Getting kids excited about art history
“Your job is so boring. Art history is boring.” I’ve heard this exact sentence many times from my kids. I laughed each time, but in truth, a little piece of me died inside, or at least panicked. How is it that I, a seasoned art historian, long-time professor, and advocate of public art history, had failed to engage my children about why art history is awesome? It became a challenge to get my kids—OK, pretty much my entire family—excited about the histories of art!
Getting kids excited about art history
I decided it was a challenge worth addressing head-on. I am passionate about getting kids excited about art history. Oh wait, I am not supposed to say art history! My kids tell me that term is still "very boring." 😂 I might disagree with them on that; though, their point is well-taken. What is art history? When I was a professor of art history, most of my colleagues outside of art history (even historians!) had no sense of what I did or what my field does. So how can I expect children (or really anyone for that matter) to understand? My own parents haven’t always seemed interested in what I love about art history. Luckily, with my incredible ARTSQ crew, we’ve taken steps to help engage the young and young art heart. My mom now calls me to talk about art history! It was harder to win over my kids though.
Under the Wave Off Kanagawa, Katsushika Hokusai, multi-color woodblock print, 19th century, Japan. Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
(Photo: Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Letting kids lead the way
Long have I tried to find ways to get them interested and excited about art and its histories. I've had opportunities to experiment with many ideas and activities; some have been successful, others were duds. One of the most exciting experiments has been to create a new series of videos that are conversations with kids about works of art. I asked my oldest daughter what artwork she wanted to talk about or learn more about, and she chose Hokusai's Great Wave. I have a sneaking suspicion she partly chose it because I was writing my first middle-grade fiction novel about two sisters investigating strange circumstances surrounding a Hokusai exhibition at their local museum. My daughter was very curious to see the print hanging above my desk each day (a reproduction of course—though, if anyone would like to donate an original, I won't say no).
Recording a conversation with a kid
We found a time when the house would be quiet, I set up a mic, and we looked at photos together. She'd seen the print at an exhibition months beforehand, but we didn't have a chance to see it in person together again. I pressed the record button, and we talked. She asked questions, and I'd answer. I asked her questions, and she'd respond. At one point, surprisingly, she decided to offer three fun facts about the print. I thought this was a brilliant idea to wrap up our conversation, and I was so inspired that I've carried her "three fun facts" idea into other projects.
Under the Wave Off Kanagawa (detail), Katsushika Hokusai, multi-color woodblock print, 19th century, Japan. Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
(Photo: Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Three fun facts
Her three fun facts were also a wonderful way for me to see what stuck with her. What did she think was important about our conversation and Hokusai's famous print? I love how I can hear her emotion and concern at different points in the recorded conversation, as well as her excitement! She was so proud of what we recorded. More importantly, she felt empowered to look closely at Hokusai’s print.
And now, a video about Hokusai’s The Great Wave
Fast forward in time: that conversation got edited down to a shorter length (it was about 40 minutes originally) and I made it into a video. It went through many different drafts. The idea for the series was born. More videos were made. And now, this very first video has been published! I'm excited to share it with everyone.
I'm so proud of my daughter, Eleana. Stay tuned for more!
Join Eleana and Lauren as they explore the iconic Great Wave off Kanagawa!
[Side note: I am not an expert on Japanese art, even if I teach some of it in my classes. I made sure to consult with people who have actual expertise on this topic.]
Check out some other videos about Hokusai’s Great Wave and Japanese art!
How to read Hokusai’s Great Wave (a bite-size video!)
