Based on the Kim article, accessibility and safety are key features of an effective community-based youth environment. We are currently looking at consulting on the future designs of the "Art Loft" at the Children's Discovery Museum. While this is certainly in a safe place inside the museum, accessibility still seems to be an issue. Currently the museum only has enough staff to have the art loft open until 1pm. Also, they only open the doors every 15 minutes to let people in so they don't have to keep repeating the lesson. I forsee this being an interesting challenge as we try to meet the needs of the museum while still allowing the children to feel like they have enough access to this space to learn about, experience, and create visual art.
Another thing that should be an interesting challenge is the idea from Packer and Ballantyne of creating a space that is conducive for both individual learning and group/social learning. Many students (and adults) come in to the discovery as part of a school group and are predisposed to learn about art in a group setting with people they know. Some children, however, may be there with a parent..or even without a chaperone if their parents feel comfortable leaving them in the hands of the art loft staff. How can a relatively small space provide opportunities for people to learn both individually and as part of a group?
Dan You've highlighted some good challenges about how logistics and organizational constraints can impact space. I'd encourage you to think about he context around the space as one avenue for meeting some of those challenges. For example, what is happening right outside the loft door? are there ways to engage people in that space while they are waiting for the art loft without disrupting the other activities there? It might be no, but it might be yes, maybe a treasure hunt type thing to find art in other parts of the museum? You could figure out a way to leverage existing space. Maybe the individual/group tensions that you bring up could be addresses asynchronously somehow. Stop by this space on your way out of the museum or something like that. I'm looking forward to your project.
HalGood thoughts on thinking about the space directly outside of the loft door. I think that may be one of the problems right there: the space is awkward. The art loft sits at the entrance to the second floor. It's removed from the rest of the hubbub down below which is good, but there's no waiting area outside. Instead, there are big windows that show what's going on inside and a locked door with mediocre signage telling access means on it.
That is, there ARE no other activities outside the art loft door. Not too much traffic either, if I recall correctly. There are a few other spots up in this area to access, one for small children and a make believe diner + some other exhibit that involved a zoetrope. There is that chunk out of the wall on the other side but, overall, it seems likely that someone would walk up the stairs, see the door is closed, go somewhere else and not come back.
I guess you could have buzzers like they have at chain restaurants that go off whenever the doors are about to open. Kids would get a kick out of that. Or you could just have stations elsewhere in the museum that light up / buzz / etc whenever the intervals are happening. Maybe arrows that point the way up there, stations that engage learners in thinking about art and direct them to the space/time locations of the loft opening?