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Useful Lansing area tidbits for families
Art museums are places of quiet, whisper-only rooms, serious docents, and lots of off-limits expensive and breakable objects. Not necessarily the best place for kids, right?
Wrong.
The Broad Art Museum on MSU’s campus in East Lansing is for everyone — including kids!
Whether you have kids in tow or not, a visit to the Broad Art Museum should be on your list of things to do in Lansing.
MSU Broad Art Museum is the perfect place for kids to instill a love for art and to give them a chance to participate.
There are so many reasons we love the Broad Art Museum:
Family Day Saturdays (FREE!) are a day of hands-on art and experimentation that you won’t want to miss.
It’s the first Saturday of the month from 11 AM – 3 PM and every month has a different theme. There are several tables in one of the wings set up with materials and projects based on the month’s theme. Kids are guided by posted examples, but also have the freedom to independently create whatever they want from the materials.
For instance, one month the theme was space, so stations included:
There’s plenty of room at the tables for parents to sit next to their kids and create alongside them. too.
The Broad Art Museum is something that is fun, interesting, and best of all, FREE! We love that there’s never any money needed for an outing here, which means an all-inclusive space for the entire community to gather.
If a cranky kids sends you home early, no worries about wasted money. Go home, get that nap and come back another day.
We have a work from international star architect Zaha Hadid right here in East Lansing.
Some people aren’t in favor of a building on campus that looks so different than the rest, but to others, it represents MSU’s dedication to progressive ideas and artistic experimentation.
The goal of the architect was for the building to have “an ever-changing appearance that arouses curiosity yet never quite reveals its content.” We think she succeeded!
Not only is the Broad designed by an amazing award-winning architect, but by an amazing woman architect.
If you try explaining the building and architecture of Zaha Hadid to your daughter, you may see a look of surprise mixed with inspiration when she realizes it was a SHE behind the beauty of the building.
It’s extremely special that we get to bring our kids here to show them the design and statement of a brilliant woman.
There is a photo of the architect (sadly, she passed away in 2016) which gives them something tangible for them to grasp if you’d like to talk to your kids about the architect.
From the second you lay eyes on the museum, you’ll see it’s not your typical museum in any way, shape, or form. The angular, modern architecture is a stark contrast to the vine-covered collegiate brick buildings that surround it.
Once you step inside, you’ll see the art inside is just as unusual and unexpected as the view of the outside. With constantly rotating exhibits, you never know what to expect – but we can promise you, it’s never stuffy and it’s never boring!
The museum has mostly temporary exhibitions, instead of a permanent collection. Every time you come, you can expect to see something very different. The displays are always changing, and are very unusual.
Since modern art is so conceptual, you probably won’t know what you’re looking at unless you get an explanation from a guide. They provide docent tours if you want to pin down the concept behind the piece.
Sometimes it’s fun to roam the galleries and have a conversation about what they may mean though. It’s a great way to start a date night and transition your mind from the normal every day.
Movie buffs will be excited to know that the Broad was used as the house of Superman’s archenemy, Lex Luthor, in the movie Batman vs. Superman.
You may remember the crowds on campus a few years ago trying to catch a glimpse of the actors, or maybe you were one of the 200 Lansing locals who made it on set as an extra!
It served as the perfect house for Lex Luthor’s character, as explained by actor Jesse Eisenberg here.
The walls of glass create a space where even if it’s a cold and blustery winter day, you’ll have access to lots of natural light.
There’s a café and small art store next to the glass wall area, so you can grab a cup of coffee while you browse fun gifts for someone you love, or just to treat yourself.
For those perfect spring and summer Michigan days, there is a perfect area for outdoor eating. It’s peaceful, inspiring, and located right on the border of East Lansing’s shopping district and main campus. Having lunch here is a perfect central meeting location.
We like to grab lunch from one of the restaurants along the strip across the street. We bring it over to eat on the tables before heading into the museum or making our MSU campus rounds.
If you’re coming with little ones, it’s good to know that mature art can often be a part of the displays. If there is, there will be signs posted so you know where it’s safe to go.
If the content happens to not be acceptable on a given day, there is a small child’s area in the downstairs that’s always open for kids with a table for drawing, building blocks, and other crafts.
Since exhibits are always changing, feel free to call ahead of time to see how much of the museum will be kid-friendly on the day you’re visiting.
For locals, out-of-towners, families, or date nights, the Broad Art Museum is a place where everyone can visit and participate in art!
The CORE offers the opportunity to slow down and learn at your own pace. This collection is permanent.
Object-based learning and research, a specialty of the MSU Broad Art Museum, along with a variety of prompts and tools, will aid you in discovering the many possibilities that exist here
Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum
547 E Circle Dr, East Lansing, MI 48824
517-884-4800
The Broad Museum offers free admission all year round. You can reserve your time to visit online. Upon arrival, you’ll be asked to give your name to check-in. No physical ticket is needed.
Wednesday – Saturday: 10 AM – 6 PM
Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday: Closed
The following items are not allowed in the galleries and can be left at the complimentary Coat Check during your visit:
What are some of your favorite exhibits or events?
Please share in the comments below!
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Melissa is a wife and mother of three who loves to explore - and then write to tell about it! Melissa has lived in several areas of the US, and every move back to Michigan only increases her love and appreciation for the people, culture, and beauty of the mitten. When she’s not outside exploring or writing, you can find her trying to fit in a run before preschool pickup, teaching classes at her church, or filling up her phone’s camera roll with way too many pictures to ever print.
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