Create summer fun at the Crocker

This summer, families can beat the heat and keep children creatively engaged with new and exciting programs at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento. Two new programs for the whole family are free with museum admission and center on art and music.

Family Fridays is a new weekly program where families enjoy art-making and music-making in the shady comfort of the E. Kendell Davis Courtyard every Friday from 11 a.m. to noon.

Each week of summer, a different color of the rainbow will inspire Family Friday’s theme. Also in the courtyard, the new Family Concert series will feature stimulating musical performances.

The legendary early childhood educator and author Bev Bos will perform with educator/musician Michael Leeman on Saturday, July 7 at 11 a.m., and the exuberantly whimsical Octopretzel will take the stage on Sunday, Aug. 5 at 1 p.m.

Visitors who want to turn the outing into a picnic can purchase seasonal fare for the whole family at the Crocker Café by Supper Club.

The Crocker also provides creative activities exclusively for younger family members.

Wee Wednesday is a gallery-based art experience for children ages 3 to 5. Drop, Yak, Splat! uses a different work of art each month to inspire an art-making activity or gallery-based sketching for families with children ages 5 to 12. Wee Wednesdays and Drop, Yak, Splat! are free with museum admission and, during summer months, will be drop-in programs that do not require advance registration.

For the youngest in the group, Baby Loves Art gives little ones from infancy to 36 months a chance to sing, move, groove, touch and play while building key cognitive and motor skills.

Baby Loves Art has recently added new sessions to meet popular demand. The program is $10 for museum members and $15 for nonmembers to admit one child and one parent or guardian. Each additional family member is $5.

The All About Families Initiative is a comprehensive project by the Crocker Art Museum that is focused on providing dynamic opportunities for families to connect with art, with each other, and to nurture a habit of life-long learning.

Engaging families is critical to the Crocker’s mission. All About Families ensures that the Crocker remains a key resource for regional families to nurture their creative spirit, learn together, and make connections to the world around them for generations to come. The All About Families Initiative is supported, in part, by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation.

The Crocker is located at 216 O St. in Downtown Sacramento. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursdays.

For more information call 916-808-7000 or visit crockerartmuseum.org.