Join us for Family Saturdays
We can’t wait to meet the artists of the future!
ABOUT FAMILY SATURDAYS
Family Saturdays are free, drop-in art experiences held every Saturday from 12–3 PM. Designed for kids and grown-ups to enjoy together, each session offers a fresh, hands-on project led by professional teaching artists—drawing inspiration from artists, exhibitions, and cultural traditions. No experience needed, just bring your imagination.
Powered by community partnerships with local artists, cultural organizations, and businesses, Family Saturdays celebrate the vibrant creativity of our Gulf Coast region—from comic books to quilts to pizza-inspired storytelling. Together, we’re building a space where families connect, make memories, and leave a little more colorful.
Family Saturdays are FREE, but you must RSVP for each event.
Let us know you’re coming—RSVP below!
JANUARY: New Year, New You
Intentions, coziness, and calm. From vision boards to pajama parties and stuffed-animal portraits, January invites families to get creative and step into the new year with warmth and wellness.
FEBRUARY: Love to Create
A month of heart-forward creativity. Make sparkling potions, postcards of love, and masterpieces that inspire joy and connection.
MARCH: Art of the Spectacle
Big ideas, bold visuals, and wow-worthy techniques. From optical illusions to handmade books and other eye-catching artworks, March is a celebration of visual drama and playful impact.
-
Watch your artwork change right before your eyes! In this playful Spectacle Lab, families will create agamographs—clever, moving images that shift and transform as you walk past them. Using simple folding and design techniques, you’ll turn two pictures into one surprising, eye-tricking masterpiece. Part art, part science, and all fun, this hands-on project invites kids and grown-ups alike to explore perspective, motion, and the magic of visual illusions together.
-
Celebrate National Reading Month with a hands-on bookbinding workshop led by local artist Laura Hampton. Families will create their own eye-catching, handcrafted books—perfect for sketching, storytelling, or gifting. Don’t miss the Spectacle Stamping Station, where kids can design bold book covers using stamps, stickers, and more! Simple, hands-on, and totally one-of-a-kind—just like your story.
-
Design your own handheld kaleidoscope and turn simple shapes into dazzling patterns of light and color. As you twist and look through, reflections multiply into ever-changing designs—proof that a little science and a little art can create big-time spectacle.
APRIL & MAY: Earthwise & Art-Full
Where art meets the planet. Join us for a month of eco-minded creativity as we upcycle, repurpose, and rethink what art can be during Suncoast Remake Learning Days.
-
Dive into the wonders of the sea with special guests from Minorities in Shark Sciences, a nonprofit uplifting and supporting scientists in shark and marine research. Families will jump into a playful, science-meets-art project, creating their own microscope slide–style keychain featuring a tiny ocean-inspired “specimen” design to take home. Along the way, meet real-life shark science champions and discover how curiosity and observation help us better understand life beneath the waves.
-
In celebration of National Poetry Month, families are invited to draw surprise words from our Mystery Word Bucket and transform them into a one-of-a-kind work of art. Arrange the words on the page or let them inspire your own poem, then paint around them to bring your creation to life. A playful, hands-on way to explore creative literacy and visual expression together.
-
Turn recycling into rhythm at this playful FREE Family Saturday! Craft percussion instruments from found and recycled materials, then join The Garbage-Men for a high-energy jam using reimagined everyday objects. Crafting at 12 PM, live music 1:30–3 PM, plus snacks and sips while they last.
Part of Suncoast Remake Learning Days - Sponsored by The Patterson Foundation
-
Just days after Earth Day, families are invited to a heart-forward FREE Family Saturday celebrating how small acts of kindness can make a big difference. Inspired by the beloved Bucket Filling books by local author Carol McCloud, kids will decorate sand buckets to take home, receive a free copy of My Bucketfilling Journal (while supplies last), enjoy a special appearance by Carol, and savor refreshments to sweeten the day.
Part of Suncoast Remake Learning Days - Sponsored by The Patterson Foundation
-
Celebrate spring and International Harry Potter Day with hands-on art and a touch of magic! Families can design and decorate their own plant markers, take home seeds to grow their own little garden of wonder—generously provided by NatureZ Edge—and craft a one-of-a-kind wand. Enjoy magical snacks and sips “imported” from a nearby wizard village and stop by our summer camp preview to see what’s blooming.
Part of Suncoast Remake Learning Days - Sponsored by The Patterson Foundation
HEY TEENS — VOLUNTEER WITH FAMILY SATURDAYS
Need volunteer hours? High School students ages 15 and up can apply to help out with our Family Saturdays.
Assist with hands-on art activities for kids and families
Support teaching artists and lead creative projects
Grow your leadership, teaching, creative, and team building skills
Encourage creativity and artistic growth in young artists
Family Saturdays aren’t just powered by art—they’re powered by amazing volunteers like you!
STAY IN THE KNOW
Want to be the first to hear about new themes, special guest artists, and creative surprises?
Sign up below to get monthly updates on Family Saturdays and other family programs at Art Center Sarasota.
Thank You to Our Partners! Family Saturdays are free thanks to the generosity of The Exchange, The Emily Wood Robinson Fund, The Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, the Van Wezel, and Michael Saunders & Company Foundation!
If you would like to help support our scholarship, educational or other programs, please make a gift with our thanks on behalf of our students, instructors, artists, and art lovers!