Outside the frame

Most of us are introduced to art museums as children on a field trip. On those visits we learn that an art museum is a place where you walk slowly, whisper quietly and never touch anything. It’s not very inviting, and it’s no surprise that many of us feel intimidated by art museums as adults.

For years, the Crocker Art Museum has offered free admission on Sunday mornings from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. to entice reluctant art viewers. Now it goes a step further with the Art Explorations series.

The three Art Explorations classes are informal seminars designed to reduce the museum’s intimidation factor and turn the artistically curious into knowledgable art fans. The first class, Art Explorations 101: Learning to Look, happens Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. Attendees will spend the afternoon learning how to deconstruct a work of art. Admission is $35, and preregistration is required. Other seminars will follow in the spring and summer. Call (916) 264-7364 for more information.

If you’d rather make art than observe it, consider joining the Crocker’s figure-drawing class in the ballroom at 6 p.m. on Thursday, January 27. This drop-in session with live models will be moderated by a trained artist. Admission is $10 and includes supplies.

To exorcise your childhood apprehension about being too loud in the museum, attend one of the Crocker’s Third Thursday concerts. On Thursday, January 20, at 5:30 p.m., Ben Luco and the Funky Divine will fill the establishment with instrumental funk music. Admission is $10—a small price to pay for banishing your museum anxiety with Average White Band covers.

After all that, you even might have time to look at the exhibits. (See the Night&day museum listings for current offerings.) The Crocker Art Museum is located at 216 O Street. Call (916) 264-5423 or visit www.crockerartmuseum.org for more information.