This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Jan. 28, 2011 - Taking a toddler to a museum full of expensive treasures may sound like a nightmare. But local art destinations are securing their spaces as though they were china shops getting ready for herds of baby bulls.
The kids are all right, even welcome, at the Contemporary Art Museum one morning a month, news that surprised Kirkwood mom Jennifer Lin when she heard about it from a tweet.
"A lot of parents are wary of taking their kids to art museums; it's like 'Don't touch that,' and the guards are following you around," Lin said.
The CAM caters to kids on the first Tuesday mornings every month with stroller tours for the younger set and play dates for those ages 2 to 5. It's an image-altering move, according to director Paul Ha.
"People may think of us as a white-wine-drinking, kind of an elitist place, but we've been trying to go beyond that," Ha said.
Toilet Plunger?
What child -- or adult, for that matter -- wouldn't be delighted by a 7-foot tall orange exclamation point that Lin likens to a "toilet plunger?" The memory of the sculpture is a favorite of Lin's 3-year-old daughter, Sophie.
Lin appreciates the free pastries and coffee. Sophie enjoys story time and playing with geometric shapes. Already a budding artist, she had fun assembling found objects, the result of which is forever preserved by a Polaroid print in a frame she decorated.
The kids' creations aren't "just some junk we threw away," according to Josh Weinstein who took his 2-year-old daughter, Ayler, to the CAM's December play date.
"The art project was actually a cool musical shaker, which is something she has used since," Weinstein said, in an email.
Also important to Weinstein was that the fact that plenty of people showed up.
"The event was well attended, so it didn't feel sad," Weinstein said.
Other Museums, Theaters
The St. Louis Art Museum offers a full roster of weekend programs for families who aspire to more than eating burgers and fries while the kids slide down colorful tubes and jump into ball pits. Next up at SLAM is a Feb. 19 tour and workshop in which the children's art project will be inspired by German Expressionists.
At the Repertory Theatre, children enjoy not only painting but singing and acting in ArtStart activities that take place the first Saturday of every month. On hand for Feb. 5 will be the Bob Kramer Marionettes.
Lin, who takes Sophie on special outings twice a week, has fewer destination choices Monday through Friday, or any time it's too cold for the Zoo or the parks. Of course, there are the St. Louis History Museum, the City Museum and the Magic House, but Lin has to search hard for other winter activities.
"It's a little tough to find indoor stuff," Lin said.
The lack of unique inside programs makes Weinstein is happy to have found the CAM play dates, and he's planning to take his daughter back to the Contemporary.
"The most appealing thing to me was there was another place we could go and socialize with other kids," he said. "It's always nice to add a new locale to the repertoire."
