This Saturday brings the "Art Spree" at The Contemporary Museum" in Makiki. In addition to great art, demonstrations, and hands-on crafts for kids, there'll be live performances... including two shows by Mermaids Hawaii in the museum's reflecting pool.

Other performers include Ringmaster-MC See of Ong King Arts Center, Wally Amos (storytelling), Samadhi (aerial acrobatics), Giinko Marischino (dances, stilt walking and a "human statue" procession), Loco Moco (juggler, stilt walker and unicyclist), and Youth Speaks Hawaii (slam poetry). Honolulu Broadway Babies and Rachel Gonzales will be providing tunes in the galleries, and KTUH's DJ Michelle and DJ Travis will be making noise on the lawn.

Hands-on activities include "About Face!" face painting by Hui Mei Chang, "Foamenology!" foam brick building (with Nathan Balcombe, Elizabeth Haberkorn, Laura Couto and Dan Carbone), "Print This!" monoprints with Rob Molyneux, Straw Sculptures with Jacqueline Rush Lee, "Five on Fire!" with five local artists (Alan Konishi, Michael Sweitzer, Mat Kubo, Vince Hazen, and Duncan Dempster), and "Clay Play!" with Mark Humke.

It's a great event for art-lovers and families, running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 12, 2008. The trickiest part is the parking, as there is none at the museum itself. Fortunately, there will be parking down the hill at Punahou School, and the museum will be running free shuttles throughout the day. If you need special arrangements, call the museum at (808) 526-1322, extension 10.