YALA Baby Artsplay! Returns to In-Person Museum Workshops: Connect with your preschooler through the arts.

Young Audiences of Louisiana (YALA) Baby Artsplay!™ and Artsplay!™ is returning to in-person workshops at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and Newcomb Art Museum. Thanks to the support of The Helis Foundation, both workshop series remain free to the public. Families can learn about the arts while immersed in local cultural and arts institutions.

Join YALA Teaching Artist Howe Pearson as he leads families through YALA’s original Baby Artsplay!™ museum series, “Getting to Know You” at Ogden Museum of Southern Art. The series will take place every Thursday at 9:30 a.m., from October 28th – December 9th (with a break for Thanksgiving Day). Each week will feature artwork from Ogden Museum. The workshops are geared towards families with children up to two years of age but children up to four years old will have fun.

  • October 28 - Workshop 1 - My Five Senses (Sensory Play)

  • November 4 - Workshop 2 - Baby Says... (Language)

  • November 11 - Workshop 3 - My Body (Self Awareness)

  • November 18 - Workshop 4 - Let's Move! (Movement)

  • December 2 - Workshop 5 - Up, Down, & All Around (Spatial Awareness)

  • December 9 - Workshop 6 - Get Your Motor Running (Motor Skills)

YALA Teaching Artist Soren Andrade will lead families through YALA’s Artsplay!™ museum series, “Tiny Explorers” at Newcomb Art Museum. Families can join the fun every Sunday at 10:30 a.m., from November 7th – December 12th. Each week will feature artwork from Newcomb Art Museum. This series is geared towards families with children aged two to four years of age.

  • November 7 - Workshop 1 - 1-2-3 Count With Me (Math Foundations)

  • November 14 - Workshop 2 - Pass It Along (Social Skills)

  • November 21 - Workshop 3 - Opposites Attract (Word Relations)

  • November 28 - Workshop 4 - Fun at the Zoo (Motor Skills)

  • December 5 - Workshop 5 - Mirror, Mirror (Social Emotional Skills)

  • December 12 - Workshop 6 - Wild At Art (Imaginative Play)

These free 6-part workshop series provides engaging arts-based activities designed to instruct caregivers on how to use the arts at home to promote early learning. Lessons are conducted by certified Louisiana Wolf Trap Teaching Artists, who have expertly crafted multi-sensory experiences that foster children’s natural curiosity for learning. Attend one workshop or all twelve! Families can register at www.ya4la.org/events.

After each workshop, children and their caregivers can download our digital Connection Cards for tips on how workshop activities can be continued at home. Reactivate your arts experience by following along with one of our online workshops on YouTube (@youngaudiencesla) or Facebook (@youngaudiences).

While YALA Baby Artsplay! workshops will provide the same engaging activities families remember, there will be some changes to ensure the safety of YALA staff and workshop families. In order to maintain social distance, attendance will be limited. All attendees aged two and older should wear a mask, and in accordance with the City of New Orleans vaccination requirements, anyone 12 years of age and older must provide proof of at least one dose of an approved COVID vaccine or negative PCR test within 72 hours. Please review our full health and safety protocols for more information.

If you or anyone in your family group shows symptoms of Covid-19 after attending one of our workshops, please submit a Covid Reporting Form. We will provide notice to those who attended the same workshop while respecting the privacy of the reporting individuals. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact omote@ya4la.org. 

About Young Audiences of Louisiana

Young Audiences of Louisiana was founded in 1962 to bring chamber musicians into local classrooms. For nearly 60 years, Young Audiences has adapted and evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of youth throughout the state through our mission of “inspiring, empowering, and uniting children and communities through education, arts, and culture.” Follow us on social media: Facebook (@youngaudiences), Instagram and YouTube (@youngaudiencesla).

Young Audiences of Louisiana is part of a national network of 30 affiliates throughout the country under Young Audiences Arts for Learning. As the nation's first and largest arts-in-education network, Young Audiences Arts for Learning ensures the highest standards in arts education programs for over five million school children annually.

About Wolf Trap

Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts is a recognized leader in early childhood arts-integrated learning and instruction. Wolf Trap Institute is scaled nationally, with 17 affiliated organizations and numerous partners in 30 states that deliver arts-integrated education experiences to 60,000 teachers, parents/caregivers, and students annually. Young Audiences of Louisiana is the Louisiana Affiliate of Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts.

About The Helis Foundation

The Helis Foundation is a Louisiana private foundation, established and funded by the William Helis Family. The Art Funds of The Helis Foundation advance access to the arts for the community through contributions that sustain operations for, provide free admission to, acquire works of art, and underwrite major exhibitions and projects of institutions within the Greater New Orleans area.

ProgramsOmote EkwotafiaMuseum Workshops, Early Learners, YALA Baby Artsplay!, YALA Artsplay!