Ting Chen, Weibao Wang

(Guangzhou University School of Fine Arts and Design)

Abstract：

From the birth of the first children's museum in 1899 to the opening of the children's exclusive space in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, human society has experienced "changes" in the children-friendly museums step by step. However, children, as "silent others", still have little right to independently speak for themselves and make creation today. Therefore, based on the fact that children have been ignored in the aspect in history and reality, this article discusses how museums and art galleries, as public spaces, should take specific children’s empowerment actions. It is divided into five parts. Firstly, it describes the children’s marginal situation and the need to hear their voice as the silent majority. Then, it studies the earlier children’s empowerment action from the perspective of the first children's museum. Thirdly, it discusses how to develop communications with children to cooperate with them and to organize exhibitions in their eyes. Fourthly, it demonstrates that the Luhu Lake·A4 Art Museum has updated and achieved its public mission by holding children’s art festivals. Fifthly, the author appeals to art museums to make further changes for children in the future. He hopes art museums to explore the possibility of remodeling current public relations from a different perspective through the introduction of the historical and realistic problem for children.

Key Words：

children’s rights; children’s museums; art museums; participant curating; public education; public relations