The Long Island Children’s Museum aims to provide children with hands-on experiences in its permanent and special exhibits, and two of its current exhibits, “Diggin’ de Kooning” and “Toys: The Inside Story,” are prime examples of what the museum is all about.
In the de Kooning exhibit, the artwork was created by children ranging in age from 3 to 15 years old, in summer workshops at the museum and in workshops at libraries throughout Nassau County. The library workshops, conducted in cooperation with the Willem de Kooning Foundation, will continue after the special exhibit concludes at the end of January.
The concept of having kids learning about creating abstract art in group workshops is consistent with the spirit of de Kooning, who emigrated to New York from Holland in 1926 and interacted with other artists – most notably the Armenian painter Arshile Gorky, with whom he shared a studio – while working as a commercial artist, window dresser, sign painter and carpenter.
Jean Marie Walsh, who teaches the workshops, said the program’s objective is to expose youngsters to the abstract painting techniques and explain “how different lines convey emotion.” They learn conventional techniques with brushes, and the less obvious use of palette knives to scrape patterns in paint.
“With kids, teaching abstract art is a little push to get them out of their comfort zones. They tend to get excited about it,” Walsh said.
They see the techniques demonstrated, and then they’re given a free hand to express their feelings through whatever colors and forms they choose to use, and the result is a revealing experience for the students and their teacher.
“You do see a spark of understanding. And there’s a lot of thought in it,” said Walsh, who noted that there is also a sense of pride when they see their art hanging on the walls of a real museum.
In two of the exhibit rooms at the museum that contain some extremely striking samples of the young artists’ efforts, there are an array of traditional and exotic musical instruments – from a guitar and a stand-up bass to a makeshift xylophone made from large nails – to give visitors hands-on access to another form of non-verbal expression while they view the paintings. The exhibit is a thought-provoking introduction to abstract art for visitors of all ages.
There is a January 4 workshop at the Hicksville Library, a January 20 workshop at the West Hempstead Library and a February 7 workshop at the Lakeview Library, all in evening hours, being offered by the museum. Dates are yet to be set for abstract art workshops at the Hempstead Library, the Hillside Library and the North Shore-LIJ Cohen’s Children’s Hospital.
“Toys: The Inside Story,” a special exhibit that continues through Jan. 2, is a delightful inside look at how different types of toys work. The exhibit shows the inner workings of simple pull-along toys that use basic cams that make toy ducks appear to waddle along, and an inside view of an Etch A Sketch. The range of toys spans generations, from the traditional pull-alongs to computer driven talking toys, which naturally prompt interaction between parents and children, according to museum spokesperson Maureen Mangan.
“It does open different conversation points,” she said, as visitors of all ages recognize familiar playthings.
During school break weeks, the museum also stages daily live shows with ample opportunity for small fry to go onstage and get involved in the show, Mangan said.
The museum also has a permanent toolbox gallery where kids can use hammers and other tools, with the supervision of museum staff members and their parents, to assemble wooden toys that they can take home with them. There are also assorted “pop-up” activity areas where children can also make toys to take away intended to make what may be a first-time museum experience a fun one.
A three-weekend interactive exhibit, “Saltwater Stories: Tales from the Waterfront, Bay Houses and Whaling Ships,” aims at exposing kids to that side of Long Island’s cultural heritage starting Jan. 8 and 9. During the opening weekend, children can learn how to smoke fish, make clam stew, cast a fishing lure, bait a trap, carve duck decoys and shuck oysters.
Glenn Gebhard’s award-winning documentary, “Baymen,” about the contemporary hardships of South Short baymen will be screened on Jan. 8 at 3:30 p.m., Jan. 9 at 2 p.m. and Jan. 23 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Short animation films on maritime themes also will be screened in the LICM Theater.
On Jan. 15 and 16, museum visitors will learn about historic bay houses, and be able to participate in decorating the facade of a large-scale house model. On Jan. 22 and 23, the focus will be on whaling, with an emphasis on the contributions Native and African-Americans made to what became a vibrant 19th century industry. Kids will have a chance to handle harpoons and learn how a Native American clam bake is prepared.
On Jan. 28, a new special exhibit based on the PBS math mystery cartoon series “Cyberchase” comes to the musuem, offering kids a chance to apply their math and reasoning skills to outwit Hacker, the villain of the animated TV series.
In February, the museum introduces another special exhibit featuring the work of Long Island abstract artist Alli Berman, whose work includes interactive puzzle art. Entitled “Swirls, Waves & Puzzles,” the exhibit’s puzzles will be modular art works that can be rearranged by visitors to create their own spontaneous variations of the pieces.
The Long Island Children’s Museum is located on Museum Row at 11 Davis Ave. in Garden City. More information about the museum is available online at www.licm.org or by calling 516-224-5800. General admission is $10 and $9 for visitors age 65 or older.
