Children's Art Education Center Introduction
After five years of preparation, the Children's Art Education Center, funded by the TSMC Education and Culture Foundation and supported by the Taipei City Government, officially opened on Children's Day in 2014. The inaugural exhibition, "Gifts," expresses its mission: a gift dedicated to future generations. The visual signage design resembles stacked geometric blocks, inspired by the tubular structure elements of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. The window symbol signifies children’s curiosity, peeking at the sky from a corner of a window, leading them to explore a broader world. The center builds upon existing spatial conditions, transforming peripheral spaces into the operational core, while gradually incorporating contemporary art education thoughts. It emphasizes that learning is a crucial core value. Starting in 2015, the aim shifted to expanding the definition of educational learning, meaning creating new ways of knowledge production and museum experiences. The traditional museum function, centered around the "object" in collections and exhibitions, gradually transitions to being centered around "people." The museum not only possesses a rich collection of art but also serves as a friendly space for audiences to relax, socialize, and experience art in everyday life. It emphasizes participatory experiences, hoping that audiences learn through discussions and interactions with peers, sparking diverse possibilities for visiting experiences and developing a new relationship between the museum and the public. Contemporary art encompasses a wealth of interdisciplinary knowledge and emphasizes critical thinking and social engagement. In 2016, the educational plans of the center formally transformed from the concept of exhibitions into "Educational Programs," launching one or two each year, combining thematic displays and creative workshops, co-planned by the center's educators and contemporary artists. In the "Educational Programs," museum educators not only serve as mediators interpreting artworks but also as experience transformers; artists are no longer merely invited creators of works but can actively become constructors of learning experiences. On one hand, the center's educational plans use artists as models, allowing children to understand the diverse world through the artists' perspectives, creative thinking, and problem-solving methods. On the other hand, artists are invited to collaborate with educators to develop interactive installations for each educational program, turning the experiences from their own or other artists' works into learnable models, transitioning audiences from passive visual appreciation to active participation on physical and perceptual levels. Through engaging in educational programs, audiences become active explorers discovering the world and accumulating visual literacy and conceptual critical thinking skills. (Source: Children's Art Education Center)
