By Hannah Barricks
Photo courtesy of Kimbell Art Museum
As the Lunar New Year approaches, the Kimbell Art Museum is preparing to welcome the Year of the Fire Horse with an evening that blends art, music and cultural connection — inviting both reflection and renewal.
The museum’s Chinese Lunar New Year Happy Hour, held in partnership with Fort Worth Sister Cities International, has quickly become a highlight on the Kimbell’s programming calendar. Now in its third year, the event draws a broad cross section of the community, from families and students to longtime museum supporters and members of Fort Worth’s growing Asian population.
“This is a general-audience program that brings together people from all walks of life,” Connie Hatchette Barganier says, head of education at the Kimbell. “It’s a celebration, but it’s also an invitation to slow down, look closely and engage with cultures that are represented in our permanent art collection.”
Rooted in the Lunar New Year traditions celebrated across China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, the evening unfolds as a come-and-go experience. Guests are welcomed into the Renzo Piano Pavilion, where works from the museum’s Asian art collection are currently installed, and encouraged to explore through gallery scavenger hunts, live music and hands-on activities.
One of the evening’s most anticipated moments is a live performance by the Dallas Guzheng Society, whose musicians bring the traditional Chinese stringed instrument to life — sometimes even performing blindfolded.
“Everything kind of stops when they take the stage,” Barganier says.
The program also includes interactive artmaking inspired by traditional Asian painting and calligraphy. Guests will have the opportunity to work with ink sticks, ink stones and brushes while learning to write Chinese characters associated with the Fire Horse — symbolizing strength, vitality and forward momentum — as well as symbols of blessing and good fortune traditionally displayed at the New Year.
For Barganier, the Lunar New Year carries personal meaning as well.
“I love the idea of the new year as a time for renewal,” she says. “The Fire Horse is about power and energy, and it feels especially resonant as we look ahead.”
As with most Kimbell programming, the event is free and open to the public, reinforcing the museum’s role as a place where global traditions and shared human experiences meet — no passport required.