By Remy Sisk • Photograhy by Matt Johnson
While most Louisvillians are aware of how fortunate the city is to be the home of the Speed Art Museum, some may not be as familiar with the multitude of programming offered by the museum. For those families looking for the perfect day out, the Speed has something for everyone and every age, and there’s never been a better time to plan your visit than right now.
“We are thrilled to continue providing varied and diverse programming that caters to guests of all ages here at the Speed,” says Director Raphaela Platow. “With something for everyone, each family member can interact and engage with art and the creative process in ways that can lead to new understanding, appreciation and conversation.”
To begin your own journey, check out this list of eight can’t-miss opportunities at the Speed and get ready for a fun-filled creativity-fueled experience at the museum!
Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrored Room – LET’S SURVIVE FOREVER
Museum hours, tickets required
On loan from the Art Gallery of Ontario, this new exhibition, which will delight and entice the entire family, envelopsvisitors inside a large kaleidoscopic space with mirrored spheres suspended from the ceiling and arranged on the floor. Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrored Room- LET’S SURVIVE FOREVER is a 90-second “immersive experience” where visitors can contemplate the meaning of “infinity” through an illusory mirrored space that encourages introspection and optical play.
“It’s thrilling to host one of Kusama’s signature, immersive ‘Infinity Rooms,’” says Speed Curator of Contemporary Art, Tyler Blackwell. This ‘Infinity Room’ invites us to think about what it might mean to ‘survive forever.’ In a post-pandemic world, this phrase might take on new meanings for all of us, or we might enter the space and feel as if we might be transformed by seeing our own likeness reflected back to us thousands of times.”
With interactive elements from the Speed’s Learning, Engagement and Belonging Team and Rockerbuilt, this is an installation families won’t want to miss. The presentation runs through January 12, 2025.
Baby Playdate & Toddler Takeover
Baby Playdates: First Wednesday of the month, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Toddler Takeovers: Second Wednesday of the month, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
What better way to get your little ones into the art world than by bringing them to a day at the museum? At each Baby Playdate, the Speed team makes the gallery a baby’s paradise with floor mats, board books, toys and soft music. In this environment, babies and their grown-ups are able to discover the museum at their own pace and in their own way.
Meanwhile, at Toddler Takeover, your toddler has free reign of the museum! During this program, toddlers can lead their families to wherever their eye is drawn and visit special
child-friendly stations throughout the museum with activities like storytime, art making, games and puppets.
Art Sparks
Open museum hours
In this interactive hands-on learning gallery for all ages, families can explore art in a modern way, using technology and interactive activities to engage with the collections of the museum and beyond. Across three sections – Noticing, Talking and Making – visitors touch on the varieties of ways to relate with art, gaining a new appreciation as well as understanding of different media. Additionally, Art Sparks is home to Planet Preschool, a space specifically catering to early childhood engagement.
Community Day
Monthly, August Date: Sunday, August 18, 1-4 p.m.
This free monthly series highlights the Speed’s dedication to being a vital community resource through partnerships with a variety of organizations. This month, the museum celebrates Back to School with Pride and Belonging! On August 18th, visitors will be treated to activities and events across the museum to celebrate and support LGBTQ+ youth at the start of a new school year. Looking ahead, September 29th’s Community Day will center on a performance of “Broken Wings Still Fly,” a raw and poignant theatrical experience co-authored by Brandi LaShay and Hannah Drake about enslaved women of Kentucky, featuring motherhood, love, heartbreak, resilience, and ultimate triumph. October’s edition, scheduled for the 27th, will be centered around Día de los Muertos and see La Casita Center and the University of Louisville’s Cultural Center on site to offer education and celebration.
Speed Summer Camps
Summer months, weeks/times vary
This summer may be nearly over but it’s not too early to start thinking about plans for next year! Let your child beat the heat and spend a week immersed in creativity at one of the museum’s week-long summer day camps. Each session offers a variety of fun hands-on activities that encourage children to be creative thinkers, bold art-makers and playful collaborators. Registration typically opens in February. A special program worth highlighting is the Studio Portfolio Intensive for Teens, an experience for students ages 14-18 that allows them to pursue art more deeply. The week-long session offers teens the opportunity to speak to artists and museum professionals in addition to spending hours in the studio learning advanced techniques, all while immersed in the Speed’s collection.
Memories at the Museum & Platinum Collective
Memories at the Museum: Second Saturday of the month, 1:30-3 p.m.
Platinum Collective: Multi-week sessions offered several times per year
Memories at the Museum is designed for those living with early- and middle-stage memory loss and their care partners. This revolutionary program combines a tour of a gallery or special exhibition with a hands-on art-making activity, led by museum staff who are trained by the Alzheimer’s Association.
Platinum Collective brings adults 55 years of age and older together to form a community of energetic and curious people who connect over art, shared experiences and conversations. Throughout each session, participants engage in a series of workshops that culminate in an event at the Speed.
Currently on View
Museum hours
In addition to the special programs and events, let’s not forget the collections of the museum itself! And there’s never been more to see at the Speed. With the reinstallation and reconfiguration of the permanent collections, including the Native American, European and Contemporary galleries, the museum has been able to put approximately 30 percent more of its permanent collection on view for its guests. Back on view are such fan favorites as Priscilla Johnston by Alice Neel, The Church at Varengeville by Claude Monet, Little Dancer Aged Fourteen by Edgar Degas and Golden Rest – Dead Treez by Ebony G. Patterson.
Speed Art Park
Opening 2025
With so much currently going on at the museum, there’s still plenty to look forward to. The Speed Art Park, with a large portion opening next year, will be an ungated, public sculpture park that creates a welcoming extension of the museum with free and open access at all hours, inviting the public to engage with the museum and its artwork beyond its galleries. The Art Park will create new opportunities for the Museum to display its growing collection of outdoor sculpture, collaborate with artists specializing in outdoor and land art and present creative programming outside of the museum’s physical walls.
Now is a great time to consider a Family Membership at the Speed. An annual Family Membership gives two adults and all children in the household access to celebrate art at your Speed. Members enjoy free admission to the Museum, including special exhibitions and many programs, and discounts on tickets to Speed Cinema and Summer Camp tuition.
Learn more at speedmuseum.org/membership