| Issue #46, February 23, 2007 |
art commentary
With Marion Wolberg Weiss
ARTS IN EDUCATION
Part IV: Children’s Museum of the East End
It’s a gray February day in the Hamptons, one of those days when you’re not sure if it will rain or snow. And besides, who cares? Our energy is lagging, our spirits are low, we wish we were someplace else.
Then something changes it all: a trip to the Children’s Museum of the East End (CMEE). From the moment we catch a glimpse of the modern-styled building, recalling a contemporary castle in our imagination, and see the yellow swirl of paint on a path leading to the entrance, we know we are entering Oz. In effect, we are following the “yellow brick road.”
Once inside, there really is an Oz, but not the one from the movie we all know and love. Rather, there’s a temporary exhibit. “Blast Off,” which includes not only magical stars and planets painted on the wall and hanging from the ceiling, but a miniature control room resembling a spaceship. Fantasy vs. technology is a world unique to CMEE.
And so is the world created by the permanent exhibit, “Main Street, USA,” with its whimsical signs of yesteryear alongside its technically savvy potato chip maker.
Yet we’re constantly reminded of the similarity that this Oz shares with the one from the Judy Garland film, namely the quality of discovery. Simply put, it’s not only an adult visitor’s discovery that defines the CMEE experience, nor the varied discoveries made by the children who interact with exhibits and take art classes, but also the discoveries that compel CMEE’s Director, Adrienne Kitaeff.
On this particular gray winter day, it was Ms. Kitaeff herself who got the biggest kick of all from the brisk activity, from the kids who were enjoying the museum space to the parents who were creating art works with their children to the staff who were scurrying here and there.
If truth were told, Ms. Kitaeff seemed joyfully immersed in a myriad of sights and sounds, always looking, listening, and sensing her surroundings. Always alert to discover something new.
We can understand Ms. Kitaeff’s preoccupations and commitment. After all, it’s been since 2000 that Ms. Kitaeff has been involved with CMEE, first as a volunteer while still the Director of Development and Marketing at Guild Hall, and then as an active CMEE staff member. It’s been a long journey in the subsequent years, years that were often difficult.
During this time, Ms. Kitaeff had firm ideas and beliefs about how things should progress. She explains: “First, I really believed in this spot where CMEE is now: centrally located, in the woods with wildlife all around. But it took a while to get the ground cleared which was in December 2003. Second, I believed that the project should be organized like a movie production with an executive producer and so forth. Everything is a production. Everything is in the details.
“And, of course, everything is about celebrating the community: the kids of the community, the community itself, and the world.”
Ms. Kitaeff had a few unconventional ideas up her sleeve as well. “I believe in paying people who work for CMEE. No unpaid volunteers here. People who work should be respected.”
Speaking of money, CMEE still has a mortgage, and each new exhibit is expensive to mount. That’s why Ms. Kitaeff and her staff always welcome donations as other non-profit organizations would. And they always welcome children who cannot afford to take art classes or attend special activities. “No child is ever turned away,” Ms. Kitaeff is quick to say.
“Everyone is the same here,” she adds, with heartfelt sincerity. “CMEE is neutral ground. Children come into the world without prejudice; we try and keep it that way.”
The Children’s Museum of the East End really is Oz after all.
Call CMEE at 631- 537-8250 for more information.
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