MONTEREY, CA.- In its 50th Anniversary year, the Monterey Museum of Art is indeed “honoring a rich legacy and creating a bold future.” Two signature exhibitions are now on view to excite art lovers and Museum fans and the MMA is expanding its reach to new audiences by including family gallery activities to enhance the Museum experience for children. The Tour in a Tote, upcoming Discovery Spots and the new Museum mascot, Artie the Octopus, help children discover art in creative new ways.

Museum visitors can now check out a Tour in a Tote filled with five fun activities to explore Made in Monterey at no additional charge when they purchase regular admission at MMA Pacific Street. The activities include an art activity to complete in the Museum using an artist’s tool box, interactive opportunities to discover how paintings are made, tools to see photographs in new and delightful ways and activities and ideas for making art at home. Over the course of the exhibition, additional tours will be released for Tour in a Tote, expanding the variety of experiences for return visitors.

Beginning Saturday, May 16, visitors can explore Discovery Spots throughout the Made in Monterey exhibition at MMA Pacific Street. They can participate with any or all of the elements including a scavenger hunt, gallery map, doodle station, reading nook, listening station and photographer’s corner. The Discovery Spots are sure to delight children of all ages and encourage them to explore art in new interactive ways. On Saturday, May 16, there will also be a family art activity from 12 noon to 3pm.

In honor of the Museum’s 50th Anniversary, MMA is offering specially priced $50 Family Memberships, which represents a $10 savings off the regular price. Available May through September, families will receive free admission, laminated Junior Membership cards with the image of Artie the Octopus for each child and monthly family activities e-mailed to their home.

Sure to be a hit with children, the enchanting exhibition Over Rainbows and Down Rabbit Holes: The Art of Children’s Books will be on view Saturday, July 11through Sunday, September 13, 2009 at MMA La Mirada. Over Rainbows and Down Rabbit Holes: The Art of Children’s Books is a delightful presentation featuring approximately seventy original illustrations from well-known children’s books. The exhibition is drawn from the outstanding collection of picture book art assembled by Zora and Les Charles and was organized by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in collaboration with The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, Massachusetts.

Now on view through June 21, 2009 at MMA La Mirada is 50/fifty: 50 Gifts for the Next Fifty Years, an exhibition of gifts to the Museum’s permanent collection in honor of the Museum’s 50th Anniversary. A family gallery guide accompanies the exhibition. Now on view through October 25, 2009 at MMA Pacific Street is Made in Monterey, a sweeping exhibition of the most beloved and important works from the permanent collection celebrating the painting, photography and contemporary art of California.