UT’s McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture will host a Global Community Family Fun Day in collaboration with Knoxville’s Bridge Refugee Services from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, December 2.
The partnership with Bridge will highlight diverse communities in Knoxville. Visitors will learn about the rich cultural traditions that immigrants and refugees bring to this country and this city.
Through special presentations of objects in the museum’s Decorative Arts Gallery, the program will create connections between the McClung’s fine arts collection and the stories of guests from a variety of countries, including Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Dan Wang, senior lecturer in UT’s Department of Modern Languages and Literatures will perform Si Maguang, a Chinese folk story about the journey of a smart kid.
The family event also will feature crafts, including creating welcome letters for refugees coming to Knoxville. These messages of hospitality will be distributed by Bridge at their center.
The family fun day echoes the museum’s continuing efforts to collaborate with and reach out to diverse local communities through events like the free Spanish-language tours provided by the Vamos al Museo program and recent family fun days highlighting Cherokee culture and Mayan culture.
“It is important to form positive relationships with the diverse communities of Knoxville,” notes Leslie Chang Jantz, the museum’s curator of education. “Our goal is to continue to develop programming that is relevant, exciting, and inspiring.”
The McClung Museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. Museum admission is free, and the museum’s hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Free parking is available on the weekends. Free public transportation to the museum is available via the Knoxville Trolley Vol Line.
See the museum’s website for more information about family programming, parking, and collections and exhibits.
—
CONTACT:
Callie Bennett (865-974-6750, croller2@utk.edu)
Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)