The atrium at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts was abuzz Wednesday as 40 children fervently glued, glittered and garnished little individual magnets.
“They stick on your refrigerator,” said Lorenzo, 5, as he carefully glued a pink bead on his magnet.
To kick off the “Stick to SMoCA” program, the children of the Booker T. Washington Head Start program in Phoenix then placed their magnets on the outside of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.
In celebration of National Museum Month throughout May, the museum is encouraging visitors to bring a magnet along to slap onto the outside wall of the building, which is made of galvanized steel.
“It will be very interesting to watch the kind of communication that comes across through our audience’s magnet displays and accumulation,” said Lesley Oliver, museum spokeswoman.
On May 31, the public is invited to the museum for a group portrait with all the magnets, with the option to take one home.
The official National Museum Month holiday is May 19, and the Scottsdale museum will celebrate by offering free admission to anyone who rides a bike to the museum that day.
The museum will continue to host activities throughout the summer, including an artists’ reception May 11 for three new exhibitions and a family evening on July 12 that allows children to play in a fountain.
The museum also will change its hours starting June 9.
It will be closed Mondays and Tuesdays and open later on Wednesdays.
