This study explores the concept of museum education and exhibitions for
children by looking at the development of art exhibitions and educational programs
in one Children’s Museum. At the center of the research is the Children’s
Museum at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1926 to 1939, that is, from its in
inception to its transformation into the Gallery of Art Interpretation. Following a
period of Progressive Era-reform-with its high emphasis on the welfare of children
and the uplifting of the masses-many American museums increased their
educational offerings for the youth. Reflecting the reform spirit of the time, the
Art Institute of Chicago, like many other museums around the country, in 1926
established a branch dedicated to its youngest visitors, and opened the doors to its
Children’s Museum in 1926.
Focusing on the Children’s Museum of the Art Institute of Chicago in the
period form 1926 to 1940, the years of the Children’s Museum existence, this
study wants to not only explore how children’s exhibitions and educational
programs evolved over tie at that particular institution, but also discover how those
museum offering affected children.