NYC’s Newest Kid-Friendly Art Exhibits: Doll Dioramas, LEGOs & More

“Pawel Althamer: The Neighbors” at New Museum

The Art: Even esteemed artists like to play with dolls. Polish artist Pawel Althamer uses handmade dolls and life-sized mannequin sculptures to express his inner and outer worldview in “The Neighbors” at the New Museum.

Fun for Kids: On the third floor, kids will love the magical quality of Althamer’s dioramas that feature dolls in dreamy or absurd settings: boys fish at an idyllic pond while a miniature version of the artist lives literally out of a suitcase. On the fourth floor, your kids can express their own worldview in Draftsmen’s Congress. Over the course of the exhibit, visitors are allowed to draw and paint on the blank white spaces of the entire floor (including the floor, by the way).

Insider Tip: In the Venetians installation on the second floor, the artist cast the faces of real people in plastic before attaching them to bodies of sinewy plastic ribbons. The overall effect is a bit haunting. Kids may find the sculptures to be either creepy or cool. On First Saturdays for Families, explore how the artist uses portraiture and then make your own self-portraits.

Cost: $16/adult, free for kids. Pay what you wish on Thurs., 7-9 p.m.

Image courtesy of New Museum, photo by Jesse Untracht-Oakner