A scavenger hunt, color games in the galleries, creation of a coloring book, still life drawing, along with violin and harp music in the beautiful rotunda, are all part of the Free Family Day at the Telfair Academy on October 10 from 1-4 pm.

The Free Family Day activities are inspired by Telfair Museums’ upcoming Monet and American Impressionism exhibition which brings four paintings of French master Claude Monet to Savannah for the first time in the city’s history. Alongside Monet’s master pieces will be 50 paintings by many of the leading artists of American Impressionism.

The family event, offered free of charge, provides a special experience for visitors of all ages to create lasting impressions by exploring plein air painting and the developments in color theory that inspired Impressionism--one of the greatest movements in art.

Free Family Day will take place in the Telfair Academy located on Telfair Square. The Academy began as the Telfair family mansion, designed by British architectural prodigy William Jay in 1819 for Alexander Telfair, son of Revolutionary War patriot and Georgia governor Edward Telfair. In her will, Edward’s daughter Mary founded the Telfair Academy. The original home was expanded to include large galleries, and the Academy opened in 1886 as the South’s first public art museum.  Today, 19th century period rooms showcase decorative arts and furnishings and the Academy’s historic galleries house American and European Impressionist paintings. Several paintings typically displayed at the Academy will be featured in Monet and American Impressionism.

Using Telfair’s impressionist paintings as their inspiration, Free Family Day guests are invited to explore painting techniques, make their own coloring book, go on a gallery scavenger hunt, create their own still life Impressionist pieces, and relax in the beautiful Rotunda while enjoying music performed by New Art Ensembles from 1:45-3:15 pm.

Docents will be giving tours of the Telfair Academy at 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm and 4 pm.

In addition, from 2:30-4pm, visitors are invited to the Jepson Center to view the work created in the Telfair Museum Outreach program, completed in collaboration with Molly Lieberman and Loop It Up Savannah with funding from the City of Savannah Department of Cultural Affairs, the Alan S. Gaynor Fund of the Savannah Community Foundation, and the Georgia Council for the Arts.

All of Telfair Museums’ Family Days, scheduled throughout the year, are designed to be fun and educational and are always free. At each event, participants enjoy hands-on art projects, gallery exploration activities, story time, and many more activities designed to engage the whole family.

All Free Family Days are free and open to the public thanks to the sponsorship of the City of Savannah’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Georgia Power Foundation, Inc.