At the KMSKA you can experiment, search and draw. You don't have to just sit there silently looking at even more silent works of art. Ideal for an outing with children! Moreover, there is a suitable activity for every child. Whether your child is full of beans or, on the contrary, likes being quiet. We have compiled a list.
1. The jumping jack
The KMSKA is chock-a-block with impressive works of art. Beautiful to look at, but what if your child cannot sit still for two minutes? Artist Christophe Coppens has designed ten objects based on details from as many works of art. You will find them in ten museum galleries spread throughout the museum. First mission: find the ten objects. The sculptures are small and large, they hang on the wall or just stand in the room. Some you can cuddle, others you can clamber over or hide in. The search for the objects takes you through the entire museum, a true stroll. The search comes with a booklet with extra assignments and illustrations by Christophe Coppens himself. For drawing or dancing.
The ten is conceived for children aged 6 to 12 and is free. You can pick up the assignment booklet and colouring pencils at the reception desk.
2. Always creative
More than 600 works of art are on display at the KMSKA. Great! But what if seeing all those splashes of paint makes your child want to get started on his or her own? For artistic itches of all kinds, we have some remedies. On Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, you can drop in at the Open Studio. There, museum guides explore colour and form, for example. How? By providing your child with paper and (reproductions) of artworks to transform into collages. The activities vary and, above all, you can join in with the kids! Everyone is creative and prior knowledge is not required.
Drawing is another option for slightly older children. We have developed assignments with different degrees of difficulty under the heading #kmskadraws. Drawing makes you look closer and see more. Discover how artists throughout the ages have dealt with shapes, lines and depth. The assignments are also on the website, so you can continue sketching or complete them at home.
Does your child prefer walking around the museum with a smartphone or camera? Search together for the nicest photo spots. You can also combine! Your child can draw, paint or turn a photo into a collage.
In the accompanying booklet of The Ten by Christophe Coppens, you will also find all kinds of creative assignments.
The Open Studio is open on Thursdays between 6pm and 8pm, on Saturdays from 10am to 12pm and on Sundays from 2pm to 4pm. For KMSKA Draws! you will find clipboards with paper and pencils at a KMSKA Draws! distribution point.
The Open Studio and KMSKA Draws! are free and no reservation required, subject to an admission ticket.
3. Need for rest
A walk through the KMSKA runs for about 2 km. Good for the physical condition, especially if it involves climbing our Stairway to Heaven of 103 steps. But what if your darling is less sporty and craves a moment's rest now and then? In the Open Studio, you don't necessarily have to do crafts. We have created a separate area where you can just hang out. To browse through inspiring books or play a game. Or dream away undisturbed.
You can also do so in our immersive space near the Open Studio. Here you can settle down and immerse yourself in four KMSKA artworks. Subtle movements ripple through the projection. Devilish dragons appear and wheat stalks grow. Totally relaxed? Then be sure to explore the real works together. Tip: they are all located on the same floor as the immersive room.
You might also pass by the VR space. We had a classical studio of an artist from the 17th century virtually recreated. Is that bustling studio a bit too crowded after all? Then cross the Rubens Gallery to the Prayer Gallery (2.21). Settle down together in front of the small works of art and marvel at all the incredible details in this intimate museum gallery. Of course, you can also do so sitting on any of the couches we have placed throughout the museum, whether or not near our most important works of art.
Extra tip: on Wednesday afternoons the museum is usually rather quiet. The ideal time to visit if your child gets overstimulated easily.
4. The jester
The KMSKA is full of artworks that are important in art history for one reason or another. But what if your child is weary of so much seriousness? No problem! Many artworks were created by artists with a sense of humour. In Gallery Image (2.7), you will find Festival of Archers, a large painting teeming with people. Funny scenes aplenty, but none as hilarious as the bird in the centre of the painting aiming a jet of droppings into a jester's eye.
You will often find more of these visual jokes in packed paintings bulging with characters. Or downright strange characters. Sometimes the joke is in a person's facial expression. Decide together why the figure is looking this way.
Christophe Coppens also has something up his sleeve. He actually made a bottom - pink, round and cuddly. Prominent enough to make you chuckle.
The more you look for visual and other jokes, the more you will find. Together, create your own treasure hunt for strange creatures, weird babies, crazy mugs and objects that don't seem to belong in the painting.
5. Disney in the museum
No, we do not show Disney films and there are no singing princesses strolling through the halls. We do, however, have a Salvador Dalì artwork on loan from Museum Boijmans van Beuningen for five years. This Spanish painter worked on storyboards for the Disney film Destino between 1945 and 1946. The production was never completed due to financial problems at the studio. In 1999, Roy E. Disney had the short film completed as yet. So what does this have to do with a loan at the KMSKA? The film is constructed around the bell woman on Landscape with a Girl Skipping Rope. You can watch the film on Disney+ and YouTube. Destino offers an extra layer to an enigmatic painting full of mini-stories.