National Gallery of Art - But for kids?
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 8:49AM I've enjoyed taking my kids to the National Gallery of Art for some time, but I've never really considered it a "kid-friendly destination" in the same league as, say, the Natural History Museum or the Building Museum. It's fine, and amazing if you're looking for a world-class art museum, but they can be a bit stuffy about kids. I've had good experiences, and I've had bad ones, with docents and security guards, and an informal poll of other parents confirms my suspicions. Quite understandably, some of the people who work here art folks, and not kid folks. I once had a docent come up to me as I was pointing out a piece of art to my daughter and "remind" me that children must be supervised at the National Gallery. I literally was holding her hand at the time and my daughter was, amazingly enough, actually engrossed in our discussion of the painting. Of course, for every one of those stories, I have at least two examples of a kid friendly guard or docent. Overall though, the National Gallery does at times have a "look, don't touch" rep going in some quarters of local parentdom.
So I was pleasantly surprised this weekend when I took my daughter and her friend to see the new The Art of Power exhibit and found myself immersed in the National Gallery's Summer Drop-In Program. Totally by accident we joined in, and had a great time. The Program consists of two parts: Stories in Art, geared towards kids 4 to 7, and Artful Conversations, aimed at children from 8 to 11. Having a four and five year old in tow, we followed our docent on a fanciful hike through the forest and examined Jasper Francis Crospey's Autumn-On the Hudson River. Although it does speak to my need to take my child camping a bit more, in that when asked to suggest things that might appear in the painting, she volunteered tigers. On the Hudson, keep in mind. Clearly, we need to get that kid out of the city more. Following this, the group read a story and had an art project, all with the assistance of a docent who clearly enjoyed working with kids and took the time to engage them individually. Pretty impressive for a drop in program.
The Summer Drop-In Program is a first come, first serve program held throughout the summer. There is no charge and the program lasts about an hour. Parents do have to remain with the kids, so no sneaking off for a cup of coffee, folks!
Buoyed by this, I decided to take a look at what else is available for kids at the National Gallery. The Concourse between the East and West Building is a must see, with it's fascinating subterranean look at the I.M. Pei designed fountains above it. It also has the attraction of being the location of a good but museum-priced cafeteria. Also in the Concourse is what quite possibly may be the best toy store in DC, the Children's Shop, full of toys, books, art supplies, and other items. Your kids certainly wouldn't have to be an art lover top enjoy the store, either. And finally, the NGA hosts a film program for both children and teens.
All in all, I'd say while in DC you should feel free to the bring the kids to the National Gallery of Art. Even if there is not a program you're interested in, they have the further advantage of being much less packed than the other museums they shares the Mall with. And on the unlucky chance you run into a stuffy docent, blow them off and enjoy this real national treasure.
Reader Comments (3)
I'm glad you are covering some destinations considering their appeal to kids. Travelling with kids has really changed how my husband and I travel.
Thanks,
Joan
bring the children everywhere in DC. i even took the kids to the NRA museum!
cause that's how i roll.
Big fan of the NRA museum, but it's not in DC.
http://www.nationalfirearmsmuseum.org/