So you woke up and it’s raining. So much for the zoo! But how about the art museum? What if you don’t even have to leave the house?
Quick!
Gather some frou-frou clothing for dress up–like scarves, hats, and even wigs. Pull out every famous print you own–from art books to framed wall hangings. Gather statuettes, blown glass, and if you want to, print off some famous paintings from the Internet. You’re going to turn the dining room into an art gallery.
Next, food. Think eclectic–pasta, olives, pastries, flavored tea. Set the table with your best dishes and decorate the room like an art gallery with your prints and statuettes. Write “The Gallery” in swirly letters on a piece of paper, and tape it to the entry.
That’s the first part. Now to plan some more fun.
Dig through drawers for potential art media, like bread ties, pipe cleaners, and play dough for sculpting and milk tops, beans, and fabric scraps for collages. Set up the garage or back porch as an art studio. Drag out your art supplies–papers, pens, pencils, markers, paints, brushes, canvases, and chalk. Set up tables with drapes, easels if you have them, and stools for sculpting upon. You’ll also need smocks or aprons and a wild, inspiring sign that reads, “The Studio”.
Now to bring in the family. Dress up in your most artistic costume, then fold costumes for each of your family members. Atop each pile of clothing, pin a handwritten, fancy invitation to your art showing and dinner, and promise loads of colorful fun for dessert. Be sure to put the time and location of the event, and tell guests to wear their invitations (the clothes). You can say something like, “Be transported to a world where creativity reigns, and you are the king/queen of imagination. Where: Dining Room, When: High Noon Today, How: By wearing the attached attire, Admission: An open mind.
Play your favorite artsy music, and greet your guests with a tray of play dough balls to keep them busy while you serve the food and drinks. Ask fun questions over dinner, like, “Who is your favorite artist and why?”, or for the younger crowd, “What is your favorite color and why?” Have a quiz about the prints you gathered: Who is the artist? What’s the name of the piece? Where was the artist born? For the young ones, ask which is their favorite and why–or what they think the subjects of the painting or statuette may be thinking.
After dinner, leave the dishes, and whisk your guests off to the studio for an afternoon of creative expression. Everyone can try all the media, or chose one to work in exclusively. They may bring in the prints or books for inspiration. Some crazy, jazzy instrumental music may help creative juices flow (and cover the grumbles of those flowing digestive juices from dinner).
At the end of the day, as hostess, you are also judge. Make out awards on paper squares for each art project. Hold a competition and distribute the awards–most colorful, most fun, weirdest, wildest, and, of course, best of show.
Voila–a rainy day turns fabuloso.