On Wednesday September 15, Barbara Alverez-Bohanon, a docent and also a member of the David Owsley Museum of Art Executive Committee, lead a fun event for a few children. This event, The Story of Art, will take place every third Wednesday of the month on October 15 and November 19. The event is planned for preschoolers as a more targeted, age specific program at the museum, but parents and older siblings are welcome!

For the first Story of Art, Barbara and a mother with two boys met in the museum’s Asian gallery in front of our Amida Buddha sculpture. There, a quilt was laid out in front

Getting a closer look

of the Buddha for the children to sit and a few folding chairs scattered around for the parents. Barbara taught the boys how to count to 5 in Japanese, read a story of Japanese folklore, and got up close and personal with the Amida Buddha. Barbara provided the children with a map, a book, and other objects that they could touch and interact with. Afterwards, Barbara and the visitors walked around the gallery to view a few more interesting works.

Resa Matlock, director at Child Care Collections, attended the program and commented that she “liked the conversations and the connections!” Although the original intent was just to view the Amida Buddha, Barbara and the visitors continued through the gallery and talked about other works. Children and adults asked questions which Barbara promptly replied to with additional stories.

The next Story of Art will take place October 15th. We hope to see even more kiddies in the galleries then!

Inspired by our abstract sculpture, “Thrusting”, Barbara and Adam mimic the action of wielding and thrusting a sword.

Adam contemplates a Japanese warrior’s armor