By Harriet Monzon-Aguirre
A Day at The Dalí with Young Ones
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The day before school started I thought, what shall I do with the kids?
Spoilt for choice really. Do we go to a park or playground, wildlife center or butterfly garden? My answer – “Let’s go on another trip to a museum.”
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Most of the art museums my young ones and I haven’t seen before were closed on Monday, so we planned a trip to The Dalí Museum and being the art mecca that this museum is, one should plan accordingly.
Firstly we scheduled a time slot to visit and purchased tickets ahead of time. I purposefully chose an earlier time of the day between morning snack and lunch so I wouldn’t have fussy companions.
After parking, we headed over to the entrance. I purposefully left the stroller in the car because even though the museum allows push strollers, it is a bit stressful navigating spaces and worrying about bumping into or blocking people. Thomas the toddler had to be held by hand or hoisted on my hip, and our backpack had to be locked in storage. My advice to parents or caregivers that visit – make sure to pack a smaller backup bag for essentials.
We slowly hiked up the helix stairways at Thomas’ pace and reached the main exhibition site. I was more prepared this time by having sketchbooks for the older of my young ones.
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Madeline immediately walked over to The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, sat down and started sketching.
I tried to explain to William the double-image within Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea which at Twenty Meters Becomes the Portrait of Abraham Lincoln-Homage to Rothko (Second Version).
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We paused to admire the details then interestingly enough, Madeline found the Root Contemplation Area which I had never seen before, on the second floor off to one side of the permanent collection. The kids sat down and sketched some more.
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After reflecting we went downstairs and spent some time in the first floor Education Room. Crayons, paper punchers, wire moustaches – the kids enjoyed this area immensely. Madeline was very proud of her creations and the ability to add them to the hanging collection.
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From there we entered a theatre and sat in front row seats as we watched a video which clarified for William the double-image. “I see it, I see it!” he exclaimed quite loudly. “Wonderful,” I whispered. “Remember others are trying to watch.” We exited the room a bit early so as not to disturb others and headed for the Avant-Garden.
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This was my trio’s favorite part by far. They hatched out of an egg, climbed luscious lips, and added wristbands to the Wishing Tree. William even remembered the spiral on the paving stones showing the Fibonacci sequence from our visit four years ago, and we ended our day with a final reading about The Golden Ratio.
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Did the visit really take the whole day? Well we were there for only an hour and a half – but as I imagine Salvador Dalí would have wanted it, time is fluid.
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Find details to help plan family visits,
information for nursing mothers
and a guide for families with special
needs at thedali.org/visit/accessibility
Families can also find
videos for young art lovers,
plus at-home arts activities
Photos by Harriet Monzon-Aguirre
Originally published at bahia-studios.com
