Macy’s Arts Sampler Hosts Free Theatre, Dance, Music, and Museum Events for All
One of the things we look forward to most this time of year is the return of the annual Macy’s Arts Sampler in February.
If you have not heard of Macy’s Arts Sampler, you are in for a treat! Sampler weekends (they host three of them) offer families more than 100 opportunities to get out and experience a variety of FREE arts events and performances held at community arts centers and other arts organizations across the Tri-State. {YES, WE SAID FREE}
This year Sampler Weekends are scheduled for the following Saturdays: February 8, March 15 and April 12. As I mentioned before, Macy’s Arts Sampler activities are FREE and open to the public (thanks to the generosity of Macy’s and Cincinnati Magazine). They include everything from arts and crafts fun, to ballet and puppet performances, and more.
We love Macy’s Arts Sampler because at the heart of it, it is all about getting parents (and the community in general) out and exploring the arts with their families. It can be easy to do the same things over and over again. We’ve all been in those ruts. But by being free, Macy’s Arts Sampler break down potential barriers and bring people together to explore the arts and try fun , new creative experiences.
Some of the highlights for the first weekend, Saturday, February 8:
- Madcap Puppets’ Fantastic Fairytales, 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., Cincinnati Art Museum
- Backstage tours of the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, every half hour from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.
- The exhibitions Grammatical Errors by Melissa Vogley Woods, Long Moments by Ron Kroutel and Cities by Joel Whitaker, Weston Art Gallery downtown, opening at 10 a.m.
- My Nose Turns Red Circus, The Character Building (formerly Old Schroder High School), 2 p.m.
- Linton Music’s Peanut Butter and Jam Concert: We’ve got the Beat, Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
- Sing in Sign and Take a Tour, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati offers lessons in learning a song in sign language with backstage tour to follow, 11:30 a.m.
- Bach and Boombox with Nat Chaitkin, Kennedy Heights Arts Center, 12:30 p.m.
- VSA Kentucky Side by Side Exhibition presented by New Perceptions/Rising Star Studios, Newport on the Levee, 1 p.m.
This big list is just the beginning. You can find a complete Macy’s Sampler Weekend schedule here. This list includes all of the activities scheduled for February 8, March 15 and April 12, 2014.
GO MOBILE
You can take your Macy’s Arts Sampler “to-do” list with you on the go! To help make navigating all these free activities easier, ArtsWave has also launched an app for Smart Phones, available on iPhone and Android that you can download.
The 2014 Macy’s Arts Sampler App is currently available for iOS and Android mobile devices. The app makes it easy to:
- View schedule of free events
- See map of venues
- Learn more about presenters
- Plan & share your Macy’s Arts Sampler
Please note, if you have downloaded the Macy’s Arts Sampler app in previous years, the folks at ArtsWave would like you to delete it and download the new and improved Macy’s Arts Sampler 2014 app.
Disclosure: Family Friendly Cincinnati is a promotional partner for ArtsWave’s Macy’s Arts Sampler. We are working to help them reach as many families as possible about these wonderful, free opportunities to experience the arts.
