Second Street Gallery’s Family Studio Day is a free studio day which invites families with kids of all ages to spend time creating art together in the gallery. All visitors have access to free art materials, prompts, and coloring pages to play with during their time in the space.
Each Family Studio Day, we take inspiration from the current exhibitions on view to create a range of kid-friendly activities and prompts. These activities get families engaged in not only the act of creation, but also in having thoughtful conversations about the artworks in the exhibition. These free events facilitate the growing accessibility of the gallery and allow us to share our resources of time and space with the community, in an effort to support a long-term engagement with the arts.
PROGRAM NOTES:
Space is limited and will be first-come, first-serve. If there is no space when you come by, please check back in within 15-30 minutes as families regularly come and go! All children must be accompanied by a guardian.
Photographs and video footage may be taken throughout Family Studio Day. These will be used by Second Street Gallery for marketing and publicity, on our website and in social media or gallery email campaigns.
Interested in becoming a Family Studio Day sponsor? Learn more HERE or become a sponsor today HERE.
UPCOMING FAMILY STUDIO DAYS
We hope you’ll join us for this free community event. All are welcome! Drop by anytime during the open studio day and stay as long as you like—no appointment necessary.
Mark your calendar with the upcoming FSD date:
September 19, 2026
March 12, 2027
May 2023 - Collaging and assembling a selection of paper plant leaves with Brittany Fan
March 2023 - Drawing and re-envisioning favorite places in Charlottesville
April 2023: Coloring illustrations and made cards in celebration of Earth Day
Like our free in-gallery activities such as Family Studio Days and workshops? You can support the growth of these events by making a contribution to the gallery through a monetary donation or donating necessary art supplies for future programming.
Interested in becoming a Family Studio Day sponsor? Learn more HERE or become a sponsor today HERE.
Learn more about different ways to support the gallery HERE, or click the button below.
April 2023: Coloring illustrations and made cards in celebration of Earth Day with Lara Call Gastinger
Visitors designed custom Valentine’s Day cards for friends and loved ones with artist Ryan Trott
Visitors designed custom Valentine’s Day cards for friends and loved ones with artist Ryan Trott
Second Street Gallery has been hosting a monthly Family Studio Day since December 2021 and each Family Studio Day invites the community to get inspired by our current exhibitions through some creative prompts.
Some past examples of family-friendly activities / prompts include:
September 2025: The gallery welcomed over 70 visitors to this month’s Family Studio Day, where there was no shortage of inspiration found in the 603 artworks on view in Teeny Tiny Trifecta 8. Exhibiting TTT8 artists Ginny Krueger, Liz Mayer, Heather Kiser and Jane Belisle also attended and added extra encouragement as teeny tiny-sized surfaces were turned into mini masterpieces of all mediums. Merrie Mill Farm generously sponsored Sept FSD —thank you!
October 2025: This month’s activity was all about collage! We use printed portraits from the 19th-century and added a wide array of mixed media (lace, washi tape, rhinestones, tissue paper, fabric, stickers, etc.) to blend old and new, a practice that seemed to come naturally to guests of all ages. Exhibiting artist Corinne Diop, whose artwork served as the basis for this project, was present and engaged at length with visitors. We’re grateful to Ann Hay Hardy with Frank Hardy Sotheby's International Realty for sponsoring this event!
November 2025: Families and friends of all ages visited the gallery to create art inspired by exhibiting artist Zofie King. Zofie brought her cyanotype supplies and helped people make sunprints with lace, photographic negatives, fine leaves, and more. Participants then decorated their custom designs with markers, crayons, and collage like Zofie's photographic paintings and collages. Thank you to Caroline Wright Art Advisory for sponsoring this event!
December 2025: All aboard! December’s theme was in response to Stacey Evans’ photo exhibition documenting her travels on a passenger train. Using small copies of Evans’ photographs, guests manipulated, cut, and pieced together their observations of the American landscape–natural and man-made–as seen through a personal lens. Evans participated in the activity and sparked enthusiasm in some of our youngest visitors! Thank you to CEP Solar (Commonwealth Energy Partners) for sponsoring the last FSD of 2025.
January 2026: Courtney Coker guided us through making “fairy houses” out of small craft paper house-shaped boxes with the opportunity to decorate it with moss, bark, twigs, collage, tape and markers. Kids and families created fun and unique small, wild, homes throughout the 4 hours. Several helpful volunteers helped get the young artists supplies, inspiration, and encouragement. Thank you to Charlottesville Skin and Laser Center for sponsoring January’s FSD!
February 2026: Over 190 guests joined us for this lively creative session with exhibiting artist Ryan Trott. Trott showed families how to construct paper flower vases using colorful paper and playful shapes similar to those on view in his current exhibition, Mixed Bag. An array of mixed media materials allowed everyone to add personal touches to their bouquets. This months event was generously sponsored by Harrison and Benjamin.
March 2026: The round, boldly colored portraits in Sarah Hand's solo exhibition Everyday Illuminations served as the inspiration for this month’s event. Paper plates and other round surfaces in a range of hues provided an easy jumping off point, especially for young participants. Paint, googly eyes, and yarn were just a few of the materials used to enhance faces belonging to both real and imagined pals. Crutchfield generously sponsored this event.
April 2026: Fine Arts + Flowers exhibiting artist Lee Christmas Halstead inspired families to envision their dream flower garden and bring it to life. Attendees utilized a rainbow of colored paper, pipe cleaners, pencils, and pom-poms to create floral displays, encouraged by the botanical paintings around them. Each participant stayed focused and diligent in their artistic endeavors, leaving with an in-home garden to brighten their days. This month’s event was made possible with support from Apex Clean Energy.
May 2026: Fine Arts + Flowers exhibiting artist Priscilla Whitlock was in the gallery to promote projects that reflect the joy we find in nature and in one another. Using brightly patterned papers and decorations, guests were encouraged to make cards for anyone they wished to celebrate—mothers, grandmothers, aunts, mentors, guardians, neighbors, teachers, friends, or other meaningful figures. Thank you to The Alvarez/Ariail Family for generously sponsoring this event.
June 2026: Gallery guests couldn’t get enough of the featured button-making project! The custom designs and text participants put on their pins featured a comprehensive list of self-expression, including identity pronouns, nicknames, pets, rainbows, and so much more! HOT PINK artist Winslow Loves You! was on hand to demonstrate this interactive and playful activity. We extend our thanks to The Franks-Rondeau Family for generously sponsoring this event.