We love having children at WMODA and are looking forward to seeing many more young visitors during the school holidays. Several families participated in our River of Glass and Light art project during our Museum Day celebration, thanks to our amazing volunteer, Judy Cooper, who is a retired teacher.

We also welcomed two young protégés on National Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. Luis, our Facilities Manager’s grandson, joined Elena, our Collections Manager’s daughter, in exploring the museum world behind the scenes. They enjoyed welcoming one of our group tours to WMODA and charmed the guests as they handed out maps, took photos and pointed out exhibits.

This annual educational program inspires children to see the different roles required to run a business, and they may develop a career interest while spending the day at work with Mom, Dad, or their Grandparents. Already, Elena has been eager to return to WMODA on Saturdays and special events, where she has been assisting Mom with her work in the Museum Shops.

The rest of the WMODA team also introduced their families to the museum world at an early age. Kimberly, our Visitor Services Manager, holds the record for the youngest visitor, having introduced her great niece to WMODA. Babies respond to all the bright colors in the Chihuly gallery and toddlers are often enchanted with the porcelain figurines – the Barbie dolls of the early 1900s! Louise’s twin grandchildren were mesmerized on their last museum visit.

A Fired Arts museum may not seem a natural fit for a young child with all the fragile ceramics and glass but with parental guidance, children of all ages are having fun at WMODA. The Dragon Quest scavenger hunt has been a huge hit with families hunting them in their lairs around the ceramic galleries. Children also enjoy our beautiful carousel horse, which makes a great photo opportunity.

Our River of Glass and Light project is growing steadily as children, and adults too, are creating colorful Chihuly-style Macchias made from coffee filters. We were inspired by Chihuly’s whimsical blown glass forms that he released to drift in the water to see how they looked in the environment. Judy Cooper, our  volunteer, encouraged many guests to join in the fun on International Museum Day during their visit to our Hot Glass Gallery.

Read more about children at WMODA.

Chihuly for Children | Wiener Museum