Family Weekend Workshops: Expression of Self, Basquiat Inspired Self-Portraits

Born in Brooklyn to Haitian and Puerto Rican parents, Jean-Michel Basquiat uses expressive lines and colors, words, icons, and other layered elements to create a visual feast of symbols and images. His skills as a graffiti artist come through in his paintings, which offer a window into the texture of 1980s New York and Basquiat’s own experiences as a young Black artist. Twelve of Basquiat’s paintings, many of which are portraits and self-references, are currently on view in The Broad’s third floor galleries. In this workshop, we invite children and their families to create self-portraits using an array of materials and exploring Basquiat’s techniques. Basquiat’s portraits aim to capture, emotional states and symbolic meaning rather than natural or realistic likenesses, making connections between image, color, and text. Pop-up talks about Basquiat’s works will take place at The Broad’s third-floor Galleries throughout the day. King Pleasure, an exhibition presented by the family of Jean-Michelle Basquiat, will be open at LA Grand across the street from The Broad.

Family Weekend Workshops take place outdoors on the East West Bank Plaza at The Broad and offer free activities and workshops to engage with the art on view in the museum. Workshops give families the opportunity to make their own artworks to take home, inspired by the Broad collection and works on view in the museum. Family Weekend Workshops are free with advance ticket reservations. Ticketholders also have access to the museum galleries where they can use the family audio guide narrated by LeVar Burton and participate in a scavenger hunt. Walk-ups without reserved tickets may be accommodated, pending capacity.  

For Ages 3 and Up

This program is intended for children age 3+ and their families.