Global museum innovation initiatives attract new generation

Recently, the "Plush Toy Overnight" event held by the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, Japan, has sparked a craze on social media and become another typical case of innovative practice in the global museum industry. As an important part of the "Connecting Children and Museums" program, this event aims to break down the barriers between museums and children, and bring art into children's lives. The original plan for the event was to only open 20 participation spots, but unexpectedly received enthusiastic registrations from over 3000 children from all over Japan, far exceeding expectations. After layers of screening, 17 lucky plush toys finally "settled" in the art museum, embarking on a unique artistic journey. These toys interact intimately with art exhibits in the museum, or quietly sit on customized chairs to take photos with the exhibition, or "hold night talks" in front of large paintings, and even sit by the window to enjoy the beautiful night view outdoors. The cute and interesting scenes have attracted the attention and discussion of many netizens. It is understood that the inspiration for this event came from the United States, and similar attempts have been made in Japanese libraries before, but this is the first time it has been applied to art museums. Cheng Xiangzhao, Chief Researcher of the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, said that the response to the event far exceeded expectations, and he was very pleased to see that children had developed a strong interest and closeness towards the museum.

In fact, the global museum community has long been concerned about children's groups. Since the establishment of the world's first children's museum, the Brooklyn Children's Museum, in 1899, more and more traditional museums have begun to explore how to establish closer connections with children. In recent years, the concept of "involving children" has been widely spread worldwide, and the forms of museum activities have become increasingly diverse. Taking the Crawford Steele Museum in the United States as an example, the museum commemorates the first generation of American abstract expressionist painter, Crawford Steele. Since 2019, project director Nicole Cromarty has been committed to expanding the audience to include young children. She invited children from schools and early education centers to select their favorite works, and embedded their unique interpretations of the works in the exhibition guide in the form of audio, allowing more visitors to appreciate art from the perspective of children. In addition, the museum regularly holds two special events every month: one is an "artistic crawl" designed specifically for babies under 14 months old, aimed at allowing babies to experience an artistic atmosphere during the crawling process through relaxed and fun interactions; Another event is the "Maker Morning Meeting" for children under 8 years old. During the activity, children can draw creative cards for their family and friends by improvising and listening to the stories of artists, experiencing the joy of artistic creation.

In Europe, the concept of "establishing artistic connections from a young age" has also received widespread attention. The EU official website has published an article stating that the key to connecting museums with the new generation is to provide sustainable lifelong experiences, allowing children to gradually integrate art into their daily lives through exposure to unfamiliar things. In order to achieve this goal, museums in France have tailored a variety of travel experiences for children, such as professional children's guides, creative handicraft workshops, and fun puzzle games, allowing each child to experience the charm of art in their own way. The Mus é e d'Orsay in Paris organizes painting activities specifically for children under the age of 12, encouraging them to pick up their brushes and engage in a dialogue with Impressionist masters such as Van Gogh and Renoir that transcends time and space; The Louvre Museum has launched a series of animated and comic digital exhibitions for preschool children, introducing world-renowned art treasures to them in vivid and interesting forms.

British museums are also actively exploring new ways to attract children. Some education experts believe that museums should pay more attention to providing differentiated learning experiences and advocate for discovery based open learning, unlike schools that focus on academic and exam oriented teaching methods. The 'Wonderful Laboratory' created by the Science Museum in London is a vivid practice of this concept. Here, children can lie down on the ground and experience firsthand how planets orbit the sun through immersive interactive devices, experiencing the mysteries of the universe and the charm of science.

Nowadays, attracting the participation of the new generation has become a consensus in the global museum community, which not only reflects the museum's commitment to social responsibility, but also marks an important transformation in the development of museums. Through continuous innovation and experimentation, museums are bringing art and knowledge into children's world in more diverse and interesting ways, opening a door to infinite possibilities for them.