Feel the Rhythm: Spring Seasonal Saturday at MMAM
Saturday | May 14 | 10 am – 5 pm 
Minnesota Marine Art Museum | 800 Riverview Dr.
www.MMAM.org
On Saturday, May 14, the Minnesota Marine Art Museum (MMAM) will offer its popular arts access program, Seasonal Saturday. Seasonal Saturdays are fun-filled, inviting days offering $1 admission, free transportation, a themed art activity, artist-led programming, live music in the galleries, and 30-minute tours related to MMAM’s current exhibitions and the changing theme of each event. This program is offered quarterly, or once per season.
“We were overjoyed with the turnout for our Winter Seasonal Saturday in March after a long pandemic break,” Curator of Education Heather Casper said. “People were so excited and grateful for the opportunity to do something fun and different with their friends and family.” Over 77% of March attendees surveyed said that events like Seasonal Saturdays are very important to their social, mental, and physical well being. March survey results also showed that attendees rated Seasonal Saturdays at 4.92/5 in achieving the event’s goal in making the arts more available to all people.
“We have an awesome line-up of special activities for May 14, including our first ever food truck!” says Casper. Apothik Food Truck will be onsite from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. selling “sinfully delicious food” that can be eaten on the MMAM’s riverwalk patio area.
Activities for May’s Spring Seasonal Saturday will focus around the theme “Feel the Rhythm” and celebrate the exhibition, Sonja Peterson: What the Tradewinds Brought. Minneapolis artist, Sonja Peterson, will be demonstrating her fine cut paper technique from 1-3 p.m. There will be live music in the galleries by jazz guitarist Liberty Kohn and bass player Lee Windsperger, from 11 a.m. – noon, and the clarinet ensemble, Winds of Winona, will perform in the gallery from 3-4 p.m. There will be an art-making project adaptable for all ages and abilities, that will entail cutting and layering paper to create a luminescent paper scene.
For children of all ages, resident storytelling artist Laura Armstrong will lead three “Super Awesome Storytimes” at 10:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 11:30 a.m. Additionally, there will be a special bingo gallery game available all day to play and earn a prize, and the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts will be onsite making music with kids.
Every hour, MMAM staff and tour guides will offer 30-minute tours to introduce participants to the exhibitions. There will be a “MMAM Highlights Tour” focusing on select paintings in the American and European exhibitions, and to celebrate the theme of “Feel the Rhythm,” there will be a special tour called “In the Groove” that will explore the visual rhythm in select artworks on view at MMAM. All tours will use assistive listening devices to allow participants to better hear their tour guide.
Project FINE will be onsite from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to offer interpretation for our Spanish and Hmong speaking participants. For more information and for a detailed schedule of events, please visit mmam.org/seasonal-saturdays, or call the Museum at 507-474-6626.
MMAM is pleased to offer free rides to and from the museum with the Winona Transit Service Dial-a-Ride. Please call 507-454-6666 to schedule your ride.
Seasonal Saturdays are arts access program days with the goal of reducing intimidation and increasing comfortable access to fine arts for everyone. MMAM developed Seasonal Saturdays in 2018 to change, expand and enrich the way we connect with our community in Winona. Mark your calendars for the Summer Seasonal Saturday on August 13 and the Fall Seasonal Saturday on November 12.
Seasonal Saturdays are made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. Seasonal Saturdays are also supported by our generous sponsors: WNB Financial, Winona Foundation, Winona Community Foundation, BNSF, media sponsor The Water Main, Minnesota Public Radio, Coca-Cola of Winona, and Doug Troke, Farmers Insurance.
The Minnesota Marine Art Museum is a nonprofit art museum that engages visitors in meaningful visual art experiences through education and exhibitions that explore the ongoing and historic human relationship with water. Located in Winona, Minnesota, the purpose-built museum is located on the banks of the Mississippi River and boasts six galleries, an educational and events space, and a destination retail shop on its seven acre riverside campus. It is through this surprising diversity that MMAM is not only describing what marine art is, but pushing the boundaries of what marine art can be.
Image: Art-Making at Seasonal Saturday, Minnesota Marine Art Museum. Photo: Brenda Tran.
The Minnesota Marine Art Museum is a member of the River Arts Alliance. To learn more about the benefits of membership, please visit: riverartsalliance.org/membership/.