To provide children and teenagers with an opportunity to immerse themselves in the sensual world of art, develop an understanding for art and experiment with colors, shapes and different materials, the Schering Stiftung each year sponsors the “Bunter Jakob” studio program, which is organized by the Verein Jugend im Museum in cooperation with the Berlinische Galerie.

Based on the notion that children and teenagers are explorers and discoverers, collectors and craftspeople, the young participants of the studio project are introduced to art both through viewing works of art and through becoming familiar with a variety of artistic techniques. The goal is to find answers to the recurring questions – “What is art?,” “What can art do?,” or “Why and how do works of art end up in museums?”

In small groups, children and teenagers join artists to explore the world of art during an exhibition visit or a behind-the-scenes visit to a museum. The focus is as much on the 20th-century art collection of the Berlinische Galerie as on current trends in Berlin’s vibrant art scene. The children and teenagers then translate their visual and other sensory impressions from their museum visits into their own works of art in the studio. Also under the supervision and guidance of professional artists, they draw, print, paint, make collages, take pictures or make films.

With support from the Schering Stiftung, the “Bunter Jakob” studio of the Verein Jugend im Museum has become an integral part of children’s and teenagers’ cultural education in Berlin. The program appeals in particular to children and young people from socially disadvantaged families or from a migration background. With “Artists Explain Art,” a special approach in art education has been established, which is further developed in close cooperation with the Berlinische Galerie.

Photos:
Picture of the introduction: Jochen Wermann
Picture above: Monika Baecker
Picture below: Anke Fischer