This week marks the beginning of my internship at the I.D.E.A. Museum in Mesa, Arizona! For reference, this is what I get to walk into everyday:
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| The Hub of the museum |
Now technically, it can be argued that this museum, and most museums in general--especially private ones--are not within the domain of public art, since there is usually a price of admission involved. However, an important stipulation of public art is that it remains accessible to the public. In my experience so far at the I.D.E.A. Museum, I certainly believe this to be true of it. Therefore, I will treat the art displayed at the museum as within the domain of public art for the sake of my project.
Now that the technicality has been dealt with, I would like to add a brief introduction about this museum. The I.D.E.A. museum mainly caters to children around the ages of 1 to about 10 (from my limited observations). However, due to this age range, there is also an abundance of adult chaperones. This wide age gap of patrons leads to a rather unique hybrid of entertainment and education. For example, there is a station called "Oodles of Doodles" which allows children to draw to their hearts' desire on a wall but also plays a TED talk on the prejudice against and necessity of doodling in the creative process. As a person that is neither a young child nor a parent of a child, this juxtaposition proves fascinating: the ability to learn and create in a simultaneously straightforward and contextual way is not something I encounter often.
However, this is not to say that the children themselves are not learning and doing also. In fact, this first week of my Senior Research Project coincided with the arrival of a new gallery in the museum, themed around the ocean. It is aptly named "Underwater FantaSEA". The following are some highlights of the exhibit:
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| Found object fish sculptures |
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| Coral-esque sculpture made from plastic bottles |
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| A hanging jellyfish garden |
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| Arizona geology samples |
Nestled between all of these gorgeous visuals are more marine-inspired art (some of which I can't photograph) and countless activities that teach children about ocean life, conservation, and the relationship between Arizona and the ocean, far away though it may seem. For example, did you know that Arizona used to be covered by oceans? Crazy, I know.
Admittedly, I haven't done much in the way of researching opinions on public art. However, I believe that I have spent my first week improving upon nearly equally valuable skills. Aside from learning for the first time how to laminate as well as interacting with younger children, I have had the chance to help prepare activities for coming events. Here are some example projects I helped make for an event celebrating the opening of "Underwater FantaSEA":
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| Demented envelope sharks |
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| Didn't make this one, but I couldn't resist including the tribute |
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| Fish crackers on graham crackers |
Whether or not you agree with me that the ability to construct decorative graham crackers is valuable, there is no doubt that it's cute.
Looking forward into the next week, I hope to begin exploring the public art in Phoenix, so get excited for my trudging through unseasonably hot February weather. Also stay tuned for the art history class I will help teach next week on Hokusai!
I love your photos, Molly - especially the jelly fish! I hope to visit i.d.e.a. sometime in the near future. It's an interesting juxtaposition that you mention. During your time at the museum, did you notice that parents gravitated towards the children-oriented activities or paid attention to those geared towards adults (Ted Talks, etc.)? Did you notice that most adult chaperones fell into particular demographics (gender, age, etc.)?
ReplyDeleteAlso,
Thank you for reading Ms. Mitrovich. For the demographics of the adult chaperones, there seems to be a hodge-podge: all ages, genders, and races. Perhaps inevitably, the only age range that is absent is around my own, about 12 years to 25 years old. Children are accompanied mainly by parents or grandparents, although some have nonrelated guardians as well.
DeleteThe adult-oriented activities are not abundant in the museum, as most of it is geared towards the children. As such, most of the chaperones' attentions are focused on guiding the children through the activities. However, the more abstract art on display is to the benefit of the adults, who are more prone to appreciate it, as most of the kids don't even notice the art.
It seems like you had a lot of fun! Your decorative graham cracker and envelope sharks are so cute!
ReplyDeleteThe prevalence of found-object sculptures at the I.D.E.A. Museum seems like it would engage youth in art by making them realize that art is accessible: it is everywhere and can be made from anything.
Do you think that the children need adults to explain the exhibits to them, or do the children independently grasp the concepts?
Thanks for reading and commenting Lauren!
DeleteI would say that the children are definitely more focused on activities such as dress-up or building with blocks, and the guidance of an adult or gallery guide is necessary for them to focus on the art. However, the museum has been around a while and knows how kids think. Consequently, the art is picked discerningly to be interesting on both a visual and conceptual level, even for those with shorter attention spans.
I too enjoyed all the pictures, and I like how you link the art in the museum with education for the children.
ReplyDeleteThanks Russell! I'll try to include more in the future.
DeleteHey Molly,
ReplyDeleteSo this post brought a question to my mind that I don't know if we addressed when we talked. With these public arts as well as the activities that you did with kids...does time factor into the public's opinion on art? Would a beautiful piece of graham cracker art be viewed the same as a mural in the public's eye, even though it will simply be eaten in a minute? Does the ephemeral nature of the art that you're working with now affect the value or quality in any way?