Cincinnati Art Museum

The Cincinnati Art Museum recently started offering early hours on certain days for families who have members with developmental disabilities.  Today, we were able to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity for the first time.  We were lucky enough to have Ms. Brooke in tow, so each child had one on one supervision and we could tailor the visit to different needs and preferences. Ella and I split off for our own explorations and we had such a great time.

There were play/sensory/learning stations throughout the exhibits and here's one that was of interest to Ella.  She created her own piece of art in front of the original.

While working on it, Ella started a rather informed conversation with the docent to which I listened in amazement.

Ella: Do you have any Alexander Calders here?
Docent: Yes, we have one mobile on the ceiling in front of the cafe.
Ella: Good, I want to go see that.
Docent: Did you know that Calder made...
Ella: ... a mobile every day?  Yes, I knew that.  Ms. Carroll taught us that.
Docent: And did you know that he wore...
Ella: ... a red shirt every day?  Sure, I know that.
Docent: Did you build a mobile at school?
Ella: Yes, we used wire.
Docent: Well, you will enjoy the mobile downstairs then.  It's called 20 Leaves and an Apple. It was originally at a hotel here in Cincinnati. (I looked it up later and it's fascinating to read about the Terrace Plaza Hotel.)

Our last stop at the museum was the Calder mobile.

Thank you, Cincinnati Art Museum, for giving our family the opportunity to experience your collection in a quiet, sensory-friendly, and inclusive manner.