Typically, January is a transition time for some of the larger players as they close out their holiday shows and chart plans for their spring openings, but we still found a few interactive opportunities to help feed your artistic muse.
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth - Jan. 6
You've probably heard about the Modern's jazzy and ever-popular First Fridays, but the oldest art museum in Texas also rolls out the red carpet for budget-conscious patrons on the first Sunday of the month. Free and following varied themes each time, the monthly offering includes personal and informal Sundays with the Modern, a guided tour at 2 p.m. and Drawings from The Collection, a drawing class at 2 p.m. This month the tour will be guided by local painter, Dennis Blagg (who also has work on display at the museum) and the class will be led by regional talent, Lily Hanson. Since the facility is located in Fort Worth's Cultural District, it's easy to make a day of it. themodern.org
Fort Worth Museum of Science & History - Jan-May
Don't let blustery winds and big sweaters clip your wings this month: take a flight of fancy – or a fanciful flight – with a trip to the Omni for Flight of the Butterflies, a documentary about the amazing annual journey of the Monarch butterfly and the stubborn research of Dr. Fred Urquhart, the zoologist/biologist who was obsessed with its mysterious migration. Founding the Insect Migration Association, he tracked and finally discovered their destination in 1975 as the remote Transvolcanic Belt of central Mexico. Stay with your theme and tour the Collections Showcase of 450 native butterflies and moths, or build some wings of your own at Air Park, a special exhibit in Innovative Gallery, where visitors design and launch paper airplanes, create kites, test pinwheels and explore how and why beach balls float. fwmuseum.org
Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame - January and beyond
Get your kids in the mood for the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo later this month with a trip to Historic Barn A in the Fort Worth Stockyards and enjoy light crowds while touring the entertaining and educational Adventures of the Cowboy Trail during its unofficial "off-season." Executive Director Jami Hoffman says kids get surprisingly competitive while indulging in a bit of make-believe and bartering for food, learning to bridle and saddle horses and equipping their wagons for trail rides at Chuckwagon Station. Plus, there's always time for some dress-up fun and picture-taking at the Jersey Lilly Old-Tyme Photo Parlor. texascowboyhalloffame.org
Milan Gallery - January and beyond
For an intimate and at-your-leisure history lesson, traipse over to Sundance Square to admire the Milan Gallery's rare sampling of historic pieces that capture the handiwork of a young Michelangelo before he put his distinctive mark on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Milan Gallery has laid claim to being the first location outside of Italy to receive eight authentic bronze casts, including Madonna of the Steps and The Battle of the Centaurs, and close to 30 related historic works from other masters of the period, including Donatello and Giambologna. Informal tours, offered hourly or on demand, review details of Michelangelo's early training more than 500 years ago and the meticulous process that allows the striking bronze casts to capture these works, which date back to 1490-92 (when he was still a teen). Authorized by and originally housed at Casa Buonarroti, the Michelangelo Family Museum in Florence, Italy, the displayed artworks were created from original plaster prototypes (dating to 1949) of Michelangelo's marble sculptures. milangallery.com
Kimbell Art Museum - Feb. 2
On the eve of the opening of its Feb. 3-April 14 exhibit, Bernini: Sculpting in Clay, the Kimbell will host an introductory symposium to introduce patrons to the magnitude of the work by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, commonly renowned as the most important sculptor of the 17th century. A collection of 15 terra cottas by Bernini, assembled by the Harvard Art Museums and never previously lent, anchors the exhibit, while another 20 models and 30 drawings by the famed sculptor expand the impressive display. kimbellart.org
