Third Saturday for Families: Word Art

Begin in the galleries with Hank Willis Thomas’s neon artwork Pitch Blackness / Off Whiteness and other art that incorporates written language. Thomas’s piece transforms familiar color adjectives into nouns, using wordplay to invite questions about language and how it shapes perceptions of race and society.

After gathering ideas from the galleries, families can head to the classroom and create original text-based artwork on canvas. Museum admission and the family art activity are free as part of the UMFA’s monthly Third Saturday program.

Museum logistics

• Galleries and public spaces are wheelchair- and stroller-accessible. Sensory bags, a loaner wheelchair, and large-print gallery information are available.
• Free visitor parking is available in marked stalls east of the museum; register the vehicle’s license plate at the welcome desk. Weekend campus parking is generally free outside reserved spaces.
• Changing stations are available, and the family-oriented Base Camp area offers seating and hands-on ways to explore art.