Program
All activities and film screenings are open on a drop-in basis.
Interactive Spaces
Deep Field
by Tin&Ed
Floor 6, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Recommended for ages 4–14The world of plants is strange and wondrous, full of secrets growing in plain sight. Deep Field invites children to co-create a vibrant digital ecosystem using an iPad to draw botanical life that instantly blooms into 3D structures and transforms the Museum’s space. Accompanied by an immersive soundscape of forgotten sounds recorded by The Listening Planet, the work encourages audiences of all ages to explore the unseen worlds of plants.
A Soft Place to Land
by Lexy Ho-Tai
Mezzanine Level, Cullman Education and Research Building, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Recommended for ages 2–12The world can feel hard. Being human is strange. Let’s create a soft place to land. Welcome to this ever-changing squishy world, lovingly stitched from upcycled textiles. Come play, create, and rest among strange, yet familiar creatures, including the debut of a new giant collaborative cuddle monster. Loosen up your human suits—all creatures, beings, and parts of you are welcome and celebrated here!
Cardboard City
Gallery 414, Floor 4, 10:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Recommended for ages 4–14What to do with all this cardboard—make a cardboard city! Create a world with soaring skyscrapers, bustling cars, and busy streets all made from paper and cardboard recycled by the Museum.
Family Films: The World Around Us
Enjoy two programs of short films that take us on a sensory adventure. Through stunning visuals and curious characters, explore how we can interact with, shape, and transform our environment.
This program was developed in collaboration with Maria-Christina Villaseñor, Guest Curator and New York International Children’s Film Festival Director of Programming.
Viewers are welcome to enter and exit screenings at any point. Please respect other guests while moving around the cinema.
Program A
Runtime: 33 min
Recommended for ages 4–7
Outdoor Cinema. 2014. Russia/Australia. Directed by Tatiana Poliektova and Filippo Rivetti. What would we see if we stopped to notice the world around us, instead of experiencing it through technology? 3 min.
Acorns (ep 3). 2020. USA. Directed by Bradley Furnish, Tonko House. Three small acorns are on a journey to find a new home. 1 min.
A Lynx in the Town. 2019. France. Directed by Nina Bisiarina. A curious lynx leaves the safety of its forest, attracted by the lights of the nearby town. What happens when the locals discover this strange creature asleep in the snow? 7 min.
Sum of Its Parts. 2020. USA. Directed by Alisa Stern. Follow the journey of mysterious forest creatures as they move to the beat of the music. 3 min.
The Last Day of Autumn. 2019. Switzerland. Directed by Marjolaine Perreten. Animals prepare for a great race through the forest on the last day of autumn. 7 min.
Bottle. 2010. USA. Directed by Kirsten Lepore. Objects in a bottle lead to a conversation across an ocean. 5 min.
Some Thing. 2015. Germany. Directed by Elena Walf. When you’re just a little mountain, it’s hard to keep up with your giant oil, gold, and fire rich neighbors. But what if you have something special too? 7 min.
Program B
Runtime: 33 min
Recommended for ages 4–7
Outdoor Cinema. 2014. Russia/Australia. Directed by Tatiana Poliektova and Filippo Rivetti. What would we see if we stopped to notice the world around us, instead of experiencing it through technology? 3 min.
Daybreak Express. 1953. USA. Directed by D.A. Pennebaker. A sensational journey on an old-fashioned New York elevated subway, edited to a lively Duke Ellington composition. 6 min.
Pillow Flight. 2024. USA/Argentina. Directed by Fernando Livschitz. A whimsical dreamscape, where cars, trains, and buildings gently float and collide like soft pillows. 1 min.
Stems. 2012. UK. Directed by Ainslie Henderson. Puppet making, made to music. 2 min.
Bridgehampton. 1998. USA. Directed by John Canemaker. A lyrical, personal study of the filmmaker’s Long Island garden through the seasons. With an original jazz score by Fred Hersch. 7 min.
Orgiastic Hyper-Plastic. 2020. Denmark/UK. Directed by Paul Bush. An animated extravaganza of plastic collected from beaches, roadsides, attics, and junk shops. 7 min.
Phonos. 2021. Mexico. Directed by Gabriela Badillo. After her grandpa passes away, Cloe shuts out her feelings and stops listening to the world around her. But one day, something happens that brings back a memory, and Cloe has to face how she feels. 9 min.
Racoon and the Light. 2019. USA. Directed by Hanna Kim. What happens when a raccoon finds a flashlight in the woods? 4 min.
Workshops
Join Field Meridians for a different drop-in workshop every day, designed to connect us more deeply with the natural world.
Field Meridians is a Crown-Heights based artist collective committed to creating tools for ecological resilience and deepening relationships between humans and the natural world.
Natural Colors: Plant Rubbings and Earth Pigment Mural
Create a communal painting with colors derived from nature and foraged materials such as beeswax, marigold, crushed rocks, tea paints, and more. Learn how color comes from the environment and respond to prompts to create and connect to the natural world.
Gallery activities
Explore MoMA’s collection through drop-in, hands-on activities! Choose the ones that interest your family, and move at your own pace.
Accessibility: Participants sit on the floor in front of artworks during these programs. Folding stools without backs are available upon request.
Marron Family Atrium, Floor 2
Contribute to a collaborative weaving project.
Recommended for ages 6 and up
Otobong Nkanga. Cadence. 2024
Gallery 210, Floor 2
Stack, arrange, and build using blocks.
Recommended for ages 2 and up
Richard Serra. Equal. 2015
Gallery 214, Floor 2
Tell a story by creating a textured plate and making a surface rubbing.
Recommended for ages 6 and up
Cai Guo-Qiang. Nontransparent Monument. 2006
Gallery 416, Floor 4
Create a character from your community using collage materials.
Recommended for ages 2 and up
Romare Bearden. The Dove. 1964
Gallery 500, Floor 5
Design an imaginative creature using model magic.
Recommended for ages 4 and up
Maria Martins. The Road; The Shadow; Too Long; Too Narrow. 1946
Gallery 515, Floor 5
Layer colors to show a place that is special to you.
Recommended for ages 2-5
Claude Monet. Water Lilies. 1914-26
Floor 1, Cullman Education and Research Building, 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Visit the Samuel and Ronnie Heyman Family Art Lab, a hands-on space for kids to create, play, and imagine.
When you’re there, pick up an Art Quest Kids Guide for more activities to do in the galleries.
Explore art with labels designed for kids that have prompts to look closely, imagine, and respond!
Look for the labels that say Kids on floors 2, 4, and 5.Look, listen and learn about art with audio designed for kids. Remember to look for the labels that say “Kids” to follow along.
Listen to our playlist for Kids