Minnesota Children's Museum is dedicated to supporting and honoring children's creative expression.  Children learn and make sense of their world through play, and creative expression is a critical component in a young child's learning by supporting and enhancing their physical, social-emotional, and cognitive development.  The Museum's daily programs, exhibits, and community partnerships all provide ample opportunity for children and families to engage in self-expression and creative experiences.  As you explore the Museum, notice the children's art work is displayed in prominent and meaningful exhibits throughout the Museum.

Over the past several years, school classes focused on creative expression have become vulnerable.  Art and music classes are often the first to be cut or shortened to make more time for math and language arts classes.  Since 2001-02, and average of nearly 30 minutes of art related instruction per day has been cut to accommodate a shift in educational focus.  (Choices, Changes, and Challenges: Curriculum and Instruction in NCLB Era, Center on Education Policy, Jennifer McMurrer, 2007)

Six years ago, in response to this reduced time spent on arts education in schools, Minnesota Children's Museum developed a community partnership program that sends visual artists into elementary classrooms to engage children in hands-on artistic experiences.  (If funding is not available to hire a local artist, the museum will partner with the school's art teacher to deliver the art program).  After each residency, the entire project is exhibited for at least six months in the Community Gallery in the Our World permanent gallery.  The exhibits highlight the cross-disciplinary nature of the projects, display the children's final art creations as well as writing the science-inquiry that are often important parts of the project.