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Our families greatly enjoy the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA): attending the Children’s Theatre Company, enjoying the Target Family Days, or just meandering through the galleries. You know it’s a great museum when you offer the kids the opportunity to go to the Mall of America or the Art Museum, and hands down the Art Museum wins! There is so much to look at and so much open space! Also, and most importantly, the Minneapolis Institute of Art has a lot of staff strategically posted throughout the entire museum. This is great for a number of reasons. The Minneapolis Institute of Art is open to the public with a freewill donation box in the lobby. They sometimes have traveling/rotating exhibits that require a fee, but you can thoroughly enjoy the museum with or without viewing that gallery. Gianna would suggest if you want to visit the traveling exhibit, to go without kids. (However, Joy notes that kids are sometimes given free tickets to these events if you ask.) Part of the reason the MIA is so fantastic is that you can spend a little time or a long time there without feeling like you need to get your money’s worth! When you get to the MIA, you can park in the ramp on 3rd Ave which is $4 for the first hour (and an additional fee for every hour after). Or you may be able to find street parking for free. They have a small restaurant that also serves coffee. Otherwise, if you are looking for something to eat, it’s just down the road from Nicollet Avenue (Eat Street) and not far from Lyndale Avenue or Hennepin Avenue. Minneapolis Institute of Art can be one of your family favorites, too. On the second Sunday of the month, Target sponsors a Family Day at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA). While admission to the MIA is always by donation, and the museum is always open to families, Target’s Family Day at the MIA is an event that is worth attending with many an array of extra-fun activities promoting art enjoyment and a theme featuring a unique perspective of the galleries. Themes often tie in with current exhibits and sometimes they offer free entry to current pay exhibits on these days. Also, watch for special Family Night Out programming. These don’t currently have a regular schedule. Like Family Days, families can go on a scavenger hunts in the galleries, or create art together. There is also a drop-off are where kids ages 4+ can create while their parents spend some adult-time in the museum – drink coffees, explore the galleries, shop the gift shop, whatever. Anytime, families can enjoy the Family Center. Sometimes that is all we do when we visit. We don’t call it the “Family Center” though, we call it the “Block Room”. It also has a family restroom and nursing area inside it. Joy has fallen asleep in there when she was pregnant and exhausted. MIA has always been the best museum for affordability with so much to see for free. However, did you know that membership can also be free? MIA offers membership for whatever you want to pay. Pay what you can afford or whatever you think a membership is worth to your family. Any membership from $0-$149 includes ticketing privileges, discounts (20% at the store), complimentary tours, communications and invitations. It also includes special days when MIA members get into paid exhibits for free and/or before the general public.There really isn’t a good reason NOT to join. Higher levels receive additional perks. The MIA’s website has a handy page for Teachers and Students that is equally useful to parents hoping to make their visit a little more meaningful. It offers online resources and downloads that offer a little extra information. Another fun thing to do is buy or borrow from the library the book, Can You Find It? by Judith Cressy*. This book is put out by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and teaches a game for learning to look closer at art. You can read the book and play the game at home and then try it out on your own at the MIA. Fifteen years ago, two small town girls drove into the big city to try to find a museum that was featuring flower displays. When I was a senior in college, 3 months away from my wedding date, my roommate and I planned a roommate day together. We decided to enjoy the Twin Cities by heading out to Art in Bloom at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Did we get lost? Yes. Did we eventually find it? Yes. Did we enjoy it? Let me just put it this way. I have been waiting for 15 years to go back and finally this weekend, I may actually get to see it. The best part about this annual event is that even if our feisty Minnesota weather is being fickle, we can still pretend it’s warm! Art in Bloom is a celebration of beauty. There are over 150 floral arrangements interpreting art pieces. It’s time for Gianna to be a truthful and once again admit that I don’t get art. I like pretty pictures and cool artifacts, but I have never exactly understood art. I say all this to let you know that if I don’t get art itself, there is a high possibility that I won’t understand the floral arrangements interpreting the art pieces. However! I still love the MIA and I love beautiful flower arrangements, so this event is a win/win no matter if you are an art-buff or not. Art in Bloom is going on Thursday-Sunday during museum hours. Saturday from 10:30 am-1:00 pm is Family Day with special activities–scavenger hunt, craft, and 3D chalk drawing– for those youngerly-minded. But even if you can’t make it on Saturday or have teens, this 4-day event is a perfect for the spring! This article was originally written by Gianna Kordatzky April 27 – April 30, 2023
Related Articles:
Visiting the MIA with Kids
Minneapolis Institute of Art Highlights
Parking and Other Amenities
Family Programs at MIA
Membership to the Minneapolis Institute of Art
Exploring the Art a Little Deeper
Art in Bloom: Mia’s Annual Spring Event
2023 Art in Bloom
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