The world's earliest children's museum can be traced back to the Brooklyn Children's Museum in New York, United States, founded 100 years ago at the call of parents and educators. Museums undoubtedly play a pivotal role in public education. Research by Western research institutes, such as the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in the United States, shows that children who visited museums as early children tend to excel academically in three subjects: literacy, math and science. So, how do Western museums play and inherit their public education functions, and continue to adapt to the inheritance and innovation of the times? The Children's Museum at Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the Young V&A Museum in London's East End, United Kingdom, are two spaces for children and teens to explore, inspiring creativity and imagination. They are two cases that deserve in-depth discussion on the successful realization of the public education function of global museums.
About Louvre Abu Dhabi:
The Louvre Abu Dhabi was established in March 2007. The U.A.E. and France have joined hands to establish a major cultural exchange and cooperation project, and the highlight of this cooperation is the Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island. The partnership between Argentina and France combines U.A.E.'s vision of cultural progress and globalization with France's extensive experience in the field of art and museums to explore common themes that reveal and connect human civilization.
Eventually, Louvre Abu Dhabi was born. It not only celebrates the dynamism of the contemporary Arab world, but also celebrates the diverse cultural heritage of the Arab region. The France Museum Agency (Agence France-Muséums) coordinates the loan of works of art to the U.A.E. museum and provides professional support in management.
©Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi/ Photo: Hufton+Crow
In this way, Louvre Abu Dhabi has become a new cultural "beacon", bringing together different cultures and illuminating a new chapter in the common story of humanity. This temple of culture is also home to a special Children's Museum at Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Louvre Abu Dhabi's art exploration playground for children and their families. Not only is there a display of artwork suitable for children to visit and learn, but there are also interactive areas for children to learn in fun and develop their artistic and visual literacy.
©ATELIER BRÜCKNER
The Children’s Museum at Louvre Abu Dhabi
The Louvre Abu Dhabi's Children's Museum is a fun-filled space for exploration, offering child audiences and their families the opportunity to interact with the museum's treasured artworks. Here, the artworks are displayed at the eye level of children, so that children can easily enjoy them. The Children's Museum also features a variety of immersive and interactive areas that invite children to engage with adults in creative learning activities that allow them to enjoy the process of developing artistic literacy.
Since its opening in 2017, the Children's Museum has hosted four thematic exhibitions for children at home and abroad:
2017-2018
Travelling Shapes and Colours（在形状与色彩中穿行）
2018-2019
Animals, Between Real and Imaginary（真实与想象之间的动物）
2019-2020
A Costume Adventure（服装的冒险）
2021-2023
Emotions! A New Adventure（情感！新的冒险）
Emotions! A New Adventure，截自卢浮宫阿布扎比官方网站
These four exhibitions use elements of life at their fingertips, such as shapes, colors, animals, etc., to stimulate children's creativity and imagination, and encourage children to establish a deep connection with the artwork through interactive experiences. Each exhibition is skillfully combined with fun and education, allowing children to experience the inspiration and power of art in a relaxed and enjoyable environment. This diverse experience opens a window into the world of art for children. The latest exhibition, Picturing the Cosmos, which runs from July 20, 2023 to June 2025, adds a touch of technology to the artistic atmosphere of the Louvre Abu Dhabi Children's Museum.
©Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
‘Picturing the Cosmos’是由卢浮宫阿布扎比儿童博物馆与阿联酋空间局(UAE Space Agency)和MBRSC(Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre,穆罕默德·本·拉希德航天中心)共同举办的以“探寻宇宙”为主题的特别展览。
At the beginning of the exhibition, the children were invited to participate in a magical "space mission" to explore how artists from different backgrounds were historically drawn to the theme of "the universe" and how they depicted the universe. This cosmic journey is divided into four themes:
Contemplate 沉思
The journey begins with the experience of being amazed by the wonders of celestial bodies from Earth, and interpreting these celestial bodies through works of art.
Narrate
In a compelling story, the legends of stars and galaxies are brought to life, shaping the relationship between humanity and the universe across time and culture.
©Louvre Abu Dhabi
Measure
Through the invention of science, we can help human beings better understand the profundity and vastness of the universe, and the mysteries of the universe will be revealed.
©Louvre Abu Dhabi
Explore
Here, the dream of interstellar travel and exploring the unknown will become a reality.
The exhibition also explores mankind's interest in the universe since ancient times, and how the concept of "sky" has been a source of inspiration and imagination for mankind in different historical periods. Through these four sections, young viewers are guided to explore the mysteries of the universe step by step, while gaining a deeper understanding of the deep connection between humans and the starry sky. Through the combination of art, narrative and science, we can discover the courage and desire to explore the unknown
If the Louvre Abu Dhabi Children's Museum is a model of public education for children in the new generation of museums, then the Young V&A Museum in London's West End, United Kingdom, must be a pioneer in traditional museums dedicated to stimulating children's creativity.
About the V&A Museum Complex
The V&A Museum (Victoria and Albert Museum, London) is a museum complex of arts and crafts, installations and applications located in London, United Kingdom. The creation of the V&A Museum dates back to the mid-19th century and was originally created to showcase the art and industrial products on display at The Great Exhibition of 1851 in London. The museum underwent several name changes after its founding, and finally in 1899, under the auspices of Queen Victoria, the museum was officially named the "Victoria and Albert Museum" in honor of her and her husband, Prince Albert. The name not only reflects the museum's historical connection with the United Kingdom royal family, but also symbolizes the museum's continued contribution and influence to the field of art and design. With a collection of more than 2.8 million artefacts, including paintings, sculptures, fashion, jewellery, ceramics and more, the V&A is committed to supporting the development of design and creativity in a variety of ways, promoting the spread of cultural knowledge and inspiring creators and innovators around the world. The word "creativity" is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the V&A Museum. As a member of the V&A Museum Group, the Young V&A Museum is a creative incubator for children and teenagers.
©Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Young V&A Museum: Exhibitions are both the product and the source of creativity.
The Young V&A, which reopens to the public in the second half of 2023, was formerly known as the V&A Museum of Childhood. The new Young V&A Museum has divided its permanent interactive exhibition halls into three main sections: Imagine, Play and Design, providing a more open and immersive space for children and young people to learn and create. The Young V&A Museum presents 2,000 items covering 5,000 years of human history in a new and dynamic way, including art, design and performance from the V&A Museum. For its rich exhibits and exciting interactive programs, the Young V&A Museum has been awarded the Art Fund Museum of the Year 202 United Kingdom 4 Award, one of the world's most prestigious museum awards, one of the most prestigious museum awards in the world for its one-year anniversary celebration.
© 2021 Picture Plane
Young V&A折纸俱乐部Pop-up快闪表演（© Sandra Ebert）
So how did the Young V&A Museum spark the interest of more than 590,000 children in art, design and creativity in just nine months in an interactive and fun way? In Young V&A's cultural and creative store, the answer may be found.
Young V&A: Empowering children's imagination and creativity
©Victoria and Albert Museum, London
For many child-friendly museums, nurturing children's creativity is the ideal outcome for the museum's public education function. [i] At the Young V&A, children are encouraged to become little designers in the museum's cultural and creative shop. In order to bring children's ideas to life and give them the greatest value of their imagination. The museum has launched a special "Design Club". Young V&A's Design Club is an extracurricular program for children aged 11-14 that aims to achieve this through hands-on learning. In recent months, the Design Club's 12 young "designers" from Oaklands School Tower Hamlets in London's Tauer Hamlets have collaborated with the museum's creative team and professional designers to create a range of new products for the Young V&A Store, including sketchbooks, stickers and keychains. Most of these products are inspired by the themes and exhibition elements presented in the temporary exhibition "Japan: Myth to Manga". Let's have an "immersive" conversation with the Design Club team in Q&A mode~
What kind of organization is Design Club? What was its original purpose?
The role of the Design Club is to allow children aged 11-14 to interact with the V&A's collections, and to "awaken" them through hands-on creation, giving them new "life". The design club children collaborated on the theme of "reality" and produced a series of interesting and high-quality products, which are now available for sale in the Young V&A Museum's cultural and creative store! These young designers have demonstrated extraordinary creative talent, learning new skills and gaining a significant boost in self-confidence as they work with professional designers. Their hard work has yielded fruitful results, and as the first batch of young talents to design products for cultural and creative stores, their achievements are truly remarkable!
（Haidee Drew, Young V&A博物馆高级设计师）
©Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Why is it crucial to encourage young people to use a variety of creative materials in the creative process?
Because this allows today's teenagers to free themselves from electronic screens and use their creativity in various creative materials, such as drawing and doodling. The excitement and satisfaction of peeling back the foil and seeing the foil paintings you have created is undoubtedly a great experience!
（Emma McNiven，Foilco品牌关系经理）
©Victoria and Albert Museum, London
©Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Finally, let's listen to the voices of these outstanding young designers! The students who participated in the Design Club said that they were very proud to be able to put their ideas into practice at the Young V&A Museum and integrate their creativity into the design of cultural and creative products through practical actions. Some students also said that the best part of participating in club activities was actually writing with their friends and sharing their creative ideas and imagination.
©Victoria and Albert Museum, London
I hope that these cultural creations that have been given life by children can also light up your day!
©Victoria and Albert Museum, London
epilogue
The Louvre Abu Dhabi Children's Museum and the Young V&A Museum successfully blend education and innovation in the field of aesthetic education for children and young people. The former is good at using elements that children are familiar with or interested in, and through multi-dimensional exhibition design, it helps children understand the exhibits and exhibition themes more deeply, and then stimulates their interest in art and science. The latter focuses more on promoting the transformation of children's creativity, encouraging young people to express themselves and create in the museum's interactive programs. Both museums share a common vision of becoming a place of public education for all ages. The beneficial practices of these two children's museums provide inspiration and reference for the educational development of museums around the world. Such joint efforts and innovations are not only focused on the present, but also for our common future.
Contribution丨The text is assigned to the office
Compilation丨Li Yaxin
Preliminary trial丨Xu Liyi, Shi Weichen
Final Trial丨Tang Shifen
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