Hands on Spaces

SMARTLAB

Photograph of the Museum's smartlab space. There is a sculpture of stacked, multi-colored rabbits, two touschscreens with a game on them, and a wooden touch sculpture of a Japanese lion dog under the stairs.

Designed for visitors of all ages, the smartlab is a space where we test our new digital projects and tactile objects designed to create more pathways to experience art.

Feel free to touch in this space, whether it’s an interactive on one of our touch screens or a sculpture we are developing for visitors with low or no vision as part of our Sensory Empowerment Program. The barrier-free digital interactives, along with tactiles and activities, are aimed to inspire and empower visitors to approach other artworks in the Museum’s galleries with greater curiosity and appreciation.

It’s also a space to relax and recharge. Here you can sit on the couch, explore the BMA’s collection on our digital smartguide, and plug your device into the charging station.

Because this is a test space, interactives will rotate on a quarterly basis. So keep coming back to see what’s new in smartlab!

 

Generous support provided by

ArtVenture

ArtVenture is the Museum’s interactive gallery designed for visitors with children who want a welcoming, encouraging, and engaging environment for kids to creatively express themselves.

ArtVenture is FREE and open to the public during the hours listed below:

                • Tuesday 10am-4:30pm
                • Wednesday 10am-4:30pm
                • Thursday 10am-4:30pm
                • Friday 10am-4:30pm
                • Saturday 10am-4:30pm
                • Sunday 12-4:30pm

The two spaces feature more than 15 hands-on learning stations for toddlers to tweens. The Sonat Gallery is designed for our youngest visitors and allows crawlers and toddlers to explore light, color, and texture. The Hess Gallery is especially created for children aged 5-12 to inspire a love of making. New additions to the Gallery include an interactive weaving wall, a stop motion technology station, and a makerspace featuring a menu of art-making projects from printmaking to pottery. These hands-on activities help children to brainstorm, cultivate their creativity, and connect art and artmaking to their everyday lives.

ArtVenture also features the work of local artists to celebrate the creativity in our community and how artists positively impact our city. These exhibitions change throughout the year.

Visiting Artventure

We require one attentive adult chaperone for every four children visiting ArtVenture. Our spaces are built for small groups to explore art and making together, so we cannot accommodate large groups of 10 or more. If you have a large group, a portion of your group may tour the galleries with one of our printed gallery guides and a scavenger hunt made especially for young visitors.