For the Keiki & Ohana: The Honolulu Academy of Arts

For the Keiki and Ohana

Where can you go with your keiki to make ceramic green dragons, bubble art and paper mache hot air balloons? Why, the Honolulu Academy of Arts, of course!  Hand in hand with my 5 year old son, we gleefully went to classes one day a week during this past summer and I would highly recommend it.

Photo Credit: Takayuki

Classes for both youth and adult are offered during the Spring, Summer and Fall semesters at the Academy Art Center at Linekoa. The next round of classes begins on September 28, 2009. The youth classes are open to grades kindergarten (aged 5) through the 12th grade in high school. Adults can enjoy taking classes with their little ones during the summer months, but during the Fall and Spring semesters, classes for the youth are independent of adults. The current offerings include everything from “Exploring Art” for grades K through 4 to “Mixed Media Sculpture” for grades 7 through 12 and even “Wednesday Afterschool Cartooning”. Classes will run for 11 Saturdays, from September 26–December 12,2009 (no meeting on November 28th) from 9–11am or 1 to 3pm. Tuition is $165 for most classes; some may require extra lab fees.

In addition to these classes, The Honolulu Academy of Arts has other ongoing programs for the keiki and ohana. Bank of Hawaii Family Sundays offer free Sundays on the third Sunday of each month. Their website reads:

“The doors will be open free of charge from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. for all residents and visitors to browse at their leisure through Hawaii’s premier cultural institution. Between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. there will be live entertainment, art projects for kids, gallery hunts, and artist demonstrations. The Pavilion Café will serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.”

There are also Keiki Kits, which are specially designed tote bags that can help keiki and their ohana better enjoy their museum visit. The bags are free and themes range from “Shapes Stand Out; Crazy About Colors” for pre-schoolers and kindergarteners to “Unroll Your Imagination: Experience Chinese Landscape Painting” for the older keiki.

Interested in learning more? Sign up for the free Artsy Keiki Newsletter (also available via email or download) from the Honolulu Academy of Arts Education Department, by contacting keikinews@honoluluacademy.org or calling (808) 532-8726.