Get ready for Family Day at 421! A creative day full of gallery adventures, stories, and hands-on activities, specially designed for little ones and their families.
The day begins with a collective activity exploring the idea of “ripples,” followed by a guided tour of Leading to the Middle, a section of our ongoing exhibition Rays, Ripples, Residue, led by the curator herself Munira Al Sayegh. The tour concludes with a reading of Colorful Leaps with Munira Al Sayegh on the Bait15 Bed, an artwork within the exhibition.
After the tour, families can explore 421 at their own pace, with drop-in activities taking place across the space. Early Starters will host creative sessions in Studio 2 & 3 and the Courtyard, while Studio Play transforms into a hands-on Yallah Play experience led by Hannah Phillips.
Studio Play: Yallah Play with Hannah Phillips
Inspired by Tarek Al Ghoussein’s Odysseus Series, Studio Play will feature sensory stations and creative activities, including sand and clay building, ocean gelatin, mangrove-inspired materials, oobleck digging, and chalk drawing, encouraging children to explore their senses and stretch their imagination to create freely.
This special Family Day is open to all ages and skill levels, it’s a day made for kids but with plenty for grown-ups to enjoy too so parents are welcome to join!
Instructor Bio
Early Starters
Yasmine is the owner of Early Starters. She grew up around books her life as her father was in the publishing business. Her lifelong dream was to open her own independent bookstore that would host the community in more than one way.
Yalla Play
Hannah Phillips is the owner of Yallah Play and a qualified primary school teacher, the sessions bring her expertise in sensory play and her passion for exploration through interactive, creative trays.
Munira Al Sayegh is an independent curator and cultural instigator based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. She is the founder of Dirwaza Curatorial Lab, a UAE based curatorial incubator and cultural advisory. She is a published author and prominent public voice in the region, highlighting the importance of grassroots initiatives, language and narrative reclamation with regards to the Gulf. Her contributions can be traced back to NYU Abu Dhabi's FIND project (2012), and she currently sits on the advisory board for the university's art gallery. As a part of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi team she collaboratively curated Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's The Creative Act: Performance, Process, Presence (2017); her curatorial solo debut was Bayn: The In-Between (2017), the third edition of UAE Unlimited. Later, she curated the Talks Program in Abu Dhabi Art. In parallel, since 2014 she has joined and pioneered curatorial initiatives across Art Dubai, where she curated the Residents section (2019) and started the Now series, looking at non-government-funded creative platforms in the region. In 2020, she premiered The Cup and The Saucer, commissioned by 421 (Sheikha Salama bint Hamdan Foundation). In 2021 Al Sayegh debuted her first exhibition outside of the region Between the Sky and Earth, organized and hosted by the Middle East Institute in partnership with the NYUAD gallery. Since the launch of Dirwaza Curatorial Lab, Al Sayegh has led on the curation of various exhibitions including Leadership Pavilion Project (Expo2020, Dubai, 2020), Zemanna (Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, 2022), Hair Mapping Body; Body Mapping Land (ICD Brookfield, Dubai, 2021), In Process | In Progress ( NYUAD at 421, Abu Dhabi, 2022), While the Coffee Grounds Settle (Fathom Gallery, Washington D.C., 2022), Evaporating Suns (KBH.G, Basel, 2023), Evident Presence (NMSS at Abu Dhabi Art, Abu Dhabi, 2023), A Return to the Ground (United Arab Emirates Embassy, Tokyo, 2023), and Gauze (Tabari Art Space, Dubai, 2024).