On Saturday and Sunday, May 27 and 28, from noon to 4 p.m., The Met Cloisters will offer "A Taste of the Middle Ages," a family festival on the topic of medieval food and feasts. The abundance and heady scents of the Museum's gardens will provide the backdrop for the weekend's events. Activities will include gallery workshops, hands-on craft projects, and a self-guided art hunt appropriate for children ages 4–12.
The program is free with Museum admission.
No food is provided in the program, but sandwiches, salads, and family-friendly food will be available for purchase in the Trie Cloister Café.
The Met Cloisters is the branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated to the art, architecture, and gardens of the Middle Ages.
Schedule (both Saturday and Sunday)
Noon, 1 p.m.*, and 3 p.m.
Gallery Workshop. In this one-hour program, families will visit several galleries at The Met Cloisters to look at representations of food and dining in works of art and learn about the herbs, spices, fruits, and vegetables used in the medieval kitchen. Instructors will discuss historical cooking utensils and dinnerware on view in the galleries. Outdoors, in the Bonnefont Herb Garden, children will see aromatic herbs, exotic spice plants, fruits, and vegetables that are referenced in medieval manuscripts. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to see, touch, and smell ingredients from near and far, and to learn about the feasts and celebrations enjoyed at different seasons and occasions in the Middle Ages. Participants may also take home sprigs of fresh herbs to smell.
*The 1 p.m. program is bilingual, English and Spanish.
Noon to 4 p.m. (ongoing)
Self-guided Art Hunt. A free leaflet will help children search for specific food-related details hidden in works of art throughout the Museum. Children who successfully locate all of the items will be presented with a medieval-themed certificate of achievement. (Meet in Cuxa Cloister.)
Drop-in Craft Project. Using pencils, stickers, and other supplies, children will transform small boxes and cups into medieval-style spice boxes or drinking goblets to take home. All materials are provided. (Meet in Pontaut Chapter House.)
Other Offerings for Families
The Audio Guide for The Met Cloisters features a family tour with 20 stops for younger visitors. (Other tours are also available.) A free download is available on The Met app.
The Audio Guide and The Met app are supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Medieval-themed costumes are welcome, but not required.
Visitor Information for The Met Cloisters
Open Seven Days a Week
March–October: 10 a.m.–5:15 p.m.
May 26–September 1, 2017: Open late on Fridays until 7:30 p.m.
November–February: 10 a.m.–4:45 p.m.
Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1
Extended Summer Hours at The Met Cloisters are made possible in part by the Louis and Anne Barons Foundation, Inc. and The Helen Clay Frick Foundation.
http://www.metmuseum.org/visit/met-cloisters
Press contact
Interviews and photo opportunities are available.
Contact: Egle Zygas, Communications Department, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Telephone: 212–570–3951
Email: egle.zygas@metmuseum.org
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May 22, 2017
Above: Families learn about medieval art and life in the Middle Ages in a workshop led by Museum staff at The Met Cloisters.
Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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