Steampunk!

Teacher Work Day Program
Monday, January 17th, 9 am—12 pm
Ages 4 — 7
$30 Members/$35 Non-Members

Give your kids a chance to explore the infinite possibilities of all things steampunk! Your kids
will make dirigibles and steampunk goggles to go with them. They will create metallic art, fantasize about the past and the future, and look at how technology changes through the ages. A day of gears, gadgets and, most of all, good times.

Space is limited, so ask at the Front Desk or contact Sara (vdmprograms@vadm.org; 977-1025 x 9) with questions or to register.

Fun Programs and Events in the Spring!

Does your child want to act out a favorite character, exercise his body, create new recipes, explore the wonders of air and space, or discover the power of all things steampunk? Sign them up for one of the many weekly programs starting at the Virginia Discovery Museum this spring. Check out our bi-monthly calendar or our website to view the times and dates of all of these exciting programs. In addition to our usual fantastic Drop-in Programs such as StoryTime Tuesdays, Poetry Club, Toddler Time, and Magic School Bus Science Club, we have several pre-registration programs in partnership with local organizations

One program that will start January 7 – February 11 is Hollywood Theatre Lab, which requires pre-registration. In this six week session, actress and acting instructor Lana Young will teach children how to perform while exploring their imagination in a safe and fun environment. Fun and focused exercises teach children how to listen to their scene partners and build communication skills. They will learn basic stage technique, how to break down scripts, and how to find their objective as the character. The goal – teaching life skills through acting – is to build self confidence while showing children how to find truth in a character. The Hollywood Theatre Lab classes, only $90 for members and $110 for non-members, take place on Friday afternoons at 3:30pm-4:30pm and accept children ages 6-8.

After the success of last summer’s program, the VDM is proud to present YogaDoodle, Taught by Guest Instructor, Lynn Campbell, this program features a fusion of traditional yoga postures and creative expression. Children learn postures to help experience their physical sense while exploring sight, sound, and stillness with their peers. This new program of six sessions, starts on Wednesdays from 3:45pm-4:45pm and includes kids ages 5-9. Members pay $90 and non-members pay $110.

On January 17 from 9am-12pm, the museum will host a Teacher Workday Program featuring Steampunk: The Power of Steam. Give your kids a chance to explore the infinite possibilities of all things steampunk! Your kids will make dirigibles and steampunk goggles to go with them. They will create metallic art, fantasize about the past and the future, and look at how technology changes through the ages. It promises to be a day of gears, gadgets and, most of all, good times. The program is for children ages 4-7 and is $30 for members and $35 for non-members.

Coming on Saturday mornings from February 5 – March 12 is our Little Chefs program. Bring your little ones and create tasty snacks and delicious meals ogether! Your kids will learn about kitchen safety and build their cooking skills in a fun, safe environment. Space is limited, so sign up today. The program runs from 10am-11:30am and includes kids ages 4-8. To sign up for individual classes, the cost is $10 for members and $13 for non-members. To sign up for all six classes, the cost is $55 for members and $70 for non-members.

Register for these programs soon as space is limited and don’t forget about Date Nights on Friday nights from 5:30-8:00. Enjoy a night on the town while your kids revel in an evening of activities, dinner, and lots of free time to play in the museum. For the winter months, Date Nights will be on the first Fridays of the month. This pre-registration drop-off program includes a craft, games, a dinner with cheese pizza, carrot sticks, and fruit juice, and lots of free time to play in the Museum! Space is limited to 12 children per week and will not run without a minimum of 4 children, so be sure to call to register before 5pm the Thursday before the program. Registrants will be notified by 5pm on the Thursday before the program if we need to cancel. The program is for kids ages 3-8 and VDM members pay $20 while non-members $25. We have a siblings discount of $5 and a cancellation fee of $10 after 12pm on the Thursday before the registered program. No refund for same-day cancellation.

The spring season aims to be a busy one for the Virginia Discovery Museum, but we hope it will also be a success. Don’t forget that we will also be hosting our annual Kid*Vention, the theme of which is Discover Sky and Space! This fun event will be on March 26 from 9am-3pm (location TBA) and is all about taking time to look up and explore what’s above our heads! Learn about birds and bats, planes and rockets, comets and more through hands-on activities, crafts and games. Sponsored by the Virginia Discovery Museum, WVPT, the City of Charlottesville, and Lite Rock Z95.1, this is one event your family won’t want to miss!

We are eager to see the kids participate in the weekly programs and events and we welcome any feedback from our visitors. Please contact us anytime for information and questions. We wish everyone a happy winter and hope to see you for the programs. Stay tuned for updates on the new exhibit, Up, Up, and Away!

Check out the Open Studio - Sponsored by UVa Athletics Cavman's Crew!

As many of you know, we have newly renovated our Open Studio. The walls have been repainted a warm cream color, a more interactive table with chairs was set up, and new accessible storage units have been constructed. All of this is courtesy of our sponsor, UVa Athletics Cavman’s Crew. We thank them heartily for their generosity. Next time your child is busy creating a masterpiece from a variety of art materials located in the storage units, check out the Cavaliers’ events on the posters that adorn the walls. You can also sign up for the official Kid’s Club of Virginia Athletics at http://www.cavmanscrew.com/.

New Art Show in the Program Room - Untitled Landsapes

I photograph the stillness of empty places--deserted beaches, barren deserts, vine encrusted factories. Even when I focus my camera of scenes that are full of life, such as blazing autumn forests or gossamer flowers, I try to abstract the subject matter so that it retreats into the quiescence of abstract form and texture. I photograph the same subject repeatedly, even obsessively. Slowly, the act of continually re-photographing a scene helps crystallize a mental image that eventually supplants the psychological chatter of descriptors (“dynamic,” “textural,” “luminous”) which inevitably fail to do justice to any image. I strive to let my head be as empty of words as my images are of people.This momentary triumph of images over words is necessitated by the other half of my mental life. By training I am, or am on my way to becoming, an historian of contemporary art. Art history and art criticism operate through words, words that attempt to analyze, explain and ultimately subdue an image (or a sculpture, installation or performance). The image is conscripted back into a linguistic system. The mental quietude of my photographic practice helps me to rebalance this equation.

Biography

Mike Maizels is an art history PhD student and photographer living in Charlottesville, Virginia. After studying photography and philosophy of mind at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, he received an MA in art history from the University of Chicago Program in the Humanities. He is currently working with Howard Singerman on his PhD at the University of Virginia. His dissertation will focus on the questions of subjectivity and spectatorship raised by new media art, particularly large-scale installations.

Presenting Hope Harris!

The Virginia Discovery Museum
presents

Hope Harris & The Cousins Jamboree
A Fun-filled Family Concert

Sunday, December 5, at 2:00 pm

The Sanctuary at The Haven at First & Market

Suggested donation is $5 per person.

Please join us as we celebrate the release of Hope’s new CD, Cousins Jamboree! It promises to be an energetic, interactive experience for the whole family – be ready to sing, dance, and laugh. Hope’s performances have been described as “magical” and “pure joy”. For more information, go to http://www.hopeharris.com/.


Here is a review that Richmond Family Magazine gave the CD in the October issue.
"Just sampling a snippet of Hope Harris' new CD should send families flocking to see her in action... Cousins Jamboree- with a whopping 16 songs- serves up all the energy of a live performance and then some. With rich arrangements and whimsical lyrics, the charm of this folksy artist shines through on every track, especially Eddie the Otter, I Love Apples, and Babysitter (the ones you'll be humming long after the kids are out of earshot)!"
Many thanks for your continuing support for the Museum....