Kevin Druckmann, 5, of Palmetto Bay, jumps through a beaded art frame amid a wall of child producted replications of famous artworks at the new $26 million Young At Art Museum in Davie for children. Hundreds of children and parents flocked to the place Saturday at 751 SW 121st Ave. just off State Road 84 for the long awaited grand opening day. EILEEN SOLER / FOR THE MIAMI HERALD
IF YOU GO
What: Young At Art Museum
Where: 751 SW 121 Ave. Davie, FL 33325
Cost: $13 for adults, $12 for seniors and children, and $11 for Broward County residents.
Information: 954-424-0085 or YoungAtArtMuseum.org.
BY MARIA CAMILA BERNAL
MBERNAL@MIAMIHERALD.COM
MiamiHerald.com
Four-year-old Yasmeen Buchheit could not contain her happiness in front of a four-foot-tall wax cylinder. In her hand was a small utensil she was using to carve and shave designs into the wax.
“This is my favorite thing so far! It looks like a big candle and I’m going to blow it out like in a birthday cake,” said the kindergartner who visited the new location of the Young At Art Museum in Davie, “I want to come back 50 times again!”
The Young At Art Museum first opened in 1989 in Plantation, after Mindy Shrago, artist and CEO of the museum, realized there was no place where children could go to be artistically inspired.
“My mom and I sat down to think about what we could do to help this community broaden the arts and fill the void for the lack of arts in Broward County,” said Shrago. “That’s how we started Young At Art.”
The museum opened at a new location on Saturday, making it their third move.
“This is like Disney World,” said Weston resident Katina Taylor, who brought two of her kids to the museum. “Having indoor activities for the summer when it’s hot is a dream come true for parents.”
The new $26 million facility includes the museum and the Broward County Library at Young At Art, the first Broward County Library location that is exclusively focused on kids.
“We work in cooperation rather than competition,” said library branch manager, Gina Moon.
Broward County purchased the land and leased the space to the Young At Art Museum. The partnership began in 2002 and according to Shrago it was just a natural fit. “It was a win-win partnership to be able to infuse art- and literacy-based learning,” she said.
The library is free but there is an admission fee for the museum, which includes access to its four permanent art galleries designed for children and adults.
“It was a tiny museum before. This one is completely different — it’s hands-on and colorful,” said Virginia Engestrom who brought her 10-year-old son and two neighbors. “The museum is perfect.”
Each of the four galleries has a specific theme including WonderScape — an area dedicated specifically to toddlers and children under 5 that helps them learn through art, literacy and play.
Weston resident Tia Dubuisson loved taking her 2-year-old and a 4-year-old to the early childhood area.
“They have very practical ways of making amazing happen,” Dubuisson said.
The other three galleries include GreenScapes, a gallery that calls attention to environmental issues and incorporates go-green activities; CultureScapes, which incorporates contemporary artists works and is home to Making Waves — an 18-foot structure that allows kids to climb and explore inside the wave-like play area; and ArtScapes, a gallery that takes kids on a fun and educational journey of art history.
The museum is designed for all ages and even older kids enjoy the activities. Mark Halavin lives in Cocoa Beach, but was visiting his family and decided to bring his 13-year-old son to the museum.
“It was very wonderful, all the exhibits were fun and exciting to see,” said Noah Halavin, who is in the sixth grade.
The museum also includes areas for workshops, where fifth-grader Jessica Ortiz was making paper mache.
“I have lots of fun here — the other museum was not as fun as this one,” said Ortiz, 10, from Fort Lauderdale. “The activities here are cool and I can play.”
The galleries in the museum include art from more than 60 artists including Pablo Cano, a Miami-based artist who created a marionette theater, gallery and workshop for the museum.
“It’s not just for kids, it’s for adults and artists. This museum incorporates fine arts,” said Cano who described the museum like a sanctuary for arts and culture.
Approximately 3,000 children and adults visited the museum Saturday. Although Shrago said she feels satisfied and inspired, she said her work is never done, and that she is looking forward to the summer.
“We spent so much time in the planning, that we know we will become a model for other museums and for the generations to come,” said Shrago. “There is so much more around the corner at Young At Art.”
