The Discovery Gateway museum is a hub of creativity and lighthearted fun. Aside from the main museum attractions that draw the crowds, The Beverley Taylor Sorenson Art Space for Children, on the bottom level of the museum, is free to the public and features works of art created by local children. While geared primarily toward kids, the gallery boasts fun for the whole family.
The current art exhibit, The Colorful World of Henri Matisse, features work by third-grade students at Rowland Hall. The works lining the walls are inspired by the artistic style of Henri Matisse, a French artist born in 1869, known for the fluidity and color in his work. Though Matisse was a draughtsman, sculptor and printmaker, he is most famous for his paintings. Many of the art pieces in the exhibit incorporate both paint and collage elements. Some of the interpretations are more fluid while others are obviously trying to imitate one specific Matisse painting. Some renditions closely match the Matisse style and others seem like just childish doodles.
A craft room is located just inside the gallery and has small tables laid out with glue sticks, construction paper and scissors. A nice Discovery Gateway employee welcomes visitors to the gallery. The gallery and the prints of some of the original Matisse works inspire the visitors to sit down for an afternoon of arts and crafts.
Discovery Gateway isn’t just for kids, but also for those young at heart. The gift shop alone is a fun place to hang out and lose oneself in nostalgia. It features everything from mood rings to charismatic animal puppets. Though there weren’t many people over the age of seven patronizing the store, I was one of the people enjoying it the most. It did help that it was early in the afternoon on a Tuesday, so there was only a slow trickle of people in the museum and the gift shop was in a pristine state that I’m sure is a rare sight on an average busy day.
It can be intimidating and a little embarrassing to find yourself in a children’s museum, but trust me: it is glorious. It’s a colorful place to relax and be a kid for a couple minutes — or a couple hours.
@ChronyArts
