The Children’s Museum of Manhattan presents Inside Art: Create, Climb, Collaborate, a new exhibition of monumental art installations that encourage creative placemaking, self-expression and community set to open this June.
As part of CMOM’s acclaimed series of interactive visual art exhibitions for early learners, this installation invites children to touch, climb, contribute to and completely immerse themselves in the commissioned work on view.
The exhibition will feature City Canvas, a two-story, multiroom installation in which contemporary artworks can be both viewed and made on site. The installation, created by German architecture firm BARarchitekten, is set to evolve during the exhibition’s run with new works by artists and visitors alike by allowing them a space to leave their mark on the installation’s exteriors, interiors and passageways.
Additionally, the exhibit will include a surreal three-dimensional assemblage of twisted house interiors that children can climb through called Accumulation of Houses. Created by New-York based, Spanish artist Isidro Blasco, this work invites visitors to test their balancing skills as they make their way through the unusual house. Combining practices of architecture, photography, and installation, the work meshes dream-like fragments of windows, door frames, and other familiar forms to encourage explorations of perception and spatial memory.
Be sure to also expect a collaborative tree sculpture that invites visitors to share their wishes and hopes. Wish was created by Harlem-based, Cuban, Puerto Rican and Japanese artist Aya Rodriguez-Izumi. This collaborative work was based on the Japanese tradition of Ema, in which community members share prayers, wishes and expressions of gratitude. Visitors are invited to sit by a calming pink floor-to-ceiling arboreal sculpture and record a wish, hope, or dream on wooden plaques that then are hung on a tree for others to read. With the addition of new wishes throughout the exhibition, the installation will continue to expand, forming a space of collective reflection and communication.
Opening June 18, 2022, Inside Art: Create, Climb, Collaborate will be accompanied by daily art-making programs in the Inside Art Makerspace overseen by resident artists and CMOM arts educators.
“Reflecting our dynamic role in New York City’s cultural and educational ecosystem, CMOM has continued to expand our researched-backed programs and exhibitions to focus on key issues that children are facing today, to mitigate the social-emotional impact and learning loss suffered by children of all backgrounds during the pandemic,” said Chief Program Officer Leslie Bushara. “CMOM’s visual art exhibitions provide an important platform for our youngest New Yorkers to engage in issues of the day through art and artmaking. Our newest edition of Inside Art puts the lessons of the past two years into action, emphasizing the importance of personal connections among both people and places and of building healthy, creative communities together.”
