On Saturday, March 20, 2021, the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) hosted a virtual family event to celebrate the start of spring and the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. Enjoy a lively performance of traditional Japanese Taiko drumming by the group Nen Daiko. Then learn more about the traditions and techniques of their famous “taiko” drums and other Japanese percussion instruments like “shekere” (a gourd shaker), “chappa” (hand-held cymbals), and “atarigane” (a small bowl-shaped brass instrument played with a hammer-like item called a “shumoku”). Performers also shared the homemade, scaled-down variations of their large instruments that they used to practice at home during the global pandemic.
After Nen Daiko’s presentation, explore art, nature, and color with SAAM‘s docents in the new virtual edition of our popular educational Art Cart series. Begin by taking a closer look at some of the spring-related artworks in SAAM’s collection. Then enjoy a step-by-step craft activity that you can do at home using materials you likely have on hand.
For more activities, check out our Family Zone for seasonal crafts, coloring pages, videos, and more at [ Ссылка ]
This program is presented in partnership with the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
