Art Experience
Artistry Reigns at the spot!
The Art Experience Spot was the Museum's first exhibit, debuting in March 2010 with its first theme: Recycle-Upcycle Art. Today, the Art Experience continues to honor the Museum's core belief in environmental stewardship and green initiatives with upcycled materials, but with even more to offer to kids and families. With a combination of local artists and unique activities, the museum provides opportunities to children to be creative and use their personal talents.
Purposes of the Art Experience
The Art Experience provides young children with a wide variety of opportunities to enhance and build their skills and knowledge across all five domains of development. Through art, children experience many ways to see and interpret the world from multiple perspectives.
- ATTRACT young children to participate in art-based activities
- PROVIDE child-directed art materials/play, demonstrations & situations
- ENGAGE parents in their children’s natural creativeness
- RADIATE a happening kind of place (for kids, parents, staff & artists)
- GENERATE interest in CMA’s vision, potential and fun
- CONNECT to other realms of CMA (both at the mall & what is next)
- SEND kids home wanting to come back soon!
Approaches to Learning:
Through art, children experience many ways to see and interpret the world from multiple perspectives. Through art play children develop their curiosity, creativity, independence, cooperation and persistence which are some of the approaches that enhance learning and development. Through art children learn that problems have more than one solution and that questions can have more than one answer. Children learn to make good judgments about qualitative relationships. Arts are not about the correct answers or following rules, it is judgment that prevails.
Fine/Gross Motor Skills:
Through art exploration and experimentation, fine and gross motor skills are enhanced and children refine and expand their control over their bodies. Eye-hand coordination, fine motor precision and dexterity are improved through engaging in art activities.
Social/Emotional Skills:
Children learn about themselves and others through art activities. They discover their uniqueness and express their feelings and ideas through art play. Art allows the child to grow in confidence and express joy and pride about themselves.
Cognitive Skills:
Art play assists children in distinguishing shapes, patterns, colors and numbers which is essential for math development. Through art exploration and experimentation, children learn to problem solve, create and take risks which will help them with academic learning throughout life.
Language Skills:
Through art play children use their words to interact with others and describe what they see and do. They learn new words and concepts which stimulate language and verbal thinking skills.

Arist's rendering - The "Art Experience Spot": All Rights Reserved. Used with permission from Lexington Fabrication + Design
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