New Museum for Young Children Opens in Sderot
Translated & summarized from Davar by baba
A new interactive art museum for young children and their parents, "My First Museum," has opened in Sderot. The museum encourages children to touch and play with exhibits to make art accessible and foster parent-child bonding. This is the third such museum initiated by "Shlomit Etzba," with the Sderot location integrated into a community center to become part of daily life. The current exhibition "Line. Stain. Shape" features interactive art designed for hands-on engagement.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- A new interactive art museum for young children, "My First Museum," has opened in Sderot.
- The museum encourages children to touch, climb, and play with exhibits.
- The Sderot location is integrated into a community center to make art part of daily life.
- The current exhibition is "Line. Stain. Shape," designed for hands-on engagement.
- The project aims to make art accessible and foster parent-child bonding.
A new museum designed for preschoolers and their parents, "My First Museum," has opened in Sderot, Israel. The museum aims to make art accessible to very young children and foster shared experiences between parents and kids. Unlike traditional museums, "My First Museum" encourages interaction, allowing children to touch, climb, and play with the exhibits.
Ofri Omer, content manager at "Shlomit Etzba," the company that initiated the national project, stated, "The goal is for the museum to be a gateway for children into the world of art." The Sderot location is the third such museum, following openings in Ramat Gan and Petah Tikva. This new branch operates within a community center, integrating art into the daily life of the city rather than being a separate destination.
The current exhibition, "Line. Stain. Shape," features specially created artworks that introduce basic art concepts. Children are invited to actively engage with the pieces, transforming them from passive viewing into an interactive experience. While some exhibits, like Elian (Lola) Katchka's "Magic Forest," show signs of wear from this hands-on approach, Omer views it as an acceptable consequence of the museum's philosophy.
Other interactive exhibits include Noam Bar's "Hello... Hello," which explores sound transmission through tubes, encouraging parent-child collaboration. The museum intentionally minimizes screen use, focusing instead on tactile, movement-based, and auditory experiences. A workshop room offers an "open studio" for creative activities related to the exhibits.
The project is accompanied by the Center for Child Development at Ben-Gurion University, emphasizing art and play as tools for emotional development and strengthening family bonds. The museum's vision is to make encountering art a regular part of daily life, with plans for future collaborations with local artists and the addition of outdoor interactive sculptures.