Using sense to make sense of art: young children in art galleries

MacRae, Christina (2007) Using sense to make sense of art: young children in art galleries. Early years, 27 (2). pp. 159-170. ISSN 0957-5146

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Abstract

This paper reflects on a collaborative project between Manchester City Art Gallery and Manchester Metropolitan University (2003-2004). The project's aim was to attract very young children and their families to the gallery. This paper will not report directly on the research methods used or the outcomes of the project but, rather, will explore questions raised about art galleries and art education in relation to young children. It will ask if it is possible to use art education as a tool for thinking about the world, rather than as a vehicle for expressing a pre-existing and unitary self, or for representing a pre-existing and unitary reality. Merleau-Ponty's philosophy of perception will be used to assist in this attempt to open up current notions of art education, and the art gallery space.