news releases Children's Museum Teams Up with San Diego Multicultural Festival Outreach Program Brings Art and Activities to Local Event January 3, 2007—The Children's Museum/Museo de los Niños San Diego will be joining the 9th annual San Diego Multicultural Festival for a fun-filled day of fabulous food, lively entertainment and enriching art activities. The festival will be from 11am to 5:00pm on Saturday, January 13. As the name suggests, the festival celebrates the rich traditions and heritages of the many diverse cultures found in San Diego. The free event will be held along Martin Luther King, Jr. Promenade in downtown San Diego. In step with its mission of learning through the arts, the Children’s Museum will be treating all children to four hands-on projects at the festival. Children will be encouraged to explore their creativity through the Culinary Culture Carts where pretend chefs can make an imaginative meal using brightly colored dough and everyday kitchen utensils or Paint It Big in which young artists create multi-layered artworks from simple abstract painting elements. At the SKYDreaming stations, amateur aviators will create paper airplanes using various origami-folding techniques and, at the Grand Prix stations, children can design a one-of-a-kind, fantastic vehicle using recycled materials that they can take home with them. Artist and Museum staff will be on-hand to supervise and assist with the activities. These activities, which were created by Museum Artistic Curator Alberto Caro, are part of the Museum’s innovative strategy to bring hands-on art activities and educational programs directly to local events, festivals, schools, businesses and public facilities through its Museum Without Walls Outreach Program. Designed to achieve a number of educational objectives including improved motor skills and hand-eye coordination, heightened self-expression and self-confidence, and a stronger sense of community and cultural respect, these activities are intended to entertain participants as they foster new talents and cultivate positive thinking. “With an abundance of playful and imaginative activities, the Children’s Museum is dedicated to serving the children of San Diego with a platform for creative expression,” explained Kay Wagner, Museum executive director. “The Outreach Program activities are just a sampling of what will be offered at the Museum. In fact, the Grand Prix activity that is part of the Outreach Program, will be one of the many great, hands-on activities offered at the new Museum.” The Grand Prix activity is making its debut at the Multicultural Festival and will become a permanent activity at the new Museum when it opens. The Museum Without Walls Outreach Program provides all necessary tools and supplies, design and set-up of activity space, signage, promotion and information materials, and artists and staff to facilitate the activities. Contact Gavon Morris, Creative Director with the Museum, to find out how the Museum Without Walls Outreach Program can help incorporate art into your next event, at 619 233 8792 x101. The Children’s Museum’s activities are only some of the many exciting offerings planned for the San Diego Multicultural Festival. Other fun events and activities guaranteed to engage the whole family include 92 multicultural themed booths, entertainment on two stages, children’s area with hands-on activities and the Art Miles Mural Project, an extensive collection of murals from around the world. There will also be a free drawing for wonderful prizes including two family year memberships to the Children’s Museum. For more information on the San Diego Multicultural Festival, visit ccdc.com. Children's Museum/Museo de los Niños San Diego is a cultural and educational institution with a quarter-century history of hands-on, arts-based programs for children and their families. The new Museum at 200 West Island Avenue is currently under construction and will include art galleries, the Museum School, the Toddler Space, Art, Clay and Design Studios, the Tech Space, birthday party rooms, a revolving artist-in-residence space and a sit-down café. The adjacent Museum Park will include outdoor works by artists and space for children to create art. For more information on the Museum or the Museum Without Walls Outreach Program, visit, childrensmuseumsd.org or phone 619 233 8792.