Create
Create at Home
Since we can't welcome you to the museum for our monthly Second Saturdays Are for Families program, we invite you to create at home with us! Each week, we'll post a supply list, followed by a step-by-step activity guide to make an artistic creation with materials found in your own home.
Stay tuned for more activities for both kids and adults, which will be added to this page periodically!
Create at Home: Mirror Monotypes
You’ll have twice the fun with this week's Create at Home activity, inspired by artist Nic Nicosia's sculpture, the twins, which formerly made its home at Laguna Gloria. Make a mirror-image work of art while exploring monotyping with materials you can find right in your home!
Supply List
Mirror (or other non-porous surface)
Markers (washable)
Paper
Spray bottle with water
Paper towel or kitchen towel
Stay tuned for a step-by-step video activity guide!
IMAGE: Nic Nicosia, the twins, 2018. Stainless steel. 79 x 59 x 53 inches. Edition 1 of 3. Commissioned by The Contemporary Austin with funds provided by the Edward and Betty Marcus Foundation. Installation view, The Contemporary Austin – Laguna Gloria, Austin, Texas, 2018. Artwork © Nic Nicosia. Courtesy the artist and Erin Cluley Gallery, Dallas. Photograph by Brian Fitzsimmons.
Create at Home: Nature Weaving
Take a walk around the block to find materials for this week's Create at Home project – a nature weaving! Chinese artist Ai Weiwei used trees as inspiration for his sculpture Iron Tree Trunk at Laguna Gloria... what will YOU use?
Supply List
Cardboard
Natural Materials (grass, flowers, etc.)
Yarn or string
Tape
Scissors
Step-by-Step Video Guide
IMAGE: Ai Weiwei, Iron Tree Trunk, 2015. Cast iron. 185 x 63 x 82 5/8 inches. Edition 1 of 3. Installation view, The Contemporary Austin – Laguna Gloria, Austin, Texas, 2017. Collection of The Contemporary Austin. Purchased with funds provided by the Edward and Betty Marcus Foundation, members of The Contemporary Austin Board of Trustees, and generous friends of the museum, 2018.3. Artwork © Ai Weiwei Studio. Image courtesy The Contemporary Austin. Photograph by Brian Fitzsimmons.
Create at Home: Tape Lanterns
Get glowing with this week's Create at Home Activity! Create an extraordinary light sculpture using ordinary materials, inspired by Ursula von Rydingsvard’s luminous sculpture, Luna.
Supply List
Clear tape
Scissors
Stuffed animal or ball
Flashlight or lamp
Step-by-Step Video Guide
IMAGE: Ursula von Rydingsvard, Luna, 2006. Urethane resin. 70 x 43 x 33 inches. Collection of The Contemporary Austin. Gift of Morton and Estelle Sosland, 2014.1. Installation view, The Contemporary Austin – Laguna Gloria, Austin, Texas, 2014. Artwork © Ursula von Rydingsvard. Image courtesy The Contemporary Austin. Photograph by Brian Fitzsimmons.
Create at Home: DIY Drawing Tools
Forget crayons and pencils—we’ll show you how to create a brand new drawing or painting tool for outdoor art making in this week's Create at Home activity! Gather up some wacky items and see how you can design a brand new way to "make a mark!"
VIEW ACTIVITY GUIDE
Supply List
DIY sidewalk chalk paint*
Sidewalk chalk (store bought, or try our DIY recipe included in the video below!)
Materials found around your house including but not limited to: egg cartons, sponges, plastic containers, broom sticks, twigs, leaves, etc.
Tape
String
Glue
*Follow the simple instructions in this video to make DIY Sidewalk Chalk and DIY Sidewalk Chalk Paint!
Step-by-Step Video Guide
Create at Home: Twisty Totems
Squeeze, squish, swirl! Get your hands messy with some homemade clay, and see how your favorite colors twist together to make a colorful work of art inspired by Cameron Jamie’s sculpture Mon Singe at Laguna Gloria!
VIEW ACTIVITY GUIDE
Supply List
Homemade clay (corn starch, Elmer’s glue, oil)*
Markers or watercolor paint
Stick
Wax paper
*Follow the simple instructions in this video to make your own air dry clay!
Step-by-Step Video Guide
Create at Home: Wobbly Weebles
Can you make a sculpture that will sway, bob, and dip, but never falls over? Create a gravity-defying work of art inspired by a trio of bulbous sculptures at Laguna Gloria by artist Juan Muñoz!
Supply List
Hollow, rigid ball
Small weight
Cardboard or paper
Tissue paper
Markers
Glue or tape
Twist ties or string
Step-by-Step Video Guide
Create at Home: Mold Making
Ever wonder how the giant works of art at Laguna Gloria were made? Learn how sculptures are cast in metal and other materials through this fun and easy mold making activity. See how you can take a toy or other object in your home and duplicate it with simple art supplies!
Supply List
Play-Doh*
Crayons
Muffin tin or baking tray
Toy (with smooth and shallow details)
Oven or toaster oven
*Don't have any Play-Doh at home? Follow the simple instructions in this video to make your own air dry clay!
Step-by-Step Video Guide
Create at Home: Tape Art
Opposites attract in this week's Create at Home project! Inspired by two very different sculptures by artist Carol Bove, we're making works of art that combine the straight, geometric shapes in one with the swirly, curving lines in the other.
Supply List
Tape and/or string
Rigid surface to paint (cardboard, poster board, etc.)
Drawing or painting supplies
Scissors
Step-by-Step Video Guide
Create at Home: Recycled Robots
Bleep, blarp, bloop! This week we’ll show you how to make your very own robot friend using ordinary materials from your recycling bin—and your imagination!
VIEW ACTIVITY GUIDE
Supply List
3–5 containers such as bottles, paper tubes, and small boxes
Tape
Glue
Scissors
Items to decorate, such as lids, metal washers, and string
Step-by-Step Video Guide
Create at Home: Bug Hotels
It's officially spring, and that means our favorite bugs are coming back to town! Join us this week as we make bug hotels for our resident bees, butterflies, and other crawly creatures, using materials you can round up from your own backyard.
Supply List
Container of some kind
Sticks
Cardboard
Rope, twine, or string
Scissors
Glue
Tape
Step-by-Step Video Guide
Make and Explore Materials
Make and Explore: DIY Clay
Make and Explore: DIY Sidewalk Chalk
Online Art School Classes
Tap into your creativity right from your home in an online Art School class! We're offering live, online classes in drawing, painting, ceramics, and more, taught by our wonderful Art School faculty in real time. We've got offerings for adults, as well as children and teens.
Capacity is limited to ensure small class sizes so you can maximize your time with your instructor and your classmates. You'll learn together in community with your fellow students, with additional opportunities for one-on-one time and individual feedback from your instructor, just like in our in-person classes!
Upon registration, we'll send detailed information on ordering supplies for either local pickup or to be shipped to your home.
Make a Zine
Make a zine inspired by artist Jessica Green's video work, I have faith in nights, co-presented by The Contemporary Austin for Fusebox Festival 2020: Virtual Edition.
How do you have faith in nights? How might you gather force from a slow walk or a quiet observation of shifting light now that you experience time differently?
For Fusebox Festival 2020: Virtual Edition, artist Jessica Green and an ensemble of weavers and artists meditate on these ideas in a zine and video they made reflecting their slow walks during sunrises. Enjoy the poetry, drawings, and prompts in their zine.
Want to make your own zine? Follow the artist's instructions below to do it yourself. Using words and images, reflect on slow observations of your environment, or invite friends to each contribute a page of a collaborative virtual zine about whatever interests you!
Support Us
While The Contemporary Austin is closed to the public, we remain committed to inspiring our community through experiences with contemporary art. We have developed virtual programming to keep Austin inspired, organized virtual art classes for adults and kids through our Art School, and built robust art-based curricula and resources for educators and the general public—all while maintaining our 14-acre sculpture park and caring for the artwork at the Jones Center on Congress Avenue so we will be ready to welcome you back in-person soon. Please consider supporting our efforts if you are able.
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