We take off our coats in the coat room, and Emily tells us the three rules:
1) Feet: walking feet
2) Hands: hands do not touch the art, not even Emily’s hands.
3) Voices: normal voices, not loud
Then we choose to take the elevator up:
Thomas: I can see everything Caroline: I’m scared.
We spend some time seated at Marta Chilindron’s Cube 48 Orange, which you can see in the background (top photo), where we notice that we can see each other through the orange pieces. Someone says it looks like a house.
As we walk by Maximum Security:
Thomas: It looks like a decoration. Caroline: It looks like a cage.
Interesting that Caroline shares Travers’ experience; in his visit he said: Maybe there are some monsters in that cage.
When we arrive at this sculpture, one child comments, It’s so beautiful!
Thomas It’s like a building and a sculpture and a mouth.
Caroline What mouth there?
Thomas (pointing) Right there.
Emily Caroline, what do you see in this? Can you think of anything?
Caroline Um, a baby’s in there.
Mark What would the babies be doing in there?
Caroline Eating. (On top, or underneath? Where?) On top.
Mark How about you, Amelia, does this make you think of anything?
Amelia A baby eating on a chair. And the mom would say ___ (inaudible)
Suddenly it makes sense! Caroline sees this as a high chair, and though Mark didn’t get it, Amelia understood right away!
They want to check out the couches, and Caroline sings, Couch, couch, a-re-a, couch a-re-a, and they briefly examine the iPhone and iPad art under plexiglass; Caroline wonders if we can open it up, but they have no further comments, preferring to flop on the couches briefly before Caroline says, I want to see out there. She begins running to the glass door and Mark reminds her, walking feet.
Caroline Ice!
Thomas I see ice.
Amelia Can we open the door? (Mark explains that it’s cold outside.)
Caroline Is it ice?
Thomas I see a pond through the trees. You can’t swim in it.
Caroline It’s not available.
Thomas Because it’s closed.
Caroline It’s all the way back there.
Thomas How can we get to it?…
While looking outside the children have become animated. Why is this? Because the movement and sensory input while flopping on the couches has made them feel more comfortable, and thus more energized and talkative?
Next a child asks to go into the Dewey Gallery, and we end up in front of this piece, seated again so that the children don’t come too close to the artwork.
How would the children’s experience change if they were able to move freely, as they do at the sculpture park?
Amelia It’s dark in here… It’s not scary. Amelia giggles as she watches the cartoonish person making drawings. Mark asks What’s happening here? and Amelia doesn’t respond, just giggles occasionally, repeating, What’s happening here?
Thomas and Caroline join us: Is he drawing? one asks.
Thomas Is the person wipe that off? He’s drawing with a marker… He is wiping it off.
Mark What is that?
Thomas It it a sculpture?
Caroline It’s not a sculpture.
Amelia It’s a little scary.
Mark What’s scary about it?
Amelia I don’t know what’s happening after that.
Thomas Now what are they drawing now? They’re drawing a circle and…a different sculpture. You’re not supposed to draw on yourself.
Caroline Are you supposed to draw on a window?
Thomas Why is his eyes closed?
Thomas Is he going to wipe it?… Yes he is!
Caroline Is he going to draw again? (What do you think?)
Thomas I don’t know… (we wait…then the person begins drawing) Yes he is! What’s that? I don’t know.
Caroline I think it’s a potty.
Thomas It’s not a potty.
Amelia That’s scary.
Thomas It’s a little bit, it’s not too scary.
Amelia I want to watch and see. But I laughed that other time… Mark, I’m ready to go.
As we leave the Dewey gallery, Emily and Mark suggest moving to the Process Gallery before we leave. As we enter, Amelia laughs and says: All kids can come in here.
What is she really saying!?
Amelia This looks like funny hats.
Caroline Ooh! I like to try a crown! That’s shiny.
Thomas Look at these. Hey, you know what this is? This is a body and those are…(?)
While Caroline and Amelia try on hats, Thomas enjoys dramatic play with the wooden people. When he is done, he moves to the wooden stool, which comes apart when he moves it, and he investigates how to put it back together, almost solving the puzzle.
Interesting that the chair is indeed a kind of puzzle, and in some ways parallels Thomas’ experience with the moveable person.
