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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College recently announced the return of its popular summer open house, Frances Day.

Named in honor of the Museum’s namesake, Frances Young Tang, Class of 1961, the family-friendly event features art exhibitions, tours, art-making activities, food, music, and fun from 1 to 5 pm on July 9. The Tang is excited to welcome back kids, families, and art-lovers of all ages — as well as those unfamiliar with the Tang — to the open house event that hasn’t been held since 2019 due to the pandemic.

This year features a special gallery talk of artists in the exhibition Alumni Invitational 5, including Zaria Forman, Fitzhugh Karol, Zehra Khan, and Susan Meyer; an opening-day curator’s tour of “Where Words Falter: Art and Empathy,” and a musical performance of lo-fi surf-pop by Albany’s Pony in the Pancake.

• View the exhibitions “Alumni Invitational 5,” “Elevator Music 43: Yvette Janine Jackson—Destination Freedom,” “Hyde Cabinet #17: Behind the Mask,” “Lauren Kelley: Location Scouting,” “Robert Tracy on Dance,” and “Where Words Falter: Art and Empathy”

• Draw with colored chalk on the sidewalks outside the Tang

• Blow bubbles and experience a bubble-making machine outside

• Create your own buttons with button-making machines

• Make a landscape out of felt, inspired by the work by Zaria Forman on view in Alumni Invitational 5

• Decorate your very own tote bag with a wealth of materials

• Participate in a community-based publication by creating your own artistic response to the exhibition “Where Words Falter: Art and Empathy”

• Explore the museum with a series of special Frances Day prompts written by Museum Education Intern Paul Seggev ’23, who holds the Carole Marchand ’57 Endowed Internship for 2021-22

• Take a selfie in a specially designed selfie station

• Sign up for a raffle to win awesome Tang swag. The winner must be present for the 4 pm drawing.

• 1:15 pm: Gallery Talk in Alumni Invitational 5: Malloy Curator and Assistant Director for Curatorial Affairs Rachel Seligman leads a gallery talk with exhibiting artists Zaria Forman ’05, Fitzhugh Karol ’04, Zehra Khan ’04, and Susan Meyer ’86. Visitors are asked to gather inside the Wachenheim Gallery on the first floor for the talk.

• 2:15 pm: Tang Collections Tour: Senior Registrar Elizabeth Karp and Collections Registrar Kara Jefts take visitors behind the scenes to show some of the more than 17,000 objects in the Tang collection. Visitors are asked to meet in the Tang Atrium on the first floor.

• 3 pm: Curator’s Tour of Where Words Falter: Art and Empathy: Join Associate Curator Rebecca McNamara and Evan Little ’22, the 2020-21 Charina Endowment Fund Intern, for a tour of the Tang’s newest exhibition on its opening day. Visitors are asked to gather on the second floor at the entrance to the exhibition in the Malloy Wing.

• 4 pm: Raffle Winners Announced: The announcement will be made from the stage outside just before the concert.

• 4:01 pm: Pony in the Pancake in concert: Enjoy the lo-fi surf-pop sounds of the Albany-based band!

Refreshments will include lemonade, water, and cookies during the day. During the concert, empanadas and ice cream will be available, and beer and wine will be available for purchase via Visa or Mastercard. All events are free and open to the public. Plenty of free parking is available in lots adjacent to the Museum. In case of inclement weather, activities will be indoors.

For more information, visit http://tang.skidmore.edu or call the Visitors Services Desk at (518) 580-8080.

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