Art Trek: Looking at art with young children

Abstract

art Trek: Looking at art with young children absTraCTThe Art Trek is a learning programme for families with children between the ages of 5 and 12 at Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met). It interactively exposes children to different artworks across cultures and styles in multiple artistic experiences, by questioning, listening, discussing, playing and drawing in a group setting. With access to museums at an early age, children can experience impressive images, explore cultures and develop skills to interpret visual language. I was able to observe the Art Trek programme with five pre-service elementary art teachers who were university undergraduate students in an art methods class I taught. 1 In this article, I will discuss the importance of art and museum education for children at an early age. I then will address some suggestions on how art and museum educators can provide more meaningful and quality art experiences for young children as they view and explore works of art.

Young children’s experiences of music and soundings in museum spaces: Lessons, trends and turns from the literature

“…If educational programmes encourage children to interact with artworks in meaningful ways, art museums can provide significant learning environments for young children (Chang 2012).…”

“…Contemporary museums are more likely to include spaces dedicated to children (Clore Duffield Foundation, 2015) – whether they are part of the traditional gallery or a more discrete activity/learning room – although as Manchester-based researchers, Hackett et al (2018b) point out, there is no ‘one solution’ in planning space for young children. Museums can be places of exploration for young children and their families – as in the ‘Art Trek’ programme run at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, which focused very explicitly on the architectural elements of space (Chang, 2012). Indeed, as Hackett et al (2018b) note, museum spaces can actually invite such exploration – with the space itself positioned as a kind of facilitator:Exploring the physical elements of a building, including aspects such as lifts and staircases, was significant for families.…”

“…Artworks specifically were cited as being a powerful means to stimulate both interest and excitement in young children, engagement including a ‘willingness to describe images, suggest changes, and imagine themselves in the paintings’ (Lopatovska et al, 2016: 1214). Chang (2012) described art-orientated activities as one way to nurture children’s development:If educational programmes encourage children to interact with artworks in meaningful ways, art museums can provide significant learning environments for young children.…”

“…Things to catch the eye up high or down low, from high ceilings to images on the floor, invited this kind of exploration. (p. 8) Chang (2012) proposes that children are allowed to engage with art objects 'from their own points of view' as opposed to from the point of view of adult facilitators, hence the importance of free exploration of space; although MacLeod (2005) cautions against ignoring the balance between more traditional didactic engagement and provision of open space for reflection or creativity. Piscitelli and Penfold (2015) have observed that experiential exhibitions that deliberately focus on children's creativity -providing content-rich environments and taking account of spatial quality (including factors such as room layout and furniture design) often provide the best learning environments for children.…”

Mediação em artes visuais no contexto escolar: um estudo de caso e uma proposta de formação para professores de artes / Mediation in visual arts in the school context: a case study and a training proposal for teachers of art

“…Makoto Yihikawa (2012), da Universidade de Kyoto, pesquisou formas de colaboração entre museu e escola, combinando apreciação e produção de arte. Eujung Chang (2012), da Universidade Francis Marion, e seus estudantes de licenciatura em artes observaram visitas mediadas em um programa para famílias com crianças pequenas, desenvolvido pelo Metropolitan Museum of Art, de Nova Iorque. Alice Arnold, Susan Meggs e Annette Greer (2014), da Universidade East Carolina, investigaram o impacto de múltiplas experiências em museus de arte na capacidade de estudantes de licenciatura de criarem empatia com trabalhos de arte e de vivenciarem experiências estéticas.…”