FREE Family Day at Frist: August 22 + activities

FREE Family Day at Frist
Sunday, August 22, 1:00-5:30 p.m.
Enjoy free admission and fun activities!


Enjoy a day of discovery and creativity, filled with art activities, live music, and exciting demonstrations. Bring your family and friends to share in a day filled with art and imagination!

Explore the organic shapes and brilliantly colored forms created by Dale Chihuly and his team in the exhibition Chihuly at the Frist, featuring amazing glass art and original sketches by an American master of glassblowing. Stroll through The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947–1957 and admire the elegant apparel, dazzling accessories, stylish fashion photography, and glamorous designs of postwar Paris and London. Wrap up your day with a visit to the exhibition Presence or Absence: The Photographs of Tokihiro Sato, and discover the ways Sato uses light to link ideas of time, space, and motion.

*Family Day programs are offered on a first-come, first-served basis and are appropriate for all ages.


Events and Activities

Donal Hinely and His Glass Harmonica
1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 4:30 p.m.
Auditorium (Main Level)

Join musician Donal Hinely as he transforms everyday household glassware into the magical musical tones of his glass harmonica. Listen to your favorite songs, explore the history of the glass harmonica, learn how ordinary glasses can be transformed into musical instruments—then try your hand at playing them yourself!


Glassblowing Demonstration
1:00–5:30p.m.
Courtyard (weather permitting)

Discover the ancient art of glassblowing as glass artist Ryan Gothrup inflates and manipulates molten glass in the Frist Center’s Turner Courtyard.


Story Time: Elena’s Serenade
1:45 and 4:00 p.m.
Art Library and Resource Center (Upper Level)

Follow a young girl as she travels to the Southwestern desert to realize her dream of becoming a glassblower. Enjoy this adventure of art and music as a Frist Center educator reads the children’s book Elena’s Serenade, written by Campbell Geeslin and illustrated by Ana Juan.


Film: Chihuly: Short Cuts
1:00–5:30 p.m.
Rechter Room

Enjoy a trip around the globe with pioneer glassblower Dale Chihuly! In this short film compilation that explores Chihuly's mission to revolutionize the art of glass making, travel from the artist’s hot shop in Washington state to installations and exhibitions in Finland, Ireland, Mexico, France, Italy, and the United States.


Art Activities:

Design Diva
1:00–5:30 p.m.
Studio A (Upper Level)

Invent fashion fantasies inspired by The Golden Age of Couture. Free your inner fashionista as you design, drape, and decorate a costume for your very own paper doll.


Channeling Chihuly
1:00–5:30 p.m.
Studio B (Upper Level)

Embrace your inner master—use watercolor paint to swirl, splatter, and construct a Chihuly inspired macchia bowl!


Fashion Footwear
1:00–5:30 p.m.
Studio C (Upper Level)

Try your hand at dapper design: use color, pattern, and a variety of stylish materials to create a shoe that celebrates your unique sense of style!


Martin ArtQuest Gallery
1:00–5:30 p.m.

Visit the Martin ArtQuest Gallery, located on the upper level of the Frist Center, to experiment with a variety of exciting hands-on art activities ranging from figure drawing to print making, including additional activities inspired by The Golden Age of Couture and Chihuly at the Frist.





Family Day Sponsor: Nashville Parent

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is sponsored in part by the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission and the Tennessee Arts Commission.