The Children’s Museum Tucson strives to engage families through STEM and art activities. They will be trying to inspire young people to get in touch with their creativity and create their own masterpieces during their upcoming Chalk Block Party.
It will take place on Saturday, Feb. 14, at the museum’s north lawn area.
Along with chalk art, the event will have facepainting and food trucks.
The museum will provide free bags of chalk to children.
Teresa Truelsen, director of marketing for the Children’s Museum Tucson, said young people will have creative freedom to draw something with meaning for them.
“Whatever their imaginations can come up with, we want to see it on the sidewalk… There’s a good chance that if someone is here at 9 o’clock and draws something, that particular piece of art could be built upon throughout the day, as more kids come and are looking for a spot. So that’ll be really interesting to see how that artwork evolves throughout the day,” Truelsen said.
For inspiration, the museum will bring in professional artists, who will create their own vibrant murals.
“We think while the kids are going to have a great time drawing, it’s always nice to see what professional artists can create with that medium that you’re working in. We can’t wait to see the north lawn bloom in color for this event,” Truelsen said.
Visitors will have a chance to see these murals develop throughout the morning.
The artists involved include Ana Santos Acinas, Alex Jimenez and Suzanna Pangburn.
Pangburn, a Tucson artist, first started working with the children’s museum in 2020, when she designed a butterfly mural on their building.
She also did chalk art for another event at the museum, during which she created images of a monarch butterfly, bees and ants.
“I’m a bit of a nerd. I like to create things from nature, science and all things nerdy. I like things that are whimsical and fun,” Pangburn said.
Pangburn said during the upcoming event, she will have a chance to work next other chalk artists, which she hasn’t done in the past.
“What I’m really looking forward to is learning techniques from the other featured artists. I’m always looking to improve and learn something new,” Pangburn said.
Pangburn, who works as the manager of global training for the med tech company Edwards Lifesciences, started doing chalk art around 2020. She was working at Banner University Hospital as a pediatric cardiac sonographer and developed murals centered around staying healthy, positive and safe during COVID.
Pangburn has a background working in different artistic mediums, including colored pencil, chalk and oil pastels. She has a bachelor’s degree in industrial design from the University of Illinois.
When she served as co-chair of the American Heart Association of Southern Arizona’s Heart Walk in 2020, she designed a themed chalk art mural to promote the event.
She also used to create chalk art in her old neighborhood.
“I would just do chalk art on the sidewalk with my kids, and then neighbors would come by and appreciate it. Sometimes they would leave a note next to it saying, ‘We love your art.’ ‘Thank you. This is cheering up the neighborhood.’ Or ‘We look forward to seeing your art when we come through here,’” Pangburn said. “I feel like getting outside doing chalk art is one of the ways that you can get your kids off their iPads and do something together…It gets you closer to nature.”
Pangburn’s daughter will be working with her on her chalk art mural at the children’s museum. She also helped with a mural Pangburn did a few weeks ago to promote the event.
“With chalk art, you can really work side by side. It’s such a big piece that it’s something that you can really share,” Pangburn said.
An important lesson Pangburn has learned through working with chalk is to conserve her resources.
“The more expensive products are the most pigmented, vibrant colors. I have to use those mindfully. That’s the most exciting part of the piece is adding in the really vibrant colors,” Pangburn said.
In her work, she often tries to bring a juxtaposition of dark and light in colors and themes.
“Think Tim Burton, something spooky next to something super rainbowy and bright. Or something black and gray next to something like a unicorn. I like that contrast… I want the creatures to look realistic but have a shine or a sparkle that makes them look cute or playful,” Pangburn said.
She usually plans out her chalk art murals before she does them.
“I use a grid to ensure that my idea is laid out exactly the way I intended…. I improvise, especially based on the cracks in the ground or something unique about the surface that I’m working on… I will sometimes use a piece of pipe coming out of the ground as an eyeball,” Pangburn said.
The museum is hosting number of community events this year in honor of their 40th anniversary, including the chalk block party.
“That is part of the impetus behind changing up our events and coming up with new and exciting events for the public to come to at the museum,” Truelsen said.
The museum will also be hosting an event in March called “Futureville” in which children can learn about different professions from people in those fields, and another event in April called “Desert Discovery Day,” which is focused around the area’s natural environment and cultural heritage.
The museum was started in 1986 by a group that wanted to offer hands-on learning experiences for kids in Tucson. The space was originally called the Southwest Children’s Exploratory Center.
The museum was first located on Pennington Street. It later moved to the Historic Y building and then the Carnegie Library building on 6th Avenue, where it has been since 1991.
Truelsen has worked at the museum for the last 10 years. She brought her children to the museum when they were younger.
“They used to have animatronic dinosaurs in one of the rooms in the museum. That’s what my kids remember. We no longer have those. We haven’t had those since before I worked here,” Truelsen said.
She said the museum has changed over the years, but it has been interactive and educational from the beginning.
The museum is looking to expand soon. They are raising money through their Imagine More campaign.
When families go inside the museum, they can explore different interactive spaces dedicated to the arts and STEM.
The museum tries to encourage kids to explore, use their imaginations, think critically and play through different types of activities.
In the Imagine It! room, young people can use different art supplies and building materials, including recycled objects.
“They can let those inner artists shine and use that imagination,” Truelsen said.
Presented by the Oso Foundation, their rotating exhibit Block Party! | ¡Fiesta de Cubos! lets families use different types of building blocks to create structures. It will be up through May.
The museum also has a Bodyology space, dedicated to making healthy choices and the joy of growing, shopping for and cooking foods; Curiosity Courtyard, where children can make music with instruments such as drums and a xylophone; Electricity and Gravity areas; Investigation Station, which offers hands-on science activities; a Pet Vet space; a Community Care area, where kids can learn more about the jobs of police officers and firefighters; a Sense of Place, an area dedicated to Tucson’s natural wonders and Wee World, a space with tactile and make-believe activities for people 5 and younger.
“We’ve always focused on play-based learning for kids, so we’re always looking for ways to reach the community, even outside the museum,” Truelsen said.
Chalk Block Party
WHEN: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14
WHERE: Children’s Museum Tucson, 200 S. 6th Avenue, Tucson
COST: Chalk block party free, museum admission $12 for person, children under 12 months free
INFO: childrensmuseumtucson.org