Through the Eyes of a Child

Seeing our Fired Arts Museum through the eyes of a child is an amazing experience. Some parents wonder whether bringing young kids to a museum full of breakable glass and ceramics is a good idea but a recent visit from our Executive Director’s twin grandchildren, Miles and Lily, proved it can be very rewarding. WMODA welcomes supervised children of all ages to enjoy our family-friendly activities.

It was exciting for Louise to see how her son Ben’s twin toddlers responded to the exhibits that she had curated. Holding hands firmly, the family first visited the carousel horse, which is a highlight of our Carnival & Cabaret exhibit. George, proud grandfather and the museum’s long-serving “voluntold”, got everybody on board for a family photo opportunity. Young guests are always welcome to sit on the rocking horse for photos if supervised by museum staff.

Fantastique

The next stop was the Mermaid selfie tail on loan from the 1000 Mermaids Project in the Fantastique exhibition. Surprisingly, Dad had more fun here than the two-year-olds who preferred exploring inside the sculpture! Adults and kids alike are enjoying Suzanne Barton’s beautiful artwork of mermaids dancing underwater as well as the Mermaid Quest scavenger hunt around the museum which is a great activity for families.

The bottom shelves of the cabinets in the Fantastique exhibit were a big hit with all the figurines at eye level for toddlers. Fairies, frogs, and fairytale princesses were eagerly pointed out and the glass doors needed extra polishing to remove their tiny fingerprints after their visit! The twins were mesmerized by the Lladró fairy chandelier, particularly the mirror reflections in the garden “pond” below. Kids of all ages can guess how many fairies are hanging on the chandelier to be entered into our monthly prize drawings.

The Doulton terracotta sculptures from the early 1900s were very popular as it is safe to touch these resilient garden statues which have survived much of the last century outdoors exposed to all the elements. The twins quickly made friends with the elf and then tried to feed George Tinworth’s dolphin. Tinworth’s whimsical mice sculptures were another highlight for the toddlers.

Big Five Safari

Unfortunately, the Ardmore ceramics in the Safari for the Soul exhibit are too fragile to touch, which is exactly what the twins wanted to do as they were so intrigued by the African animals. They were fascinated by all the Zulu people riding on elephants, giraffes, and hippos and had great fun calling out the names of animals they had met previously on a trip to the London Zoo.

The twins were too young for our Big Five Safari Hunt around WMODA but this is a fun activity for older children. The new Ardmore benches and poufs had just arrived at the museum and were being put in a position that was the perfect opportunity for the kids to stroke the animals printed on the lush velvet.

A WMODA Wonderland

It was back to holding hands tightly in the Hot Glass gallery as the twins admired the bright colors of Chihuly’s Macchia garden and Rob Stern’s Windstars. Miles was particularly interested in the binoculars and was thrilled to find another work of art that he could touch.

The twins are not yet familiar with the story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland but they enjoyed seeing all the bizarre characters in the Art of Tea exhibit from the Dodo to the Disney figure of the White Rabbit. Lily excitedly pointed out the tiny teacup and saucer made by local potter, Alex Meiklejohn, so we took the twins to see the dollhouse designed by Judy Rudin which is on display in the museum shop alongside a treasure trove of Alex’s miniature pottery for sale.

The twins were very lucky to receive a bumper selection of mini pottery as a Christmas gift from Alex and enjoyed playing with their dolls’ tea party during their visit to Florida. Next visit, the twins should be old enough to follow the Tiny Treasures Trail with a pirate map leading to Alex’s miniatures hidden around WMODA.

Kids can have fun at our special events with our visiting artists, such as Alex, and have tried the potter’s wheel, clay modeling, and creative play sessions. Local art teachers, such as Laurence Panadero, occasionally bring their young students to WMODA to draw and paint.

Let LOVE Guide Your Way

Lloyd Goradesky popped in to meet the twins who had worn his Let LOVE Guide Your Way buttons in London shortly after they were born. Now they were old enough to appreciate his miniature weathervanes in the museum shop and Lloyd encouraged them to spin them. His new heart photo frame also appealed to Miles who found something else he could touch!

Meet public artist Lloyd Goradesky at WMODA on February 12 when he will be showing how love can guide your way to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Kids of all ages are welcome at WMODA with adult supervision. Ask for details of the scavenger hunts and treasure trails on arrival and speak to a staff member about access to the rocking horse and other pieces which are safe to touch for photo opportunities.