1/30/2009 - En mi Familia/In My Family Exhibit Opens 2/28 at Austin Children's Museum

Visitors can experience traditions from Mexican-American culture in new permanent exhibit.

En mi familia/In My Family Exhibit Opens 2/28 at Austin Children's Museum

Austin, Texas (January 30, 2009) - Imagine: a warm kitchen full of family and friends; the sounds of conjunto music playing on the radio; family laughing and telling stories with lessons on how to properly spread masa across a cornhusk; and tantalizing aromas of comino, chili ancho and frijoles de la jolla that make your mouth water. Children and families are invited to step into this scene and experience it along with more traditions of a Mexican-American family presented in the En mi familia/In My Family exhibit opening Saturday, February 28, 2009 at Austin Children's Museum.

En mi familia/In My Family is a bilingual, hands-on, family exhibit inspired by the gouache paintings and award-winning children's books of renowned Mexican-American artist Carmen Lomas Garza. Visitors can enter Carmen's world through richly detailed, three-dimensional scenes that evoke the warm, appealing atmosphere of her paintings. The exhibit invites children and families to explore the art, music, food and language of Carmen's Mexican American culture and reflect on the ways in which their families pass on their values and cultural traditions through food, celebrations, storytelling and nurturing.

En mi familia/In My Family was developed by ACM in collaboration with Carmen Lomas Garza. It was first featured at ACM in July 2003-January 2004. Since then, the exhibit has traveled to seven other children's museums across the nation. Now the exhibit is back "home" to stay as a permanent exhibit.

En mi familia/In My Family brings four of Carmen's vibrant paintings to life, each depicting loving childhood memories of the artist's life growing up in Kingsville, Texas.

Climb into Carmen's World
Based on painting Camas para sueños (Beds for Dreams)
Enter Carmen's world!

* Climb on her bed and flip through her book of family pictures.
* Make a wish for your own dream for the future in the fanciful dream chair.

La Tamalada/Making Tamales
Based on painting Tamalada (Making Tamales)
A kitchen scene where the family is gathered making tamales together for the holidays.

* Practice making tamales using fabric tamales.
* Watch a video of people making real tamales!

Birthday Barbecue
Based on painting Barbacoa para cumpleaños (Birthday Barbecue)
Join in the party!

* Try your hand at the piñata. Fill it with treats and watch them spill out.
* Put together a papel picado puzzle design (Mexican paper cut outs).
* Sit down on Grandma's lap and read more stories from Carmen's childhood.

Dance at El Jardín/Baile en el jardín
Based on painting Baile en 1958 (Dance in 1958)
Dance to the rhythm of the accordion at this dance under the South Texas stars.

* Make music with the band and dance along.
* Pick an instrument to play - the drums, guitar or stand-up bass.
* Dance! Follow the lead of the dancers in the video and see if you can learn some steps!

For more information about the exhibit visit www.austinkids.org. For more information about the artist, Carmen Lomas Garza, visit www.carmenlomasgarza.com.

En mi familia/In My Family was developed by Austin Children's Museum in cooperation with Carmen Lomas Garza and a team of community advisors and educators. Local presentation of En mi familia/In My Family is sponsored by the Home Depot Foundation. Additional support provided by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division, by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts and various foundations, businesses and individuals.

ABOUT ACM
The mission of the Austin Children's Museum is to create innovative learning experiences for children and families that equip and inspire the next generation of creative problem solvers. Located at the Dell Discovery Center downtown at the corner of 2nd Street and Colorado, the Austin Children's Museum is one of the city's popular cultural attractions with 200,000 visitors annually. Founded in 1983 as a non-profit organization, the Austin Children's Museum delivers its mission through a variety of exhibits, programs and outreach activities. For more information, please visit www.austinkids.org.

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