Eleventh International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

How can children’s museums convey cultural and geographic distinctiveness when they are designed according to universalist ideas of child development? An overview of methods for doing this will be introduced. Children’s museums are inspired by a universalist approach to learning, children, and the “ideal” childhood, assuming that children learn best through play that includes active physical exploration and manipulation, that children should be grouped by age and that activities should be developmentally appropriate, and that parents or other adult caretakers should be involved in children’s play. Spaces for children should be dedicated specifically for that purpose and designated by design elements such as vivid colors, cartoon-like animal and human characters, and bounded spaces that still maintain clear lines of sight so that children are visible at all times. As a result, children’s museums often resemble one another regardless of their geographic or cultural location. This paper will address the following question: If children’s museums are designed to reflect universal beliefs about children, how can they also convey a sense of place or of cultural rootedness? I will discuss a description of the ways that children’s museums introduce cultural and geographic distinctiveness, based on visits to fifteen children’s museums in six different countries.