One of the projects offered through the free Dilly Dally at the Dali program is to create the “Oops Creature” from a blotch of ink. Photo from The Dali Museum
Who even knew what surrealism was as a little kid? Well, more than 940 area youngsters learned about it in 2020 and the program to introduce them to the art world continues.
Dilly Dally at the Dali is a free program offered through the Dali Museum for children 6-11, both in-person and remotely. They learn art techniques, create Salvador Dali-inspired crafts and get introduced to other artists on special exhibit at the St. Petersburg Museum.
Classes meet at the museum on the first and third Sunday of the month from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and virtually on the first and third Thursdays of the month at 5 p.m. for 30 minutes.
“One of my personal favorites is the Oops Creature and it is a surreal activity where you make a mistake with a bunch of ink, one splotch or many,” said Joy Garrett-Douglas, education and community program associate for the museum. “Everyone can do it, parents and kids. From that drop of ink, you create a creature. We’ll be doing it Oct. 21 on virtual Dilly Dally.”
The next event is Oct. 7 remotely. Register through the museum.
“Some kids do both virtual and in-person,” Garrett-Douglas said. “Before the pandemic we had regulars. Depending on which they come to, most of the virtual students will come to many throughout the month.”
It’s obvious what the kids get out of it, but Dilly Dally at the Dali also allows the museum to meet its educational requirements to educate the community about art, Garrett-Douglas said. The Dali supplies all the materials for the art projects.
“It’s a good introduction to art,” she said. “Each lesson, they learn a technique and learn about Dali, or the artist being represented in our special exhibit.”
