The Exhibition through the eyes of kids
By Aliena Baruch
My friend Scott and I took his girls, Parker, 8, and Harlow, 7, to see the exhibition in Hollywood. Watching them react to art was a breath of fresh air to me, as I was quite skeptic about society’s ability to entertain its young ones with art. The girls surprised me as they really had a good time!
Parker’s favorite part was the movie – the 30-minute story narrated charmingly. She specifically liked the snake. When daddy pushed a little, she admitted the river and the mirrors were cool too. Harlow also liked the movie, but her favorite was the Pharaoh (“King Tut’s mummy. Well, fake, fake, it wasn’t actually a mummy”).
This audio-visual presentation was a first-time experience for the girls, and they said they felt in the middle of it, which was exciting. To my question whether they would recommend it to their friends, they both replied “Ah-ha”, and when I asked what they would say, I was surprised again. Parker: “Well, like, when someone dies, they go on a boat and there is an underworld or something, whatever it’s called”. I asked if she connected to this idea. – “Yeah. I liked it”. Harlow kept it short saying she’d tell her friends she saw King Tut’s fake mummy (consistent, this one).
I asked if they had known anything about the Pharaohs or ancient Egypt before today. Parker: “Umm... A little bit, but not much”. But then Harlow revealed that Parker is really into Egypt, and said that she herself kind of knew something before. “In every pyramid there is a cave. Yeah. Daddy told me, he was there”.
I wanted to make sure the girls were not just being nice and polite, so I tried different versions of inquiry: “Were there things you didn’t like?” Parker: “Nope. I liked it all”. Harlow: “No. It was all really cool”. Me again: “Would you want to go again?” Harlow: “Yes. I am gonna go again actually. My mom is taking us”. “Really? You weren’t bored?” – “No!”
Me, squeezing one last confirmation: “So, I guess you did like it” – “I. LOVED. it. And I want to add something: So, my favorite part of the movie was when the snake with those big eyes goes around. That’s cool.”
I guess that counts as a recommendation, right? 😊
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