On Saturday, May 5 and Sunday, May 6 with the
grand opening of the spectacular new 55,000 square-foot Young At Art Museum and
Broward County Library in Davie, Fla. A weekend of exciting celebrations and
festivities is planned for the new Museum, which will be the epicenter of
cultural arts education for children and their families.
Young At Art Museum will feature four permanent, themed
galleries: GreenScapes, which encourages children and adults to
reconnect with nature by discovering the potential of art to call attention to
environmental issues; CultureScapes, which celebrates and brings new
understanding of our culturally diverse world through the eyes and art of
contemporary artists; WonderScapes, a world of imagery dedicated to
childhood development through art, literacy and play; and ArtScapes,
which provides a thematic journey of art history where art crosses time, place
and culture. All four galleries
were designed by the award-winning team of Peter and Sharon Exley of
Chicago-based Architecture Is Fun, Inc., whose firm has dedicated its practice
to creating family friendly designs meant to stimulate and educate young minds
about the world around them. Projects include the Mid-Michigan Children’s
Museum and the Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo at the Lincoln Park Zoo in
Chicago.
Visitors also will enjoy the unique YAA Institute,
Showcased-Artist Studios/Installations, a National Traveling Exhibition
Gallery, a Teen Center and Recording Studio, a Museum Gift Shop, the Tossed Up
Salad Café and a 10,000 square-foot Broward County Library. A preschool and
early childhood learning center will offer parents an arts-based curriculum for
their young children.
“Through the joint development of this facility and its
many cooperative programs, this is a groundbreaking partnership and one that we
know will be a model for other museums and libraries throughout the country,”
said Robert Cannon, Director of Broward County Libraries. “This unique facility
will provide cooperative, hands-on computer and reading literacy programs and
art education activities for families in South Florida as well as visitors.”
The Young At Art Institute features cutting edge
equipment and studios that incorporate natural lighting, the truest form of
illumination, especially for painting. The Young At Art Institute’s design
allows students space to work outside, adding a nature component to their art
education. Age-appropriate classes in painting and drawing, ceramics, mixed
media, cartooning, printmaking, digital and darkroom photography and 4-D video
design will be offered.
Showcased-Artists Studios/Installations will feature,
among others, Kenny Scharf, Pablo Cano, Edouard Duval Carrie, Kenichi Yokono
and Leonel Matheu, who collaborated with museum designers and fabricators to
infuse their creative spirit and artful voice throughout the exhibition spaces.
The brainchild of artist and Young At Art Museum
Executive Director Mindy Shrago, Young At Art had humble beginnings in a
donated, 3,200 square-foot storefront in 1989. At a time when school arts
programs were being scaled back, her focus was to make a difference in art
education for children and their families in South Florida. The Museum’s
exhibitions and programs quickly outgrew the space and Young At Art moved to a
new expanded location in Davie in 1998.
To carry out the mission of Young At Art, “One child at a
time,” Shrago formed collaborations with major corporations such as Target,
IKEA, Coventry Health Care of Florida and PNC to create community outreach
programs such as Target First Fridays, ArtSTART on the Go and Alice’s Wonderscapes.
Under Shrago’s direction, Young At Art also conducts an arts-based program for
at-risk girls in conjunction with PACE Center for Girls and ArtREACH, an
after-school program dedicated to bringing the arts to children living in homeless
family shelters.
“Building on 22 years of creative educational experiences
and having served more than1.5 million children during that time, Young At Art
has mounted its most important exhibition to date, which is the opening of our
fantastic new building,” said Shrago. “By inspiring families to experience art
together in meaningful ways, we are developing a new generation of tomorrow’s
patrons, advocates and supporters of arts-based education.”
Projected to serve more than 500,000 children and families
during its first year, the new Young At Art Museum will be a unique community
gathering place and a groundbreaking model that bridges the gap between
adult-oriented art museums and those specifically designed to appeal to
children.
“The opening of our permanent home is testament to the
steadfast support of our community, governmental and corporate partners who
understand the importance of art and creative thinking and the positive impact
it has on our children and families,” said Shrago.
The Museum, which is under consideration for Gold
LEED-certification status by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), was
designed by architect Margi Glavovic Nothard of Glavovic Studio, Fort
Lauderdale. The new Museum integrates beauty, function and energy efficiency
with cantilevered walls, natural woods, maximum use of natural lighting
throughout the facility, a cistern for collecting rainwater, water-efficient
landscaping and preferred parking for hybrid vehicles. The building itself
exemplifies Young At Art’s mission of providing inspiring, interactive
experiences in which art is central to shaping young minds and enriching the
community, as well as a commitment to conservation and recycling. It is both a
work of art and a teaching tool, incorporating the latest
environmental-conscious technologies.
“There are so many environmental qualities that are an
aesthetic expression of the building,” said Glavovic Nothard. “As we get ready
to open, what strikes me the most about the new Young at Art Museum and the Broward
County Library is a sense of the universal. Young At Art embraces everyone,
yet, evokes a poetic sense of belonging and a provocative point of view.”
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