Pedagogical Museum for Children's Art

"The Museum Through the Window" is an initiative organized by the Pedagogical Museum of Children's Art (MuPAI) at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Complutense University of Madrid, dedicated to the study of art in childhood (made by children). This project was made with the aim of improving the quality of life for children and teenagers through a series of artistic proposals to be carried out at home, serving as both the conceptual and physical starting point. The activities were mediated remotely by the museum's team of educators during the months of May, June, and July 2020, in response to the (de)confinement situation due to COVID-19.
The main objective of this study has been to evaluate the capacity of contemporary artistic practices as a tool to promote the well-being of children and young people at home. Likewise, the development and design of this educational program have allowed us to analyze the possibilities and implications of adapting our pedagogical proposals to the context of distance art education.
The methodology used for the research is identified as analytical-synthetic, carefully studying each practice carried out and finally examining its different processes holistically. This methodology consisted of designing artistic and educational proposals based on the work of contemporary artists (e.g., Guerrilla Girls, Colektivof, Los Torreznos, etc.) that could be developed in the participants’ homes, becoming their experimental space.
The activities took place through weekly one-hour meetings, where the educators introduced the participants to the work of the artists through the visualization of explanatory videos, proposing specific challenges to be developed. Thanks to remote support, certain specific activities were carried out, while the rest of the proposals were autonomously developed in their homes. In the following meetings, the results and conclusions were shared in order to weave a network of knowledge through shared artistic experiences.
Through observations of the educators, the results of proposals, and evaluations provided by the participants, it is noteworthy that the implementation of these activities in homes had a positive effect on the well-being of the participants, demonstrating great enjoyment and enthusiasm.
After reviewing the various adaptations made during the process, we can conclude that the parameters of redesign, support, guidance, and assistance have been fundamental both for the formalization and the development of the activities. These aspects were embodied in the figure of the mediators, who were completely essential for the execution of the proposals. Together with the participation of families, a context of intergenerational, plural, and enriching exchange and care was established for all parties. Undoubtedly, this project has opened the possibility of a future line of research on the possibilities of these proposals in the field of non-formal education.