THE Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York opens a new interactive learning center for children on September 9.
Conceived by Koko Architecture + Designthe company behind the Greenwich Village Children’s Aid Society playgrounds and the robot garage in Detroit, the new facility, called 81st Street Studio, will be a science and art play space for children aged 3 to 11. The 3,500 square foot space will feature interactive exhibits that promote cross-disciplinary and multi-sensory exploration of The Met’s collection by its youngest patrons.
“Education is an essential and very exciting part of the Met’s mission, and we are proud to open the extraordinary new studio on 81st Street and advance our role as a hugely engaging resource for local communities and worlds,” said Max Hollein, the Met. director, said in a report. “Through immersive activities, the Studio inspires children to explore the connections between art and science, which is so valuable in creating a lifelong love and appreciation for art and artistic practices. .”
The 81st Street Studio articulates the connection between science and art to young people through material exploration, providing digital and analog experiences designed to stimulate creative growth and problem solving. A non-circulating children’s library will be available alongside drop-in, self-directed art activities with rotating materials. Inaugural activities will be inspired by wood, with visitors participating in wood carving, drum making and learning about the physical principles of the material.
A music station, designed by Yamaha, will help visitors learn about the physical components of sound through a variety of instruments, including an upright guitar and a marimba. Hand building is also encouraged – cardboard boxes, fabric, Velcro and wheels will be provided on site. The Studio will also encourage children to pick up a Met Field Guide, a set of tools to guide exploration of the museum and Central Park.
The new education initiative was designed by Heidi Holder, the Met’s chair of education, in consultation with the museum’s Curatorial, Scientific Research, Curatorial, Design, Digital Projects and Capital Departments. Bluecadet, an interactive design firm, contributed to strategic media and digital monitoring of the space.
“By emphasizing cross-disciplinary learning through the five senses, the 81st Street Studio is an additional catalyst for how the Met engages with all visitors,” Holder said in a statement. “It positions the museum as a place where visitors can make delightful discoveries, take risks and ask questions, activities that are essential to reimagining the future role of museums in our communities.”
This addition to the Met’s educational offerings is perhaps the smallest of many surgical upgrades underway on the museum’s Fifth Avenue campus. The museum is in the middle of a $70 million renovation of its African, Early American and Oceanian art galleries, which are set to reopen in 2024. He is also working with architect Frida Escobedo on a $500 million overhaul of its modern and contemporary art wing.
