First Friday: The Artist’s Palette
We live in a vibrant, colorful world! This First Friday, explore how artists capture the colors of nature through pigments, paints, and dyes.
Watch recreations of historical paint-making techniques, learn about the toxic beauty of poisonous pigments, examine the tools of the artist’s trade, and enjoy pop-up displays from our special collections. You’ll also learn about natural dyes like indigo and henna, and take home your very own henna design!
About First Fridays
Spark your curiosity while exploring the exhibits after hours! First Fridays bring together a myriad of activities covering everyday science, historical oddities, and everything in between. Grab your friends, and kick off an evening of discovery, surprise, and a little nerdy fun.
First Fridays at the Institute are always free and open to the public. Attendees will receive a 10% discount to National Mechanics restaurant.
More events
Coffee with a Curator: BOLD Histories of Synthetic Color
In this course Lisa Berry Drago will lead us through the first 150 years of manufactured dyes, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the curation of the BOLD exhibition.
Origin Materials: Paving the Way Towards a Carbon Negative Future
Tanja Gruber discusses her company’s platform for turning the carbon found in biomass into useful materials.
Stories of Science
Join us in our museum EVERY SATURDAY for a family-friendly program that highlights strange and surprising stories from the history of science!