Online Resources – The Arts (Drawing, Opera and more)

One positive that has come from all of the social distancing, school cancelations and business closures is that there are some great individuals and businesses who have stepped up to offer the kids (and adults!) some GREAT content. 

Don’t worry, local programs will be available again soon. To check out Hampton Roads area Art Programs near you Click HERE!

Here are some current favorites in the Arts to check out:

Drawing

Doodle Time with Mo Willems (of Elephant and Piggy fame) is holding daily Doodle Sessions (started March 16th) for kids online where he talks about developing his stories, how he draws characters, and encourages watchers to jump into their own creative process. My daughter is enthralled. A new video posts daily at 1pm EST and you can find them on this link: Doodle Time with Mo Willems

How To Toon – Joe Wos will be offering free live cartooning classes online for all ages. Classes will take place daily Monday-Friday at 1pm Eastern time. Students can access the channel by visiting How To Toon

Outschool is making $100,000 worth of online classes available to eligible students during the school shut-down. To find Art Classes on their platform Click Here. To learn about their offer for free classes Click Here.

Coloring

Free Coloring Books from World-Class Libraries & Museums: The Met, New York Public Library, Smithsonian & More. This site has a ton of different coloring books that you can print off for your little artists (or for yourself!)

Museum Tours

Tour an International Museum, this article “These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch” gives you the links to access some great online museum tours.

Opera

The Metropolitan Opera is going online with FREE ‘Met Opera Streams’ each night. Due to unprecedented demand and web traffic, it is recommended that you access the stream through the Met Opera on Demand apps for Apple, Amazon, and Roku devices and Samsung Smart TV. Each performance is only online for a limited time. Check their website for the current performance.

Local Museums with Online Tours

The Chrysler Museum: The Chrysler Museum of Art is one of America’s most distinguished mid-sized art museums, with a nationally recognized collection of more than 30,000 objects, including one of the great glass collections in America. The core of the Chrysler’s collection comes from Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., an avid art collector who donated thousands of objects from his private collection to the Museum. In the years since Chrysler’s death in 1988, the Museum has dramatically enhanced its collection and extended its ties with the Norfolk community. The Museum, expanded in 2014 to add additional gallery spaces and amenities for visitors, now has growing collections in many areas. The Chrysler also mounts an ambitious schedule of exhibitions and educational programs and events each season.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation operates the world’s largest living history museum in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA—the restored 18th-century capital of Britain’s largest, wealthiest, and most populous outpost of empire in the New World. Here we interpret the origins of the idea of America, conceived decades before the American Revolution. The Colonial Williamsburg story of a revolutionary city tells how diverse peoples, having different and sometimes conflicting ambitions, evolved into a society that valued liberty and equality.

Francis Land House Virtual Tour: Join us for an online, 3D “walking tour” of the Francis Land House, and view the furnishings incorporated to interpret the period that Francis Land VI and his wives and daughters were in residence, circa 1805-1819.

Thoroughgood House Virtual Tour:  One of Virginia Beach’s oldest surviving colonial homes (and a National Historic Landmark), visit the Thoroughgood House. Our virtual tour takes you through this over 300-year-old Landmark, as well as the beautiful English garden on the grounds. The tour of the Thoroughgood House is accompanied by information relating to each stop on your journey.

Did we miss one of your favorite current programs? Comment below and we will add it to our list! 

*** You can support your local museums, and all nonprofit museums across the U.S. by asking your legislators to include them in the COVID-19 relief and economic stimulus package. It only takes a few minutes – take action today: https://www.congressweb.com/AAM/67 ***