Visiting Museums with Children - Making it Work!

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa

Art museums and children are a tricky combination.  We want our children to be exposed to great art, but museums don't always feel like the best place for this introduction - they are typically large, quiet, dignified places, often with crowds and lines.  Not exactly child-friendly oases filled with tolerance, paper towels, and cookies.  However, taking your kids to art museums can be very doable, provided you prepare carefully.

Here are some things that have worked for us, in no particular order.  The common theme -as always with kids - is: be flexible!

1. Don't expect transcendence.

Don't expect instant reverence for art; do cultivate a playful attitude towards art.  Look for art with interesting details that will appeal to your child's particular interests - try to spot all the animals in those 19th century european paintings for example, or imagine the feats of engineering required to produce that huge contemporary sculpture.

2. Minimize your financial investment.

Many museums have days or time periods when it is free to visit the museum.  I find it a lot easier to walk out of a museum after a mere 10 minutes (it happens!) if I haven't paid $30 or so to get in.  I figure I've seen at least one or two great pieces of art - and there's always next time!

Profiterole by Claes Oldenburg

3. Scope out the food options beforehand.

Find out ahead of time whether the museum has a decent cafe, or whether it's close to a good picnic spot.  Also find out whether you can leave the museum and return a little later - you may be able to step out of the museum for a quick snack or treat, and then return to see more.

Susumu Shingu Sculpture at the Hakone Open-Air Museum in Japan

4. Consider the taste of your audience.

Just as you have your own tastes, so does your child.  If you suspect that they may not have the patience for room after room of Old Masters, consider a sculpture garden instead - or the 20th century design museum, or the Naval History museum, even if there's less "art" to be seen.  Better to find something that will grab your child's attention a little bit (and give them some breathing room), than to turn them off the museum-going experience entirely.

5. Tag Team

This isn't always possible, but when you have two or more adults in your party, take turns with the kids.  This gives each adult at least a bit of quiet alone time with the art.

Louisiana Museum Children's Wing (in Denmark)

6. Look for museums with special facilities for children.

Many museums offer some sort of activity or experience tailored for children, and some even have special rooms or wings dedicated to children's art-making.  We had a fabuous experience at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, which has an entire wing dedicated to children - it's a particularly thoughtful and inspiring place.  Check in advance if activities are offered at particular times, and plan your visit around them if possible.

The Rodin Museum in Paris

7. Think Small

Smaller museums often have smaller lines, fewer crowds, and are just smaller in scale.  It's also easier to make a quick escape if things suddenly get loud or messy! It may also be easier to visit several smaller museums during a trip than one grand one - meaning that your child is exposed to more art (as well as a wider variety of art).

8. Figure it out before you go.  

Before you leave on your trip, do some research. Find out what museums are in the area, when they are open (and when they are free, if applicable), whether they have facilities for children, whether they have a cafe, etc.  Decide what your options are before you go is much easier than figuring it out on the fly. 

9. Get into the creative spirit yourselves

Before your trip, make some art similar to the type you plan to introduce them to - make sure your kids have some recent experience in painting, sculpture, mixed-media, etc - it will help them relate more immediately to the work.

Washington D.C.: Roy Lichtenstein at the National Gallery

Here's a big new art exhibit that may grab the kids' attention, and yours too - Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective just opened at the National Gallery in Washington D.C.

The paintings (the exhibit includes sculptures and drawings as well) are fun and thought-provoking - I'm fascinated by the Mirrors series and I think a child would be too!  Even if they're not usually excited by museums, Lichtenstein's work will likely get kids thinking about the possibilities of art, and how different ways of doing things (comics, big serious paintings) can relate to eachother.

The exhibit runs through January 13, 2013.

Airport Culture: The Urban Jellyfish Project

Are you touching down in Portland, Oregon sometime this year?  Kids or no kids, be sure to look for this beautiful installation in the D/E Lobby:

Artist Sayuri has created an ethereal underwater landscape, called Urban Aquarium (it's an ongoing project), populated by seven varieties of jellyfish – these are familiar looking but truly fanciful creatures, born from the artist’s imagination.  Here is how she describes one species (name: Cirrus Ars Magica) represented in the installation:

“These jellies are extremely considerate and warm-hearted, despite their life in cold water. They are brilliant and understanding, if you befriend one you can never get enough. They love ice cream. They bring magic to your life.”

Visit Sayuri’s website to learn all about her jellyfish (photography by Kelty and Hannah at The Weaver House - check out their site for some inspiring visuals!). The installation will be in place through January 15, 2013.

            

Favorite Places: The Girard Wing at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico

There are many beautiful spots in Santa Fe; it’s just a magical place.  Perhaps this is due in part to its age; people have been living here since the 10^th century.   That sort of thing alone will give a town a particularly rich energy.  The city’s decision back in the early 20^th century to mandate building styles in keeping with the town’s existing character (lots and lots of low-slung adobe) also contributes to the feeling of enchantment.  Besides just looking pretty, the small human scale of the town has been largely preserved, making it a great place to be with kids. 

If you venture up into the hills, you will find one of my favorite places in Santa Fe: the Girard Wing of the Museum of International Folk Art.  The whole museum is worth a visit, but the Girard Wing is unique.  It contains textile designer Alexander Girard’s collection of folk art and toys from around the world – approximately 106,000 items. 

Girard not only contributed the items, he also designed the permanent exhibit space to hold them.  It is a fantastic space.  Colorful and maze-like without being overwhelming, it showcases the objects at various eye-levels (including some at near floor-level).  It invites people of all sizes to wander and explore.  Everything is behind plexiglass, but many displays can be seen from multiple perspectives, making viewing a more dynamic experience. Toys are arranged in a frequently humorous way, creating an elaborate tableaux or telling a little story (sometimes the story is enchantingly ambiguous).  

I happened to be without my son during my visit, unfortunately - but other children I observed were utterly delighted.  I can't wait to go back, kid in tow.