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Laurie Kilgour-Walsh

Interpretive lables in exhibitions

I am interested in integrating more education information (specifically aimed at children) into exhibition spaces. Currently all didactic panels are written by curators, and directed at the 'general public'.. As Educator, I would like to see more specifically educational materials aimed at a slightly younger audience integrated in exhibition didactics. Has anyone seen or used this in an art gallery? I am looking for example of successes with this kind of information.

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There is a science museum in Canberra, Australia that has informative signage for children. This is the URL for the museum’s website: http://www.questacon.edu.au/

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Hi Laurie,

I'd be interested to learn and research more on this. I often deliver Art & Design Educational workshops in a museums, or connected to a museum during and after I have an art exhibition at a museum. we give handouts, create games and activities often with the younger age range, the layout , design, content and selection of vocabulary is very important if what is being delivered is to be understood and to be of any use to small children and the community. Will get back to you if I think or hear of anything,

good luck,

Julia

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Oh, could you give me any useful insights into my group topic please, 'Artists working with Museums', or pass it onto someone else, artist, museum organisers on any level and so on

thanks,

Julia

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Perhaps you work with young people and understand what they want already...but if not, and you write an exhibit label for young people and want to know how children will comprehend and relate, ask a few elementary school teachers to take a look - they deal with the cognitive process's of young people all the time and understand what they comprehend better than most.

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Hi Laurie,

I think we come at this from a different angle. At Historic Royal Palaces we don't "major" on interpretive labels for children. Instead we make use of activity sheets which encourage the children to ask questions and think about what they have seen and to enquire. We are also working on interactive exhibits and the use of computer games technology.

I guess a few years ago some parents would dispair of their children sitting at home glued to their Games consoles, wishing they would go the a museum and have a "real" experience. I think now there's more of a "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach which says: lets harness the the ways in which children today like to interact (i.e. Games) to our own messages and themes and then it's win-win"!

Do other site members agree/disagree with my thoughts?

Regards,

Jerry

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What is the message that you want to impart to children? Do you want to "teach" them something about the creative process or a work of art they are looking at, or are you interested in them in having a more open-ended "self-learning " experience? Maybe these questions can help you define what you would like to do.

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you can visit this site
we developed for the Horne museum, in Florence and it contains some didactical material aimed to children.

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