The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is offering a variety of art activities this summer that the entire family can enjoy. From outdoor workshops to guided discovery tours of the Sculpture Garden and the museum’s architecture, art lovers of all ages will be able to immerse themselves in the dynamic world of art. Young artists can also experience at-home art activities and explore their talents through virtual art classes, as part of the School of Fine Arts’ new Youth Program.
Outdoor creative family workshops
The Secret Life of Trees
Saturdays and Sundays from June 5 – July 25, 2021
Tuesdays to Fridays from June 29 – July 25, 2021
In this bilingual workshop, participants will explore the natural world and its relation and influence on art while spending time together outside. Using a slice of wood, the family-friendly activity incorporates printmaking and drawing and is inspired by the Kings of Thule series by Quebec painter and sculptor Jean Paul Riopelle, who was the subject of the major MMFA exhibition Riopelle: The Call of Northern Landscapes and Indigenous Cultures.
Nature Prints
Saturdays and Sundays from July 31 – September 26, 2021
Tuesdays to Fridays from July 31 – August 20, 2021
This hands-on family workshop will have participants young and old discovering cyanotype — a printing process using the sun, and one of the earliest photographic techniques. Combine science, nature, and creativity to create your own piece of art. This workshop is inspired by the exhibitions Ecologies: A Song for Our Planet and Yann Pocreau: Impermanencies.
Reservations are required for both workshops.
Cost: $4 for a family of up to four people from the same household. Free for Museum members.
See the website for full workshop details, registration information, and up-to-date COVID protocols.
Schedules and reservations
Family Weekend at the MMFA. Nature Prints. Photo MMFA, Jean-François Brière
Guided tours outside
Choose from two different private outdoor tours that are led by a volunteer guide from the museum and designed exclusively for family bubbles of up to eight people. Bring an umbrella in case since the tours go on rain or shine.
Let’s Talk Sculpture welcomes you to explore and learn more about the art and features that animate the museum’s outdoor Sculpture Garden, one of Montreal’s most important public art collections.
Available in French or English
Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, starting June 9
Let’s Talk Architecture gives families a fresh perspective of the outside of Canada’s oldest art museum while discovering its history and various architectural styles.
Available in French or English
Tuesdays and Saturdays, starting June 8
Reservations are required.
Cost: $4 for a family of up to eight people from the same household. Free for museum members.
See the website for full details, registration information, and up-to-date COVID protocols.
Schedules and reservations
School of Art — Youth Program
This summer, kids 8 to 17 can explore a diverse range of topics, artistic mediums, and materials through online art classes led by professional artists. Through Zoom, the children will have the opportunity to express themselves and practice their creative-thinking skills in a collaborative virtual environment. Art supplies are included in the registration fee and are mailed to participant prior to classes starting.
For 8- to 11-year-olds
L’art par le geste | Art by gesture
Mon bestiaire personnalisé (livre d’art animalier) | My personal bestiary
For 12- to 14-year-olds
Le portrait dans tous ses états ! | Portraiture in all its forms!
Créations 2D en collage et peinture | 2D creations using collage and paint
For 15- to 17-year-olds
Art furtif – Installation miniature | Fugitive art – Miniature installation
Cost: $165 (general public) | $148.50 (Museum members).
The School of Art – Youth Program workshops are only offered in French. However, all of the instructors are bilingual and able to accommodate English-speaking participants.
Schedules and reservations
