The colors, the creativity, the sensory experiences—there is so much for children to soak in at an art museum. But also, the priceless works, the quiet galleries, the potential for meltdowns. It all might be a little anxiety-inducing for parents.
But Amanda Blake has a message for moms and dads: “Please come,” she says of spaces like the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, where her team works to create a welcoming environment and experiences for even the littlest visitors. “You are most welcome at any art museum and there is so much for people of all ages and backgrounds.”
Of course, browsing galleries is a favorite pastime with her own daughter, Edie, but Blake works to ensure there is something for all kinds of families—even those without any knowledge of fine arts. She tells us how to make the most of a museum visit with kids plus how she juggles career and mom life.
Interview with Amanda Blake
DFWChild: You’ve always worked in museums. What drew you to the arts?
AB: I’ve always loved art history. I’ve learned so much about the world, about different religions, about history through art. It’s such a powerful tool for people to learn about themselves and the world. Growing up, I knew I loved art, but I never knew these jobs existed in art museums. Then I was in an art class in high school held at the Wichita Art Museum and I met their director of education and realized that this is a job—working around these acclaimed artworks and having the privilege to connect people to them. I immediately knew I wanted to pursue that.
“In five or 10 years, who will I have wanted to be there for? It’s always going to be my family.”
DFWChild: What would you tell a parent who’s intimated to bring their child into an art museum?
AB: Art should be accessible to everyone, regardless of background and prior knowledge. Museums have so many tools in place to help a first-time visitor—hands-on activities and interactives in the galleries, labels that can be easily understood, fun tote bags and family guides that take you through a museum with fun and open-ended questions, and also information about the and ways to interpret that for children. At the Carter we have family programs even for babies. It’s about making a connection. There’s no right way to experience art.
RELATED: 8 Ways to Raise Art-Smart Kids
DFWChild: What can parents do to engage kids during a visit?
AB: Focus on the stories of art. Focus on something like animals or colors and go into a gallery and have them do a scavenger hunt. ‘How many animals can we count in these two galleries,’ or, ‘Where are all the blue things we can find in these artworks?’ Or look at artwork and think about what happened right before the scene, what happened right after the scene? Look at an abstract artwork and talk about how the colors make them feel. Invite them to share their interpretations.
RELATED: Why Creativity Means Problem-Solving
DFWChild: How do you juggle your career and home life?
AB: It’s tricky. For instance, my daughter has a field trip on a day that we have board meeting that I can’t miss, and she was so disappointed that I wasn’t one of the parents to throw their name in the hat to chaperone. But then she has this big second grade dinosaur musical on the night of our annual member dinner, and I’m skipping that to go to her show. I try to think about, in five or ten years, who will I have wanted to be there for? It’s always going to be my family. But it’s a balancing act for sure. I always try to be present when I’m at work with my team, but also at home when I’m with my family; so just separating that time.
DFWChild: What’s the best part of your day as a mom?
AB: The winding down bedtime. My daughter is passionate and energetic in all that she does so when she’s winding down, I get to learn about all the ups and downs of her day and how she handled things and how she problem-solved or we talk through things together. And another time that I never would have thought I’d cherish is our car rides. That’s when she opens up. We really have great conversations in the car.
DFWChild: Do you have any mom hacks that make your life easier?
AB: My husband is the cook in our family and he’s taught our daughter a lot of things over the years, to the point where she can pretty much make dinner for us. Can a hack be teaching your kids to do chores? Encouraging her to cook or teaching her to do the things I don’t like to around the house feels like the best hack (laughs).
DFWChild: How does child care work over the summer in your house?
AB: Edie does a summer program, some summer camps, and she’ll spend some time in Kansas with family. We have to sort of cobble it together; find different things she’s interested in and try to make it work. I think parents put a lot of pressure on themselves in the summer. But there are a lot of free or low-cost things to do like museums and libraries, where there’s AC too!
DFWChild: What’s the best parenting advice you ever got?
AB: My parents were and are such good parents, it’s always in my head: What would my mom do? I’m always going to her for advice. And when Edie was baby, I remember hearing all those cliches but one of my colleagues just had a baby and I found myself repeating them to her—they grow up so fast. Be present and cherish it.
Amanda Blake’s Top Tips & Favorite Things
1. Staying in the Loop
“Get on email lists from your local museums and libraries,” Blake suggests to parents. “You’ll get an email with what’s coming up and registration for the next month’s workshops. There are so many things offered that are completely free that you just have to know about and sign up for. You might not remember to go and check each and every website but getting those alerts right to your email is a great way to know what’s going on or to remember to sign up for something.”
RELATED: Why Your STEM Kids Need the Arts
2. Her Dog, George
The family’s 18-year-old Westie, named George Constanza, is Blake’s first baby. Every year, she handcrafts matching Halloween costumes for her daughter and pup, and the foursome love hanging out at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden’s Dog Days. George, a therapy dog, even has his own Insta, @westiegeorge.
3. Mother/Daughter Tea Time at Local Antique Shops
“I love to go antique shopping and my daughter is so into dressing up and having tea. A lot of antique shops serve a high tea, so that’s sort of become our thing,” Blake says. Visits to the Secret Garden Restaurant at the Montgomery Street Antique Mall and Coco’s Tea Room at the Grapevine Antique Market make for special mom-and-me time for the pair. “Like artwork, I love that at antique markets every object has a story. It fuels your curiosity to think about what that life represented and what this object has seen.”
RELATED: Tea Parties for Kids
4. Public Art Murals
Dallas-Fort Worth’s vibrant arts scene isn’t just within walls. Families can take in public art across the Metroplex including sculptures, paintings, installations and murals. Blake’s favorites are John Bramblitt’s murals, which can be seen in Bishop Arts, Garland and Fate. “His work is not only visually stunning, but his journey as a blind artist is just incredible and so inspiring. I love seeing his murals because it’s like I’m getting to live in one of his beautiful technicolor paintings.”
5. For Successful Museum Visits with Kids
• “If your child enjoys drawing, feel free to bring a sketchbook and pencil; most art museums allow sketching with pencil in the galleries. At the Carter, we offer gallery stools that visitors can pick up and take with them to spend as much time as needed in any gallery.”
• Bring a small toy or fidget for busy hands. “To prepare for your visit, let children know that we can’t touch the artwork and explain why—we want the art to last for many years, and if visitors touch the art, oil and dirt will damage the art over time.”
• Pace yourself. “Lower expectations to see everything on view in a museum, but rather, explore works of art in bite-sized moments,” says Blake. General admission is free at the Carter, Dallas Museum of Art and the Crow Museum of Asian Art in Dallas, so you can always come back.
• Plan ahead. “If your child is curious about a certain topic—like animals, space, or even a favorite color—see if the museum has any artworks related to it.”
RELATED: Meet Children’s Book Illustrator Tabitha Paige
Top image courtesy of Kerri O’Neal Photography
