Positivity: Art Museums Welcome Children
It’s a good idea to get kids interested while they are impressionable, and many museums are doing just that:
Samantha Critchell–the Associated Press
February 12, 2006NEW YORK — It used to be that children didn’t feel welcome in the hallowed halls of the country’s best art museums. And they probably weren’t.
Things have changed, though — so much so that Child magazine ranks the 10 best art museums for kids in its March issue. Note that it’s not “children’s art museums” — these are the real deal.
No.1 on the list is the Art Institute of Chicago, which has family art camps and “Faces, Places and Inner Spaces,” an interactive exhibit featuring art from eight countries.
Editor in chief Miriam Arond of Child decided it was time to explore art museums after noticing “a big change in attitude.”
“We all grew up with a ‘Don’t touch, don’t talk too loud’ attitude. But there’s a recognition now that if you don’t get children excited about art at a young age, it’s unlikely they’ll walk in when they’re 15 or 20 and be immediately captivated. . . . Art museums have come a long way in catering to kids.”
Museums are following the paths forged by other experiences that used to be adult-oriented, such as the dentist’s office, which now might have an aquarium.
Instead of just looking at Rembrandt’s paintings at the Dayton Art Institute in Dayton, Ohio, beginning in June children will be able to dress up in costumes similar to the subjects. Families also can borrow a “gallery bag” that includes a magnetic board on which children can make their own Mondrians.
Back in Chicago, there’s a “touch-me” gallery, encouraging kids to feel the different shapes and textures of sculptures from different periods.
….. Now a day at the museum can be quality family time and a quality cultural experience, too, she says. “Parents have so much to do. To be able to go to a workshop and to have this learning experience, engaging experience and social experience with their children that’s been so carefully orchestrated is a wonderful thing.”
And, Sousa agrees, the museum is getting something out of it too. The interest boosts a museum’s visibility without costing advertising dollars that are getting harder to come by.
“People perceive art museums as an adult place. They think a piece of art isn’t as accessible as a bear or giraffe so they take the kids to the zoo. But if we’re guiding you through the museum and encouraging kids to be a part of it, that perception will change,” Sousa says.
Sousa doesn’t expect — or even want — children to spend their time at the museum learning, for example, the definition of “impressionist.” What she wants them to leave with is an understanding of how there is meaning in things and objects.
“If you stop and examine a painting or sculpture, you can figure out a lot about what’s going on. This carries over to life. Art can be about observation, deduction and reasoning.”
Those skills translate to school. “There are so many dimensions of learning that can happen at a museum. That’s why you want to have the experience as a young child. Then you can keep coming back again and again and keep building on it,” Sousa says.
