by Amanda Crowe
While it may be every parent’s quest to be young again, time is a continuum and the creative underpinnings of childhood impermanent. Throughout the past several weeks of children’s programming, I have witnessed amazingly engaged parents and caregivers embracing moments of luminosity with their little ones simply by being present.
I am told that for some, “art museum” has become part of their child’s vernacular. A hug-your-teddy-bear, meaningful kind of place, where, when given a choice whether to go to the park or go to the museum, “go-art-museum” wins out! Why? For many of my baby and toddler friends, the museum has become a familiar creative playground for practicing “firsts” and building joyful memories.
Beyond a child’s typical “first” art exploration of brushing globs of paint onto paper, children are splashing, building, singing, stretching, listening, crawling, touching and stumbling while celebrating their first artistic and imaginative experiences, not just with parents, but with new friends—in the museum lobby, among the latest color-saturated paintings and in the studio classroom.
And what are parents and caregivers doing during this swell of activity? They are preserving the memories, capturing the essence of their children’s wonderings and ideas, and planting a seed for tomorrow.
Find upcoming programs for children and families at Akron Art Museum.
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