Our Inspirations

We Don’t Do Cute

We don't do "cute" at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. We believe that children appreciate and respond to good design and art the way adults do…they're more likely to be comfortable, more likely to be inspired and more likely to learn in spaces filled with natural light, materials and color. The feel and look of a space sets the stage for the type of learning that occurs. By choosing design architects (Koning and Eizenberg), who innately understood our program, and by integrating art by emerging artists throughout the building, we continue to challenge the way our visitors look at and think about the world. And that's core to our mission of inspiring joy, creativity and curiosity.

 So we don't do cute. We will do silly. And we're OK with that.

Blogger: Jane Werner, Executive Director

What Inspires Us?

Children really inspire us – their openness, curiosity and desire to understand and explore the world and how it works. Art and science intrigue us too. It's pretty interesting to think about how artists and scientists also question how the world works and try to answer those questions, oftentimes through the playful manipulation of materials. The intersection of children, art and science is truly exciting!

We've embraced the concept of “Play with Real Stuff” at the Museum because hands and minds and the connection between the two is pretty fascinating. Kids want to know what adults do in the real world so we have real materials and tools such as hammers, saws and nails, paint, silkscreens, an intaglio press, a theater and lots of water, sand, mud and worms and outdoor space. Performers, artists, scientists and craftspeople and the work they do are all showcased. Children are asked to create and solve problems with real materials.  It is so satisfying to see the joy on their faces when they do. It’s nice to see the wonder on adults' faces once in a while too!

There are a couple of quotes that capture how we feel about children and the Museum's role in their lives.  Pablo Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” And two things Albert Einstein said that really resonated with us through the years are, “Experience is learning. Everything else is information” and “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

Blogger: Lois Winslow, Director of Education