To help Montrealers through these dark times, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is offering online art therapy lessons through its Facebook page. The activities will go up every Friday. Visit MTLBlog for more headlines. The MMFA is doing its best to keep us occupied during this surreal moment in history. It's just one of a few institutions in the city that has moved its activities online so that residents can enjoy them from the comfort and safety of their own homes. In addition to free virtual tours, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is now offering at-home art therapy. Each therapy activity is designed by MMFA Art Therapist Stephen Legari. "The key is to focus on the pleasure of creating. Try not to judge or analyze what you’re doing — it’s about enjoying the process," he explains. "So, turn off the news, take some time for yourself, and relax." The first art therapy activity, posted to the museum Facebook page, asks participants to "think of someone you’d like to send some encouraging words to" and create a postcard using "inspiring materials as basic as a piece of paper and pencil." At-home artists are then instructed to "take a photo of the card with your phone and send it to the person virtually." Participants can share pictures of their work on social media with the hashtag #SpreadArtNotVirus. ART-THÉRAPIE | S’envoyer de l’amour 📬 Il y a mille et une manières de continuer à prendre soin les uns des autres à...Posted by Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal on Friday, March 20, 2020 Though it's currently inaccessible, the MMFA also has its own Art Therapy Workshop, which, according to its website, offers "a whole range of innovative projects adapted to persons living either with mental health issues, autism or eating disorders, or with difficulties related to learning, living together and social inclusion." To further the spirit of communal healing while the Workshop is closed in this time of crisis, the museum is also posting a "cultural proposal" every morning to brighten Montrealers' days. View this post on Instagram Chère communauté, on sait que vous allez être nombreuses et nombreux à rester chez vous dans les prochains jours. Parce que l'Art adoucit les périodes troubles, on vous déposera ici, chaque matin, une proposition culturelle pour égayer votre journée. Que vous soyez seul(e)s ou à plusieurs, avec ou sans enfants, vous trouverez ici chaque jour un sujet pour vous évader jusqu'à ce que l'on puisse se retrouver, pour de vrai, au #MBAM. D'ici là, prenez soin de vous et de ceux que vous aimez. A demain matin ☀️ --- Dear Community, We know that many of you will be staying close to home these next few days. . Because art can be soothing in troubled times, every morning, we’ll post a cultural proposal to brighten your day. . Whether you’re alone or with others, with or without children, immerse yourself in new topics until our paths cross at the #MMFA. In the meantime, take good care of yourself and the ones you love. See you tomorrow morning! ☀️ A post shared by Musée des beaux-arts (@mbamtl) on Mar 16, 2020 at 4:10pm PDT "Whether you’re alone or with others, with or without children, immerse yourself in new topics until our paths cross at the MMFA," the caption of the first post reads. Virtual Art Therapy With The MMFA When: Every Friday Where: On the Facebook page of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Cost: Free View this post on Instagram ⚠️ IMPORTANT • Par mesure de prévention pour la santé de ses visiteurs et de ses équipes, le #MBAM a décidé de fermer ses portes au public à compter de demain, samedi 14 mars, et jusqu’au 30 mars 2020. Si le musée est fermé, nos portes virtuelles, elles, restent bien ouvertes... 😉 Rendez-vous sur nos réseaux sociaux! - ⚠️ IMPORTANT • As a prevention measure to ensure the health of our visitors and our teams, the #MMFA has decided to close to the public starting tomorrow, Saturday, March 14, until March 30, 2020. The Museum may be closed, but our virtual doors are wide open... 😉 Come visit us on social media! #muséemontreal #montrealmuseum #covid19quebec A post shared by Musée des beaux-arts (@mbamtl) on Mar 13, 2020 at 4:26pm PDT Check it out here
