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Photo: Courtesy of Children’s Museum of the Arts New York
Many parents would like their children to be interested in art. Making art is a simple low cost form of entertainment that fosters creativity. It has long-term cognitive benefits and helps build communication skills, social skills, and confidence. In a city replete with opportunity, what is the best way to stimulate and encourage an interest in art?
As a current local art consultant, mother, and former art market professional, I have the following recommendations, centered around incorporating art into a child’s everyday life inside and outside of the classroom:
1. Take Advantage of Community Resources. Many parents I speak with are unaware of the numerous art-based community resources available in New York City. Classes at children’s centers, visits to Children’s museums, and museum gallery workshops are all excellent options. Here is a short list of options:
- NY Kids Club, art classes
- Kidville, art classes
- Gymboree, art classes
- Children’s Museum of the Arts, art classes, open studio, and exhibitions
- Children’s Museum of Manhattan and Brooklyn, art classes and exhibitions
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, art classes, family workshops, gallery talks, and more
- Museum of Modern Art, art classes, family workshops, film and more
- New Museum, exhibitions, family workshops and more
- Jewish Museum, story time, concerts, art workshops, family programs and more
2. Stock Up on Supplies. Collecting and buying supplies is incredibly easy; re-use every day items, visit a local craft store, or go online and ship items to your doorstep. Build a collection of supplies inclusive of diverse colors, patterns, textures and materials and organize them in a nice bin. You don’t need to approach this with a specific supply list — use the suggestions below as a guide, though any eclectic mix will give your children ample opportunity to be creative.
- Boxes
- Paper bags
- Magazines
- Newspapers
- Toilet paper rolls
- Fabric scraps from old clothes
- Leaves
- Sticks
- Paper (white, construction, and butcher’s paper)
- Age appropriate scissors
- Pom poms
- Pipe cleaners
- Glue
- Play dough
- Popsicle sticks
- Crayons
- Finger paint
- Stickers
3. Start An Art Collection At Home. Putting art in your home and talking about it with your family helps children relate art to everyday life. Suddenly, children form emotional associations between art and home and no longer perceive art to be a self-contained extracurricular activity. Your collection can be anything, including works by emerging or established artists, inexpensive prints, a collage of family photos or your kids’ masterpieces. Engage your children and get their ideas on how the display should look — what colors and pieces match, which frames work best, whether a single piece or grouping should occupy a space, etc. Explore why they prefer particular pieces to others, and share your opinions as well. Let them identify lines, colors, and shapes, and ask how each work makes them feel. Refresh your collection periodically by re-framing, re-hanging, adding new work, and using what you have in creative ways. Involve your kids in the entire process, and you will find the end result to be more personalized and meaningful.
- Mason Lane can help!
4. Explore Art Around the City. Art is everywhere around the city, sometimes in unexpected places. Parks, lobbies, streets, galleries, museums, art fairs, and architectural buildings are all opportunities to point out diverse colors, shapes, textures, and styles to you children. Talk about what is appealing and why. Learn what’s less appealing, ask questions, and share ideas. Here is a short-list of places to see art:
- Hudson River Park (Tom Otterness sculptures at Chambers Street, George Sherwood sculptures at Charles’ Street)
- Tribeca Park (Gimhongsok, Bearlike Construction)
- New York Academy of Art, classes and exhibition
- Taymour Grahne Gallery, rotating exhibitions
- Cheryl Hazan Gallery, rotating exhibitions
- Peter Tunney Gallery (ask to see the downstairs studio!)
- Soho Street Art, scattered around the neighborhood’s most commercial streets (especially West Broadway, Spring, and Prince)
- Year-round local Art Fairs, including:
- Winter Antique Show (January)
- NYC Metro Show (January)
- Outsider Art Fair (Jan/Feb)
- The ADAA Art Show (March)
- The Armory Show (March)
- Volta (March)
- AIPAD Photography Show (April)
- Frieze Art Fair (May)
- Affordable Art Fair (May and October)
- Art, Antique, Jewelry Show (September)
- Independent (November)
- IFPDA (November)
-Katharine Earnhardt*
*Katharine Earnhardt is the founder and President of Mason Lane Art Advisory Services. Mason Lane helps new and established collectors find and purchase art for home or office space, focusing on emerging contemporary art and unique vintage finds. Contact: [email protected], 917-868-0043, www.masonlaneart.com for further details.