Have you taken your kids to see any good art lately? As a an art
museum educator I spend a fair amount of time thinking about how
adults can help children talk about and make sense of art. But
why is this important? Talking about art is good for kids’
minds: it helps them think critically, develop strong reasoning
skills, pay attention to nuance, and explore new ways of
interpreting the world. But facilitating a rich discussion about
an abstract expressionist painting or a life-sized bronze statue
can be daunting to many adults who don’t feel like they have
enough knowledge about art to share it with their children. Does
this describe you? Well, here’s a little secret: Information is
not important. What’s important is helping children find ways to
describe what they see. If you understand a basic methodology
for discussing art with kids, you’re good as gold and your
children will enjoy the process of discovery that unfolds. I’ll
give you an example: There’s a new wall-sized installation at
the Stanford Busine