Ernesto Neto Exhibit at the Park Avenue Armory (Why Do Kids Resist Art?)

Yesterday after the Israeli day parade my husband and I decided that we were going to take the kids to the Ernesto Neto Installation, Anthropodino, at the Park Avenue armory. Since we knew we were going to get resistance we tried to tell them that we were going to an to see an installation with out mentioning that it was an art installation (we tried various ways of describing it with out using the word art) Of course the kids were too smart for this and got us to confess that we were in fact taking them to see art (R, my 9.5 year old is the only one of my kids interested in art so she was actually excited to go).

My 13 year old Z complained that he hated art for 13 blocks but with in minutes after arriving he was exploring the installation. There were pods with spices in them such as cloves, ginger and cinnamon (some low enough for you to smell) that scented the armory. There was also a giant bean bag that you could sit or roll on, a carpet like thing to walk on (with a mini mountain at the end of it), a giant memory foam mat with spice bean bags on it, tunnels to run through and the kids favorite; the ball pit.

The kids had a great time. My son who had been so resistant to this exhibit probably had more fun than anyone else, evidenced by his 3 trips to the ball pit and the photos that he took. J took a great picture of Z with a giant smile on his face which Z secretly deleted lest there was any evidence that he had actually enjoyed art. If you can you should try to take your kids to see this instillation and remember to ignore all protests!