The museum’s main building, located at Eighth and G streets N.W., is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The museum’s Renwick Gallery, a branch museum dedicated to contemporary craft, is located on Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street N.W. and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Check online for current hours and admission information. Admission is free. Follow the museum on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Smithsonian information: (202) 633-1000. Museum information (recorded): (202) 633-7970. Website: americanart.si.edu.
