After a year of ice and snow at the North Pole, Santa spends extra time with the big blue skies and majestic landscapes of Art of the American West, including Don Stinson’s EAT, Eat/Death Highway 395.
On a typical December Family Day at TMA you’ll find a very special visitor talking to families in the historic Corbett House, performing artists in the Plaza, trays of cookies from Nadine’s Bakery in the lobby and tables filled with art supplies for a variety of holiday making projects.
Since this year is far from typical we can’t safely provide all of this holiday cheer on-site at the museum, so we’re taking it to you virtually. Most of it, that is—we can’t deliver cookies to everyone, so you’ll have to stop by Nadine’s to get your own.
Not Your Ordinary Nut(cracker)
“Arabesque Cookie,” an excerpt from Not Your Ordinary Nut(cracker), filmed in the Plaza at TMA.
TMA’s plaza was filled with youth from Danswest Dance Company for the filming of an original take on the holiday classic The Nutcracker. This lively one-act show is told from the point of view of a dance dad whose reluctance to go to yet another Nutcracker performance sends him on a trip down the rabbit hole. See the entire film on Monday, December 21, 2020 at El Toro Flicks.
A Message from Santa Claus
Santa made his annual visit to TMA (he never misses a chance to check out the latest exhibitions) and recorded a special message from his usual seat in front of the fireplace in the J. Knox Corbett House.
After recording the video Santa and his camera-wielding elf toured the museum. This was his first visit to the new Kasser Family Wing of Latin American Art. “Some of those Ancient American sculptures are even older than me,” he commented. He was particularly interested in contemporary Latin American art like Paradise Lost by Patrick Martinez.
Did you know Santa was the original model for Rodin’s Adam? You might not recognize him without his beard… or the furry suit.
Get Creative with Salt Dough Ornaments
Salt dough ornaments are a great project to make with kids (or quarantine-weary adults). Once baked and decorated they last for years, they can be made in any shape for whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year, and they make great gifts. Press handprints or textures into the dough before it is baked, then decorate the hardened ornaments with paint, markers and anything you can glue onto them.
You’ll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Cold water
- An oven
- Toothpick or wooden skewer
- Decorations of choice
