Robin Murphy said:
 
>Seems to me that interactivity is another form of
education, but >one that is much less age-based.
>
>Europeans often say that we in the United States don't have a very
>good attitude about children, we isolate them from adults too
>much and treat them like personal property rather than as part of
>the whole community.
>
>Do European museums put as much emphasis on museum education aimed at
 
I would agree that we (as North Americans) do not have a positive ttitude
about children.  One gallery I visited asked us to leave because a
one-year old squealed, and the "noise may disturb older patrons".  The
same gallery had a Children's Gallery, but all the pictures were hung at
adult height.
 
ANother situation, back in my home town, had a guard telling a child he
could go to jail if he stomped his boots.
 
The fact that this type of situation recurs is relevant.  The lesson one
gets is that one must interact SILENTLY to/with art.  The other part of
the lesson is that children are vermin to be tolerated if they can't be
exterminated.
 
As an art teacher, it is apalling that these insitutions treat children in
such a fashion.  IMHO, the only other "official" human being we see is the
person at the ticket booth, the guards, and the occasional docent/ guide
who delight in reciting scripts and talking over their heads.  These are
the people that count towards giving a public an image; these are the
people the kids remember - not the curators, directors, museum
"professionals".
 
So if you want interactivity, lift the noise restrictions and teach the
people who deal with people some manners.
 
I apologize for ranting - this has been quite a bee in my bonnet for a
few years now.  My job is to excite children about art, and it would be
so nice to have some cooperation from the custodians of that art.
 
Diane
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