Activities for Kids

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

From graffiti art to Italian Futurism, these seven new kid-friendly exhibits will leave you pumped and ready for the springtime.

By Alice Perry March 5, 2014

If the gray winter slush and sludge have left you saying, “Ewww,” every time you go outside, fear not. A surefire way to inject some color and fun back into your family’s life is to check out one of the many new kid-friendly museum exhibits around the city. From graffiti art to Italian Futurism, these seven exhibits will leave you pumped and ready for the springtime.

“Italian Futurism” at the Guggenheim Museum

The Art: They were young and loved new things. And they were disruptive. Sounds a bit like our kids, but that’s a description of the Italian Futurists a century ago. “Italian Futurism,1909–1944: Reconstructing the Universe,” a major retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum, explores all the movement’s different stages from young optimism to self-righteous fascism.

Fun for Kids: The Futurists were full of optimism, and the paintings’ vibrant colors prove it. The blood orange reds and inky midnight blues jump off the canvas and will visually stimulate the most bored kid. Even if your kids don’t dig the art, the Guggenheim’s never-ending ramp will still wow ’em.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

1071 Fifth Ave., Upper East Side

Phone: 212-423-3500

Expedition Dates: Now to Sept. 1, 2014

Hours: Sun.-Wed. & Fri., 10 a.m.-5:45 p.m.; closed Thurs.; Sat., 10 a.m.-7:45 p.m.

Cost: $22/adult; free for children under 16. Pay what you wish on Sat., 5:45-7:45 pm.

Image courtesy of Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, photo by Luca Carrà