Color, Sound, and Storytime: MoMA’s February of Family Creativity

Photos courtesy of: MoMA Heyman Family Programs

February at The Museum of Modern Art is all about warming up through creativity. With school breaks on the horizon, MoMA’s Heyman Family Programs offer a full calendar of interactive experiences designed to bring children and adults together through art, sound, movement, and storytelling. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a regular, the museum transforms into a playful learning space for all ages.

Families still have time to catch Ruth Asawa: A Retrospective before it closes on February 7. The exhibition offers a rare opportunity for young visitors to engage deeply with sculpture, including a special moment where one artwork can actually be touched—a thrilling exception in a museum setting. MoMA’s kids guide helps turn gallery exploration into a hands-on discovery journey.

The centerpiece of the month is Family Festival: Color Play, running February 14–18. This five-day celebration fills the museum with artist-created environments, art-making activities inspired by MoMA’s collection, curated short films, and even a dance party. Designed for all ages, the festival encourages experimentation and imagination, with a members-only preview day and limited-capacity tickets that make early booking essential.

Younger visitors can enjoy Family Story Time on February 4 and 25, where artful tales spark movement, conversation, and creative play. This month’s theme, Yum! Favorite Foods, connects storytelling with artworks from MoMA’s collection, helping children ages two and up build early connections between language, art, and everyday life.

MoMA’s commitment to inclusion shines through its multilingual family offerings. Arte en Familia, presented in Spanish, and 親子藝術探索, presented in Mandarin, invite families to explore modern and contemporary art through shared observation and discussion. Both programs focus on food and flavor in art, thoughtfully tailored to different age groups to ensure meaningful engagement.

Rounding out the month are ongoing favorites like Art Lab: Sound, an immersive, all-ages space where families can experiment with everything from the loudest thud to the quietest crinkle, and Things We Love, a special Black History Month program connecting art-making with cultural history at the Weeksville Heritage Center. With free and ticketed options alike, MoMA’s February programming proves that creativity truly belongs to everyone.