Join us at the Cranbrook Institute of Science for a final party to celebrate the Da Vinci: Machines & Robotics exhibition, sponsored by PNC Bank. There will be a host of activities based on the musings of the Renaissance Man himself, Leonardo da Vinci. Celebrate 16th century Italian style with crafts, games, and demonstrations inspired by the great flowering of culture at the time. Depending on the day’s schedule, be a spectator at a fencing demonstration, make jewelry, add to a tapestry, and try your hand at cards or chess – exotic new pastimes in Renaissance Europe! Enjoy a limited edition menu in the Reflections Café, too. Choose from Florentine Flatbread Pizza, Chicken Milanese Sliders, Vegetarian Minestrone Soup, and Cannoli for dessert.

Daily Activities – available each day, December 26th through December 30th

  • Sports Arena – simple games of skill and dexterity popular in Renaissance Italy
  • Table Games – super-speed chess, checkers, and Bassette (an Italian game similar to blackjack)
  • Art Studio – connect-the-dots Mona Lisa, ongoing embroidery thread tapestry, take-home mosaic craft, DIY Carnivale-themed masks

Rotating Demonstrations – see below for schedule

December 26, 2018
Embroidery with Aine O’Connaill
Beaded jewelry with Robin Odle

December 27, 2018
Roaring Wastrels Recorder Ensemble
Rapier Fencing Demonstration with Michael McCay & Fearghas Buchannon

December 28, 2018
Illumination with Duclinea
Embroidery with Antoinette
Shoe-Making with Odo

December 29, 2018
Beaded Jewelry with Robin Odle
Martial Arts with Fearghas Buchannon & Alexsander Dushku

December 30, 2018
Wool Processing with Miriam
Bee-Keeping with Mark Spencer 
Rapier Fencing Demonstration with Baron Aindle, Lady Helena & Michael McCay