Crow Collection of Asian Art
2010 Flora St., Dallas Arts District
214/979-6430
crowcollection.org
Hours: 10am–9pm Tuesday–Thursday; 10am–6pm Friday–Saturday; 12–6pm Sunday. Closed Thanksgiving Day, November 15–16 for annual maintenance and every Monday.
Admission: Free
Parking: Metered street parking. $10 in the Dallas Museum of Art’s underground garage. Underground parking of the Trammell Crow Center is $5 on weekends; daily rates on weekdays; free twso-hour parking for museum members.
Admission to the Crow Collection of Asian Art, a pillar in the Dallas Arts District since '98, is entirely free. Special exhibits and family-friendly events will never cost you a dime. So if the Crow isn’t already near the top of your weekend destinations list, it should be.
Stop by to check out some of its major recent additions, including a first-floor gallery renovation to house two new exhibitions, both showcasing unforgettable fashions: avant-garde garments circa 1980s Japan and an exquisite suit of Japanese samurai armor. The Mary Baskett Collection of Japanese Fashion and Fierce Loyalty: A Samurai Complete are the latest to join the museum’s rotation of ancient to contemporary artworks and artifacts, covering China, India, Korea and Southeast Asia.
With delicate treasures on display everywhere you turn, the museum as a whole is more childproof than you’d expect. Most breakables are out of reach, the hallways are more than wide enough to maneuver strollers, and automatic doors offer an easier front entry thanks to a gallery remodel.
The roomy upstairs Grand Gallery leaves plenty of floor space for kids’ yoga, a regular activity for the museum’s Adventure Asia. Family days are the ideal time to go, so mark your calendars for fun with art activities, face painting and storytelling every first Saturday, as well as Crow Collection After Dark events on the third Friday of each month.
And when you visit, don’t miss The Lotus Shop, the museum’s gift store, which was recently expanded and relocated to the Belo Pavilion across the street. Let the kids browse through the stock of unique toys and trinkets, including a miniature figure of a Tibetan monk modeled after the life-size sculptures on display in the museum’s sculpture garden.
