Stanford University

Family Programs

Art for All is a fun and educational real and virtual space for audiences of all ages to discover and learn about artwork in the Cantor Arts Center and the Anderson Collection through hands-on art-making activities.

 

Our newly reimagined Art for All program embraces the vision of Family Programs by providing accessible, inclusive, fun, and educational in-person and virtual resources for families and visitors of all ages to meaningfully engage with art at the Stanford art museums. 

Join us in-person or virtually to discover and learn about artwork in the Cantor Arts Center and the Anderson Collection through hands-on art-making activities! 

 

Art for All Family Day 

Twice-yearly in-person Family Days bring families, and children of all ages together for a free event with art-making and performances inspired by artwork at the Stanford art museums.
Family Day is made possible through the generous support of the Hohbach Family Fund
 


Art for All Videos


Family-friendly bite-sized videos open up additional online opportunities for families to experience art together and help children, their caregivers, and all museum visitors to make connections between art and things familiar to them in their everyday lives.
Support for Art for All videos is provided by the Koret Foundation
A blue rectangle with the words Koret Foundation
 

 

Art for All Family Guides
 

Pick up or print-out at home, one of our engaging Family Guides and explore the galleries with fascinating friends.
Support for Family Guides is provided by the Koret Foundation
A blue rectangle with the words Koret Foundation


 

In addition to these new initiatives, we continue to make available our 2020 and 2021 virtual programming, Second Sunday from Home.

 

Second Sunday from Home

Art making activities and art stories from our 2020 and 2021 experiments in virtual family programming.
Second Sunday was made possible through the generous support of the Hohbach Family Fund

 

An image of kids working on art projects with the legend Art for All Art Making Videos

Art for All Videos

A woman and a child making art on the grass with the legend Art for All Family Days

Art for All Family Day

An image of a family walking on the grass outside of the Cantor with the legend Art for All Family Guides

Art for All Family Guides

An image of hands weaving through an art project with the legend Second Sunday Archive

Second Sunday Archive

 

 

Art for All Videos

 

 

Family friendly bite-sized videos open up additional opportunities for families to experience art together and help children, their caregivers, and all museum visitors to make connections between art and things familiar to them in their everyday lives.

Support for Art for All videos is provided by the Koret Foundation
A blue rectangle with the words Koret Foundation

Embroidery Family Activity

Create your own work of art, using pictures of your family and easy embroidery techniques inspired by the artwork of LJ Robert's Carry You With Me: Ten Years of Portraits. LJ Roberts stitched 26 small (4x6 inch) portrait pieces entirely by hand and worked on them mostly while riding subway trains!

Watch
an image depicting embroidery

Totem Pole Family Activity

Create your own unique family crest sculpture inspired by the House Post and Lintel with Family Crests carved and painted by Kwakwaka'wakw artist Calvin Hunt. You can see this artwork in person at the Cantor. It is as big as a house!

Watch
an image depicting a totem pole

Book Cover Family Activity

Make your own fabric covered book inspired by The American Library by Yinka Shonibare. A British-Nigerian artist living in the United Kingdom, Yinka uses Dutch wax fabric because it reminds him of West Africa where he lived as a child and because it has a complex origin reflecting a multicultural identity embedded in U.S. history.

Watch
An image depicting a book cover

Still Life Collage Activity

Create your own still life collage inspired by contemporary artist Gloria Wong’s photograph Pears, 2020.

Watch
an image of a still life painting made out of a collage

Finding Form: Make an Owl Sculpture

Inspired by artist Lucy M. Lewis’ Acoma Pueblo pottery

Lucy Lewis was born around 1900 and spent all her life atop the high mesa of Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico, making traditional pottery since the age of 7. Feel what it is like to use your bare hand to create a vessel form and make an owl of your own. This lesson can be adapted to make lots of different animal and vessel forms. Follow your imagination!

Watch
An image of an owl and the words activity inspired by artist Lucy M. Lewis

Bubble Painting

Discover non-traditional ways of painting inspired by artist Sam Francis

Sam Francis was born just up the road from Stanford University in San Mateo, California in 1923. He is known as an abstract impressionist painter. He conveyed emotions using line shape and color. Learn how you can use unusual art materials to share your feelings and have fun experimenting!

Watch
An image of an owl and the words activity inspired by artist Sam Francis
art for all paper quilt activity

Paper Quilt Family Activity

Inspired by Wendy Red Star's work

Create your own work of art, using images of your family and following patterns found in Wendy Red Star’s work. Wendy Red Star: American Progress, is on view at the Anderson Collection through August 28, 2022. Learn more: https://stanford.io/3vVBy8I

Watch

 

 

Art for All Family Day

 

 

Twice-yearly in-person Family Days bring children, families, and caregivers together for a day of free educational activities, art-making, and performances.

Family Day is made possible through the generous support of the Hohbach Family Fund

 

an image of the outdoors of the museums during a family event

Register for Family Day!

Save the Date! Our next Family Day is Sunday, October 15, 2023, on the lawn between the Cantor Arts Center and the Anderson Collection at Stanford University.

Get Tickets

 

 

Art for All Family Guides

 

 

Free takeaway Family Guides are available to help families enjoy their art exploration experiences. Family Guides offer points of connection with the art on view by using suggested inquiry-based discussions, and activities.

Support for Family Guides is provided by the Koret Foundation
A blue rectangle with the words Koret Foundation

Do you know what Deborah Butterfield's sculpture, Viktoria is made of? Download this Family Guide to find out. To explore the guide online, click the button below.

Explore
A family guide for Cantor with activities to follow along in the museum.

Learn new and fun facts about the art displayed at the Cantor with this handy family guide. You can print it at home to follow along in your next visit to the museum. To explore the guide online, click the button below.

Explore
A drawing of a chinese dragon on green background

This family guide helps you discover fun facts about some of the large outdoor sculptures available at the Cantor. The guide is available at the visitor services desk. To explore the guide online, click the button below.

Explore
a teal image depicting a scultpure of a man

 

 

 

More Artmaking Activities

Second Sunday is a virtual (interactive) family focused hands-on art making event for all ages. Art making activities are designed as a (30 minute or bite-size) at-home making experience and are available for viewing afterwards through the museums’ websites. Each Second Sunday explores a new exhibition or theme from the Cantor and the Anderson Collection.

In 2022, this program transitioned to Art for All, a series of re imagined family programs brought to you by Stanford art museums.

Explore Second Sunday

 

 

 

Visit Us

The Cantor is open to the public, Wednesdays–Sundays 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. We’re always free. Advance registration is not required, but it helps us plan if we know who's coming.

Come visit us!
Museums From Home: Watch, read, listen and explore Stanford art museums from home.

Directions

The Cantor Arts Center is located at the intersection of Museum Way and Lomita Drive in the heart of the arts district on the Stanford campus. The Cantor faces the Bing Concert Hall across Palm Drive, northwest of The Oval and the Main Quad.

328 Lomita Drive at Museum Way
Stanford, CA 94305-5060

How to Get Here

Parking

Parking is limited. Stanford has a new contactless process to pay for parking, using the ParkMobile app, website, or phone. Prior to your visit, we recommend you visit the Stanford Transportation website to learn more about the updated visitor parking process.

Parking Rates and Map
A man using his phone and leaning on his car