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Joanna Hiltz says, "I've been sketching in art museums with my daughter since she was 4. It's a great learning tool. We will circle the room deciding what we like the most before settling in a nearby bench."
"The process requires her to slow down, be still, quiet and really study it as she works. I love the progress I've seen over the years of Saturday afternoons spent sketching in museums."
"Here's a side by side of one of Iris' (age 5) museum sketches."
"Isn't it interesting seeing what they like and dislike? It's far more unbiased than what adults do as they crowd around the popularized recognizable named artists and breeze by the lesser known. I always say, sketch what interests you the most."
"One time we were walking thru the contemporary wing of the Portland Art Museum, I sat down to sketch a sculpture, and she sketched this... Point taken."
Thanks, Joanna, and way to go, Iris!
Seeing little Iris diligently sketching away makes me smile and fills me with hope for the future! I have a 4-month-old son and can't wait to take him on similar museum trips. It's inspiring to witness Iris capturing exactly what interests her most. We should all follow suit.
ReplyDeleteI would echo, "Thanks, Joanna, and way to go, Iris!" That second photo is so striking, how comfortable and completely present Iris seems as she sketches. Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteTerrific post! When I was in elementary school, I took art classes on Saturday mornings at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and again when I was a high school student. In these classes, we spent all of our time drawing in the museum galleries, that time I spent in the galleries made the museum feel like home to me. I think unfortunately, a lot of kids don't get to spend lots of time in museum galleries because the entry fees are so high at many of the major museums. Now, when I visit the MFA as a professional artist and art professor, I vividly remember specific pieces that I sketched as a child and teenager, and these pieces jump out at me any time I visit. I strongly believe that those hours spent in the museum were hugely influential in my decision to pursue art professionally.
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