The 16th annual Museum District Day was a fun-filled event in which 18 museums waived their general admission fee and offered Houstonians a variety of exhibits, festivities and presentations Saturday.
The Museum District opened its doors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to the public and encouraged Houstonians to explore the fourth largest museum district in the nation.
“The most exciting is the diversity of visitors that we have,” said Curator of the Contemporary Arts Museum-Houston Dean Daderko.
“There’s certainly all ages and types of people coming through, so it’s really exciting to have people through the door who might not have come otherwise.”
Despite the brief period of rain on Saturday, hundreds of children, parents and regulars filled the streets walking in and out of the museums as museum curators and volunteers welcomed them.
The streets were also packed with museum employees passing out maps of the area and informing people of the exciting activities that were taking place.
Assistance was easily found almost anywhere participants turned, and police guided pedestrians safely through the busy streets.
“I feel it’s important for Houstonians and myself to be aware of the diverse museums we have here,” said chemical engineering senior Dmitry Galushko.
“We have such a beautiful museum district and such interesting exhibits from all over the world that it would be a shame to miss them when they travel here.”
The CAMH proudly promoted a major exhibition of works by South African artist Jane Alexander. Alexander’s sculptures of hybrid mutants, installations and photomontages offered participants a glimpse into her South African experiences.
In addition to the multiple exhibitions, the museums also had fun activities for all ages.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science offered participants a chance to meet KHOU-TV channel 11 news anchors and reporters.
The Jung Center and the Health Museum offered a variety of arts and crafts activities for children and adults.
The organizers of Museum District Day also announced that they have decided to change up next year’s festivities.
Instead of an annual day celebrating all the museums, the day will be split up into four museum district days, one for each zone of the district.
Starting Jan. 26, Houstonians will be able to focus on each group of museums and not split their attention between all 18 museums in a single day.
Whether it is one day or four, Museum District Day is always a great opportunity for Houstonians to become more aware of what their city has to offer.
