At The Museum by Jason Wiggins

The CMA is crammed into a very narrow slot of a building in between two commercial spaces near Chinatown. There are no other galleries on the block and you probably wouldn’t expect to find a museum on this street, but there is an unmissable zebra statue on the sidewalk and bright colors painted on the front window. The inside of the museum also features bright shades of red, yellow, orange and blue that would be considered loud in a space for adults, but are fun for a children’s museum.

The CMA is like an art studio for kids. The exhibits are actually workspaces where children can experiment with creating their own art and there are plenty of materials for sculpting and making collages. Everything in the museum is cut to half size, so parents might feel a little cramped. The CMA is a good place to go if you’re visiting New York City with young children. With all of the different exhibits for children to play with, a stop at the CMA could last for art filled several hours.

Creative Play Area is designed for children five and under, and includes the Art House for slide viewing, the WEE (Wondrous, Experimenting and Exploring) Art Station, and other interactive exhibits.

The Artist’s Studio is designed for children over five, and is reminiscent of a working artist’s studio. Children find daily art projects that encourage problem solving and exploration of a variety of artistic materials. The Artist’s Studio also welcomes artists from the community to work side-by-side with children.

The Actor’s Studio offers costumes, musical instruments and story starters to encourage character development and expression of ideas through acting.

The Ball Pond is designed as a kinesthetic experience for all children to allow movement and motor skill play. It is a cushioned area filled with large, brightly colored physioballs. The surrounding environment evokes the feeling of being surrounded by water through the color, light and texture of materials used. Often used as a warm-up activity, the Ball Pond allows children to get comfortable in the Museum.

Magnetic Masterpieces are reproductions of famous artworks, cut into magnetic puzzle pieces, and displayed for children to arrange. These large-format puzzles focus on the three themes of portraiture, landscape, and abstraction, and showcase artists of diverse age, gender, and race. Information about the artist and the era in which he/she lived is available, and this activity has proven to be a successful method for parents and children to talk about art.

SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

CMA’s School and Community Outreach Program reaches over 10,000 children and their families each year at schools, settlement houses and special needs facilities. Museum artist/educators meet with individual schools and community centers to plan workshops that integrate the goals and curriculum of the classroom or program. Children and teachers are encouraged to explore the arts, thereby acquiring skills that can be applied to all aspects of learning.

Other Programs: CMA offers a highly successful early childhood program, the Wondrous, Experimenting and Exploring Artists as well as ongoing programs for pre-school aged children such as Art Days. CMA also offers afterschool programs, the Summer Art Colony program and special events.

Birthday Parties and Rentals: The Museum conducts birthday parties and is available for special events. For further information call 212.274.0986

Last Modified January 2001