AGO Family Sundays until May 25, 2014
Last weekend was the first time in years that I was at the AGO on a Sunday so I had the chance to check out what the AGO Family Sundays have in store. Included with the regular cost of admission to the AGO, they are offered every Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. until May 25. On those special days, kids receive an Activity Bag filled with goodies to help get the most out of their visit, and acces to craft activities in the Weston Family Learning Centre.
The AGO is located west of McCaul, along Dundas Street. From the street level, I recommend you walk to the west side of the building, past the coat check, to access the starecase leading to the lower floor. It is lined with amazing realistic sculptures by Evan Penny, some of them distorted in a very clever way. It leads to the concourse level with the fantastic Weston Family Learning Centre, bathed in natural light.
Who needs art on the walls?
The serpenting structure you'll see over your head is not just a whimsical modern sculpture. It is a slick coat rack affectionately called the Emily Carr Coat Rack! (Apparently, the renowned Canadian artist Emily Carr, whose work you can admire in the gallery, used to put her furniture on pulleys and hoist it up to the ceiling.)
The lovely Hands-On Centre seemed to me suitable for children aged 8 years and under but I've seen older kids well engaged in activities with their younger siblings, dressing up in the costume corner, selecting a book to read together, or helping with the craft activity of the week (which is different from the one offered in the big hall). Word of the wise: This is the perfect place for a dad to watch over the kids while their mom takes some time off to explore the gallery sections the kids would enjoy less!
They set up ping pong tables in the hall on the weekends. The concourse level offers many nooks and crannies (I especially liked the line-up of comfortable chairs against the windows). Its mezzanine overviews the large arts studio one floor down. Going east when you exit the Weston Family Centre, you'll walk past the model ships collection and through the Kids Store featuring a very cute Parisian-like café corner. During my visit, there was a very cool pop-up tent shaped as a VW Winnebago ($75) in the midle of the store. Further down awaited a tall chalkboard wall by the entrance to the caféAGO (where kids under 5 always eat for free from a selected list of items when parents spend a minimum of $12 before tax).
Kids will love the staircases of the AGO: the spiral one in the middle, and the one overlooking the CN Tower on the south side of the building. The Galleria Italia is interesting, with its curved glass wall overlooking the street. It hosts a café serving great coffee and snacks. There's also the Kids' Gallery in Nicholas Fodor Gallery (room #140 on Level 1). It's a booth with a large fram structure in front of a painted landscape. Many people take their picture and post them on this Facebook page.
It's in the bag
As for the rest of the AGO, use the tips from the Activity Bag to enjoy your visit with kids. The AGO came up with a great interactive concept of Art Hunt cards. You'll find one in the bags, with a clue leading to a specific room. The bag also includes a cool Picture Riddle. It presents the kids with an artist's version of a actual artwork to be found in the gallery. Kids are then invited to make their own version of the original. Kudos to the AGO!
On my way out, I noticed a few interesting gadgets in the main gift shop: a rice cube (a device to create cubic sushi), a rubber stamp to engrave Home Made in cookies, and a giant pencil to hold large chalks.
(More about the AGO Family Sundays, included in the general admission fees of $19.50/adults, $11/6-17 years old and student, FREE for 5 years and under and on Wednesdays from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Note that the AGO will be open on Easter Friday but closed on Easter Monday.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
