Young Masters

Whether through canoeing, hiking, or camping, Frederic Remington was a man who loved the outdoors. The artist once wrote a friend, “if I had money enough I would live in a bark camp the year round.” The artworks on display in our current exhibit, Another Frontier: Frederic Remington’s East, depict landscapes with which the artist was familiar and personally enjoyed, from forested fields to choppy river waters. Thus the theme for this year’s Summer Camp @ The Sid: The Great Outdoors. During Summer Camp, our junior campers explored the many facets of our collection and special exhibition: looking for all [...]

What is summer without summer camp? Did you know the first summer camps in the US originated in the 1860s? Then and now, summer camps present themselves as an escape from our every day life and as an opportunity to have fun while learning something new. Gunnery Camp,1861, the first organized American summer camp. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons While traditional summer camp was presented as a way to build character in the “great outdoors,” at The Sid, we like to develop knowledge and skills in our gallery and studio. SRM Children's Summer Camp 2018 Why [...]

*Well, maybe more like antelope, bears, horses, and cattle. This year’s Summer Camp theme was Animals in the West! This summer we hosted two weeks of Summer Camps: one for children between the ages of 6-9 years old and the other for tweens – children between the ages of 10-12 years old. What fun we had exploring the animals found within our collection and learning about other native animals of the West! Each day campers began with a still life warm up to get their creative juices flowing. Campers then spent time with our collection participating in gallery activities and [...]

School’s out, summer is in, let the drama stop and the ART begin! What a wonderful time we have had with our Summer Art Camps! This year we hosted two, week-long camps: one for children between the ages of 6-9 years old and the other for tweens (10-13 years old). This year’s theme was Traveling Through the West! Each day, camp began with a sketchbook warm-up to help jump-start their creativity. Campers spent time each day in the gallery looking at artworks from our permanent collection with the help of our docents. They also spent time in the studio daily [...]

“If you will permit me to observe, I will say I think the lighting in your studio is too cold. I have found the same trouble and two years ago I painted or stained both my studio here and my summer one a rich red which had the effect of warming up my paint immediately. Why don’t you try it?” – A letter from Frederic Remington to wildlife painter Carl Rungius Last week the museum hosted its annual Spring Break workshops for both children and tweens. During their visit, the students explored color theory and how color influences mood and [...]

Back by popular demand, the museum hosted an encore children’s workshop focusing on the artist’s role as recorder. Like traveling American artists in the 19th century, the kids had to carry their sketching supplies with them throughout the galleries. On our art adventure, each young artist received a canvas bag that they customized and decorated. With their notes and sketches freshly drawn, the young traveling artists journeyed into the studio classroom where they brought their drawings to life with paint and canvas.

As 2014 comes to a close, we take this time to reflect on the past year. Hosting two special exhibitions and several public programs, the museum reached a large a diverse group of people. We welcomed over 40,000 visitors this year! In addition, through our school tour programs, the education department shared our collection and exhibitions with nearly 3,500 students. Besides a docent-guided tour through the galleries, the students get to experience hands-on activities in the studio, which allow them a way to relate their personal response to the collection with their own artistic experience. Art activities can range from [...]

Over the weekend, in celebration of the art museum’s new exhibition, Take Two: George Catlin Revisits the West, we hosted a children’s workshop. Through sketching and painting activities, participants spent time considering George Catlin’s role as recorder before mass photography, documenting the great American West during his travels in the 1830s. While in the galleries, docents discussed traveling artists in the 1800s and how the act of documenting what they saw contributes to our American History today. After learning about Catlin, everyone received a canvas travel backpack and sketching supplies and undertook the role of recorder as they traveled the [...]

This week we had a visit from a group of high school students from Nagaoka, Japan. Here at the Sid Richardson Museum, we’re excited to give these students an opportunity to learn and be creative. As part of the Fort Worth Sister Cities program, these young scholars toured various cultural institutions around the city, and the Sid was lucky enough to be included. I had a chance to talk with a representative from Fort Worth Sister Cities International to learn more about the program. What is Sister Cities? Sister Cities is an international organization that facilitates peace and prosperity around [...]

Yesterday the museum hosted our final Art of Story workshop of the summer. The museum houses a wealth of narrative imagery in our collection. During these workshops, the kids explore elements shared by narrative images and the stories they inspire. Another favorite story is one inspired by Remington’s painting The Luckless Hunter. Frederic Remington, The Luckless Hunter, 1909, Oil on canvas, 26 7/8 x 28 7/8 inches There once was a man who went out on a hunt. His family was hungry and desperate for food. He hunted alone – not the way of hunters. He made camp [...]