News for Immediate Release

DuPage Children's MUSEUM

“Good Show! Gallery Children’s Splashy Art”

Release date: September 19, 2007

For additional information, please contact:

Lynne Jele, Marketing & Membership

Phone: (630) 637-8000 ext. 2600

NEW! Good Show! Gallery at DuPage Children's Museum Is Full of FISH

Naperville, IL - DuPage Children’s Museum (DCM) is about to make a splash with a new Good Show! Gallery, “Sea of Shape and Pattern”, opening to area families on October 5. It’s inspired by images of triangular angel fish or striped butterfly fish and artwork by artists such as Paul Klee and Romero Britto. The young artists used a variety of media to create their own painted and collaged visions of fish and sea scenes. Aquarium or Art Gallery? It may be hard to tell once you submerge yourself in this new children’s art exhibition referencing the important math concepts of shape and pattern!

“All great artists were once children and we all begin in the same way. A two-year-old may draw a fish as a scribble, but a 10 year old’s drawing will be much more sophisticated. In fact, two 10 year old artists may draw quite differently. All these efforts are valid from educational and early childhood development perspectives,” states the Museum’s Interdisciplinary Arts Specialist, Marcia MacRae.

“DCM provides a service not easily found elsewhere,” says MacRae. “The Museum’s mission is about children exploring materials and ideas to construct their own knowledge, and it’s also about helping parents understand how that works, too! It’s a learning partnership,” according to the Museum’s Director of Exhibits & Programs, Cynthia Mark-Hummel. “Families can feel comfortable to ask questions and request other Museum resources, if needed.”

Displays of children’s artistic expression are often hung on the family’s refrigerator or the side of an office cubical, but any child, no matter what developmental level or talent, upon seeing his or her creative endeavors hanging in a real art gallery gets a memorable and validating experience. It just doesn’t happen every day, except for the young artists whose works are placed in the DuPage Children's Museum (DCM) Good Show! Gallery, on the main level of the Museum.

“Seeing their own child’s art alongside pieces by other children can also be a very positive learning experience for parents,” says MacRae. “Seeing artwork in this new way provides a sense of pride in children’s learning abilities and accomplishments as well as an overall visual impression of developmental levels in children. As DCM’s “Scribbleosophy©” (posted in the Good Show! Gallery) points out, we all progress at different rates, but we all go through predictable stages. Creative expression lasts your whole life.”

The Good Show! is not competitive, as many art shows are. DCM studio programs provide a safe and affirming environment for expression. The new Good Show! Gallery will showcase inspiring aquatic artwork that “was chosen to best portray the developmental stages of interpretation and artistic expression of our young visitors,” according to MacRae. The main goals of the Good Show! Gallery, which is updated about three times each year, are 1) to highlight and support children’s creativity, 2) to extend learning access to surrounding communities, and 3) to provide support and information to parents and families. The Gallery, at the front of the Museum along the windows, is sponsored by the Matthew R. Voss Foundation.

DUPAGE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM:

DuPage Children’s Museum, a top Chicagoland cultural attraction, is a not-for-profit organization celebrating its 20^th Anniversary in 2007—an imagination celebration of the importance of play, as envisioned by our founders.

On any given day, about 1000 visitors come through the Big Red Door of DuPage Children’s Museum and engage in three floors of open-ended activities. It is a playful, fun environment where children and the important adults in their lives learn and play together in thoughtfully planned “neighborhoods” designed to promote skill development in math, science and the arts.

Thank you for all you do! The Museum depends on donations and sponsorships for over 40% of its budget. Your support helps make a difference in the lives of thousands of children!

Location: 301 N. Washington Street

Naperville, IL 60540

Phone: 630-637-8000

Hours* Monday: 9 am - 1 pm

Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: 9 am - 5 pm

Thursday: 9 am - 8 pm

Sunday: 12 - 5 pm

*Call for special seasonal hours.

General Admission: $7.50 per person, ages one through 59.

$6.50 per person, ages 60 and over.

Admission is never charged to shop the Explorer Store.

Free Parking. Wheelchair Accessible. Quick walk from Naperville Metra Station.

Annual Memberships: Several types of memberships and gift memberships are available. Please visit http://www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org or call 630-637-8000 for more information.

#end#