Beltway Bambinos

(re) discover Washington DC through the eyes of your children

STEAM Family Days at ARTECHOUSE

ARTECHOUSE has been such a wonderful addition to the art scene in Washington, DC. It is unique in that each exhibit is mesmerizing and limitless with an interactive, technology component. The concepts are engrossing and unusual which makes it that much more appealing.

STEAM Family Days are back at ARTECHOUSE for a limited time. We got the chance to see the newest display at ARTECHOUSE; Life of a Neuron. Just like all of the exhibits they have, it was immersive and interactive. The main room allows guests to sit on cushions and just take in the bright, constantly changing art that is projected on the walls and floor. Our ten year old really found the topic fascinating and had lots of questions. Our six year old was a bit uneasy with the subject matter particularly as the display got closer to the end with faint ambulance noises- closing in on death (just an fyi). All other exhibits we have been to have captured both of my kids attention in a positive light.

When: Family Days are every Tuesday and Wednesday all day 

What: Families that book through this link will receive special pricing and an activity guide inspired by the exhibit Life of a Neuron. Through this limited offer all tickets are $17 and Family Packages are $60. Offer not valid the week of Thanksgiving .

About ARTECHOUSE: Started in 2017, ARTECHOUSE is on a mission to stimulate interest in the limitless possibilities of creative innovation and to push the boundaries of what is possible. Since founding we have expanded from our DC location to Miami and NYC—with more locations to come. 

About Life of a Neuron: Walk through a neuron—the “thinking cells” of the brain—and witness first-hand the beauty of one of science’s greatest mysteries: the human brain.

Life of a Neuron brings artists and scientists together for a groundbreaking collaboration to explore how the brain shapes the shared human experience. Through collaboration with the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s leading scientists and creatives, this immersive exhibit will allow us to experience a neuron—from pre-birth to death—providing an experiential view of life at a cellular level.

Guest Post: Amazement at Artechouse

Elizabeth Reid is our Guest Post contributor who lives in Georgetown with her husband and three young girls. She was a customer of Beautycounter and loved the safe products so much she became a consultant. Elizabeth recently visited Artechouse for the first time with her family of 5. 

Artechouse has produced another great interactive art exhibit with the Kingdom of Colors installation. Kingdom of Colors is explained on the website as, “Immerse yourself into the world of dreamlike colorful liquids in motion showcased via our state-of-the-art 270 degree wall projections. Watch how this unique and innovative visual installation pushes the limits of engineering and creativity using the new possibilities afforded by advances in filmmaking and camera technology.” It is a great way to expose your Bambinos to abstract and modern art without forcing it at a museum where they need to stay silent and still at.

The website says recommended ages 6+, but that is not the case at all!  We took our daughters ages 6, 5 and 2 1/2 and we equally had a wonderful time. I think my youngest had the most fun! Just keep in mind it is not a ‘please touch’ museum. We spent about 45 minutes to an hour in the exhibit which included exploring four rooms. One large room with fun bean bag chairs to watch the colorful liquids in motion while the other three rooms are more interactive. My oldest enjoyed the music experience that accompanied part of the installation and my youngest enjoyed the smaller rooms where she could be more interactive; moving around and watching the images change with her movement. There are plenty of millennials taking selfies but there is plenty of space that the kids are not in their way. It’s conveniently located blocks from the Mall so you can coordinate another museum trip before or after visiting Artechouse. Artechouse is a wonderful place to start your holiday adventures in DC.

  • The Imaginary World of the Nutcracker is the upcoming installation at Artechouse, running from December 7, 2017 – January 7, 2018. Inspired by the original story and powered by the latest projection technology, “Imaginary World of The Nutcracker” will whisk you away to a magical kingdom where the Nutcracker and other characters come to life via projections and the Artechouse Augmented Reality app.
  • Tickets sell out QUICKLY so be sure and get them soon.  They even have 21+ evening tickets if you want to check out the exhibit or space first without Bambinos. Tickets are required for all attending, except are babies in body carriers.
  • Location: Artechouse is located at The Portals between Smithsonian and L’Enfant Plaza metro stations in Southwest, DC, at 1238 Maryland Ave. SW, just down the street from the Mandarin Oriental hotel.

Art + Tech + House = Artechouse

At the crossroads of art, science and technology ARTECHOUSE brings a true 21st century art experience to the nation’s capital as Washington, D.C.’s first interactive digital art gallery. Opened in June 2017 in Washington, D.C., ARTECHOUSE is a first-of-its kind innovative art space dedicated to showcasing experiential and immersive large scale installations by artists who are forerunners of the new age in arts and technology. The exhibit currently displayed is,  XYZT: Abstract Landscapes  and is on view until September 3, 2017.

Step into imaginary territory of lines, dots, and letters, and immerse yourself into this virtual playground of four dimensions: X(horizontal), Y (vertical), Z (depth), and T (time). XYZT: Abstract Landscapes is a world-travelled installation by internationally acclaimed French contemporary digital artists and multimedia choreographers Adrien M & Claire B. The interactive show offers an exploratory physical experience through ten digital landscapes. You are able to touch, clap, jump, twirl, snap, observe with all of the installations. They give you a quick introduction before you go into the space and let you know how each piece works. There is also a security guard who was helpful in reminding us how a piece worked when we forgot.

The installation is a variety of sensory experiences and unprecedented interactions that are created by exploiting ancient techniques of illusion and endless possibilities of modern technology. Visiting this exhibit is like taking a stroll through another form of nature a digital one, being able to touch algorithms and sense matter of light. Each installation stems patterns of physical behavior and borrows its evoking power from reality, like walking on a grass or touching the sand and transposes it into an abstract world composed of lines, points and letters.

The general policy on the age admission for XYZT exhibit is 6 and up. However, they do make exceptions on a case by case basis and request a much higher supervision from parents/adults coming in with children under the age of 6. Though the exhibit is very interactive, not all installations are meant to be touched, rather moved with and interacted at a distance. They can be more fragile than they seem. No running, no poking and no touching of the fabric screens and hardware. The space was a bit chilly, be sure to bring a jacket. Also, it took our smallest a little while to be comfortable in the space as she wasn’t sure why it was so dark whereas our 6-year old was very intrigued and had a blast interacting with the exhibit. Tickets are timed on a 45 minute basis, which is enough time to observe and connect with the art.

Purchase tickets here.

Daytime Admission Daily: 10:00am-4:00pm

Evening Admission Daily (Ages 21+): 5:30pm-9:30pm

Location: 1238 Maryland Ave SW, Washington DC 20024
There is garage next door, however we went on a Sunday and found street parking to be plentiful. It is also very close to Smithsonian so you can visit both in one day.

(Most of the above information is directly from Artechouse’s website and they have even more if you want to read more.)

logo design courtesy of New Leaf Design