Children's Art Education Center Introduction
The Children's Art Education Center, which was five years in the making, received funding from the TSMC Cultural and Educational Foundation and the Taipei City Government. With the efforts of the museum staff and the architectural design team, it officially began operations on Children's Day in 2014, launching its opening exhibition "Gift" to express its mission: a gift for future generations. The visual signage design features geometric blocks stacked like building blocks, inspired by the tubular structural elements of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum; the window symbol signifies children's curiosity, peeking at the sky from the corner of a window and exploring a broader world. The center utilizes the existing spatial conditions, transforming the periphery into the core of its operations while gradually incorporating contemporary art education concepts. Besides asserting that learning is a vital core value, since 2015, it has aimed to expand the definition of educational learning to create new knowledge production methods and museum experiences. The traditional museum's focus on objects for collection and exhibition is gradually shifting towards a focus on 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 their everyday lives. It emphasizes participatory experiences, hoping that viewers learn through interaction and discussion with peers, sparking diverse possibilities in their visiting experience and developing a new relationship between the museum and its audience. Contemporary art encompasses a wealth of interdisciplinary knowledge and emphasizes critical thinking and social participation. In 2016, the Children's Art Center's education initiative officially transitioned from an exhibition concept to "Educational Programs," launching one or two themed presentations and creative workshops each year, collaboratively planned by museum educators and contemporary artists. In the "Educational Programs," staff members act not only as mediators in interpreting artworks but also as experience transformers; artists are no longer only passively invited to create works but can actively become constructors of learning experiences. On one hand, the center's educational initiatives use artists as models, allowing children to understand a diverse world through the artistic perspective and creative thinking of these artists. On the other hand, we invite artists to collaborate with staff to discuss and develop interactive installations for each educational program, transforming experiences from their works or those of other artists into learnable models, facilitating audience participation beyond passive visual appreciation to include physical and perceptual engagement. Through participating in educational programs, audiences become active explorers uncovering the world, accumulating visual literacy and conceptual critical thinking skills. (Source: Children's Art Education Center)
