A Fun Family Visit to the Guggenheim Museum by Andrea Santo Felcone
We sometimes encounter difficulty finding family activities both my sons will enjoy—considering the gap in their ages (7 and 14 years old). When I come across something that sounds like it will interest both boys, I’m thrilled. When I find something that will interest, delight, and educate, I’m ecstatic. This past Sunday offered the opportunity for all three (and toss in culture as well) as we planned to spend the day at New York City’s Guggenheim museum.
Photo Credit: David Heald, (c) The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, N.Y.
This past Sunday was “Drawing the Guggenheim”–an event that had museum-goers exploring and sketching the building’s iconic architecture through a variety of public programs, tours, and workshops. The event was a collaboration of the Solomon R. Guggenheim museum and its sister museums: the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (Spain) and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (Venice).
We had registered ahead for the “Family Architecture Tour” which was part of the Guggenheim’s Sunday Family Tours series. Every second Sunday, each month, the Guggenheim offers family-friendly, interactive tours. Tours are organized around a single theme and explore the permanent collection as well as special exhibitions. Our tour focused on the architecture of the museum itself.
When we first heard the word, “interactive,” my husband and I assumed it meant some kind of screen or Smartphone involvement, but we were pleased to find that “interactive” meant face-to-face contact, as we were warmly greeted by our tour guide. Emily would guide us through the museum (for an hour and a half) to study the museum’s architecture, to sketch a bit, and to learn about its famous architect–Frank Lloyd Wright.
Emily did a wonderful job highlighting interesting parts of the building and peppering her talk with facts about Wright. At the start, she tasked us with really looking at the space we were in, extending our necks to peer all the way up to the oculus (the building’s gorgeous skylight) and dropping our heads to gaze down, to study the floor’s design (a circular pattern on the floor reinforces the building’s iconic spiral ramp). She was great with children–answering their questions and really listening to them. It was wonderful to see children engaged in art and architecture discussions.
Family Architecture Tour. Photo Credit: Tanya Ahmed
I learned so many “fun facts” about Frank Lloyd Wright, more than I can convey here, but two that really struck me: Wright wanted the building’s exterior to be red (there is one elevator with a red interior as a concession to this). And, many artists refused to display their work in the museum when it first opened. They felt Wright had a large ego, and that the building’s unusual design made it (and him) more of a focus than the art inside. (It is fascinating, that standing in the rotunda, the works of art remain mostly hidden, until you start to ascend the spiral ramp.) However, over time, artists have found brilliant ways to use and appreciate the space.
Emily distributed printouts of the rotunda and asked us to sketch how we might use the space. It was fun to see both children and adults using their imaginations. I loved that there were other opportunities along the way for sketching and a few different types of paper and pencils provided.
Family Architecture Tour. Photo Credit:
Tanya Ahmed
Emily was so knowledgeable, and the tour was so child-friendly, I was sad to see it end. Next, we decided to grab a quick bite at Café 3. Everything in the Guggenheim is so modern, white, and sleek, that the large-scale black and white photos of the museum during construction, hanging in the café, really catch the eye. They are fun to study while you eat. (Café 3 serves light fare. There is also a restaurant, “The Wright”, for a more substantial meal, but we didn’t visit).
Next, onto the art. I had read the best way to see the art at the Guggenheim was to start at the top and spiral your way down, and that’s an excellent strategy. As we explored, I found myself thinking how the space looks so different from different locations. I started appreciating the geometric shapes of the building (Wright believed each geometric shape held a different meaning: triangles were strength, circles were infinity, etc.)
The current special exhibit, “Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World” includes a “Chinese Dragon” made entirely out of bicycles and bicycle inner tubes. There is also, what appears to be a “hole in the floor” in the rotunda, that upon closer inspection reveals itself to be part of the exhibit. (Inside the hole is a video of sky in China—as if you have “dug your way to China” and you were looking up at the sky.) My youngest discovered that first and that opened him up to wanting to explore more.
Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World exhibition, Photo Credit: David Heald, (c) The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, N.Y.
We enjoyed the thrill of seeing works of Picasso, Kandinsky, Monet, and many more. You are allowed to get fairly close to the artwork. I enjoyed watching my older son examining the paintings to appreciate the artists’ brush strokes.
Finally, we visited the Open Studio. To tie-into “Drawing the Guggenheim,” that day the theme was drop-in and create architecture-focused projects. There were pictures displayed of the various Guggenheim museums and an array of white straws, paper, tape, and pencils on the tables. The kids could create whatever type of structure they dreamed. My sons had a ball crafting their Wright-inspired geometric buildings. The Studio Art Lab is a fun space and a perfect spot for adults to rest while the kids create.
We thoroughly enjoyed our day at the Guggenheim. I would highly recommend the Sunday Family Tours, and if that doesn’t fit your schedule, there are many other opportunities for families: Stroller Tours, (for caregivers with children up to 24 months); to Little Guggs (2 – 4 years old); all the way up to Teen Programs. There are family memberships as well. For more details on dates, times, and prices of the various programs: https://www.guggenheim.org/for-families. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is located at 1071 5th Avenue, New York, N.Y. (between 88th and 89th streets).
Tags: Architecture, art, Family fun, Guggenheim, Museum
