Hello and Happy Wednesday Everyone!
I hope all of your summers are finally shaping up now that the Mercury retrograde of July is over. I don’t know about you guys, but it was a rough one for me. Either way, I wanted to come back to blogging and do another little ‘story time’ with y’all recapping a trip I took to the Color Factory a few months ago. Despite this post being well overdue, I hope it inspires you to hit up this fun exhibit while you still can. Trust me, it’s most definitely worth it.
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My interest in the Color Factory really stemmed from my obsession with the Museum of Ice Cream, an exhibit that originated in NYC but has yet to make a reappearance. After visiting the Color Factory, I would almost argue it to be just as good, if not better, than I would have imagined the Museum of Ice Cream to be. If you’re at all familiar with the MoIC, I’m sure you’ve probably deduced that the Color Factory is another really cute, interactive, and super fun art exhibit. Tickets are $38 each, and for what you get, it’s a total steal.
They allow groups into the exhibit in sections to avoid an overcrowded experience, but once you’re in, you can take it at your own pace. You’re practically greeted with a little ice cream cart filled with different flavored mochi before given a brief little ‘orientation’ and finally ushered into another room with a conveyor belt of macaroons.
It’s really nice because before you enter the main portions of the exhibit, you are able to sign up for a free little photo card that you can scan at each different room and have pictures taken. The pictures save to the card and you can look them all up later at home.
After enjoying your first few snacks, you go through a rainbow tunnel and pick a color in that tunnel that speaks to you. There are moments throughout the entire exhibit where you may have to do things that don’t really make sense but eventually will later. This was one of those moments. Like, why in the world am I picking a random color and this is also way harder than you would expect because if you’re anything like me, you’ll like literally all of them and picking one will feel like a sin.
They quickly then separate you into two lines and you enter what I would describe as a happy version of jail–like in those movies when you see the visitor and the jail mate looking at each other through a glass window and talking on the phone? Except this is obviously a little different. This was one of my favorite rooms hands down. Basically, you sit down across from the person you came with, put on the headset they provide, and go through the prompt given to you. You create a color palette for your person and then finish by drawing them without looking at the paper or lifting your pencil. You then slide your creation across the divider and meet your person at the other side of the room. It was honestly so fun to see both what you and the other person created!
If I’m being honest, from this point I can’t remember the exact order of everything else, but I can try my best. I have a feeling that the next room we entered was a music/sound inspired room in which there were just different objects/instruments all around to make noise on. From there, you enter a room inspired by children’s wishes. You’re met with beach ball/balloon hybrids with happy little quotes like ‘A lot of pizza’ and ‘Everybody doesn’t die until they’re 1,000,002’. Like come on, how cute? This room has an air current that keeps the balls in a constant state of movement and there is such a carefree quality to it that is just perfect.
Eventually you’ll come across a maze-like, quiz themed room that leads you to a door that assigns you a color based on your answers. I can’t completely remember, but I think it’s sometime around this point that you get to try some candy based upon the color you’ve been given. The two candies you get are meant to be complementary to one another and I know mine were a piece of licorice and a lemon gummy.
You then enter a retro room in which all of your disco fantasies can come true. It’s dark and lit by neon blues and reds. Raspberry soda is ready to be served to you and you’re also surrounded by mirrors. This room felt like a fun break to bust a dance move or two before finishing the rest of the exhibit strong.
After shaking my groove thing (I know, I hate myself too), we came across a room that had a few mini merry-go-rounds. There were different fun facts about NYC around the room that I found more interesting than the actual merry-go-rounds, but they were fun nonetheless to spin on.
Then FINALLY you come upon the grand finale.. the baby blue ball pit of dreams. It’s huge and no joke, that’s for sure. Not only can you play around for as long as you want, but you can have a final scoop of blue ice cream and leave with a few little freebie souvenirs too. I got the lemon key chain, and still love looking at it everyday and thinking fondly of the memories I made that day.
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As you can probably predict, I really loved the Color Factory. I have an appreciation for art as is, but this was something fun, unique, and unexpected. I would recommend to anyone to get to see it while it lasts. Based on all of the fun and goodies you collect along the way, it is well worth the price tag and I know you’ll leave with a smile on your face.
Here’s to hoping the Museum of Ice Cream makes an eventual return and that the fun can continue (:
Is the Color Factory a place you would want to visit? What are some of your favorite art exhibits? Let me know! And..
Until next time,
xx.Britani Skye
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