The first KinderKunstBiennale of Amsterdam (KinderKunst = Children’s Art) has been officially opened. It has become a beautiful, playful, interesting, serious exhibition with art works made by children of at their schools, under the guidance of inspiring artist teachers who work with De Rode Loper op School, an agency for art education.

In the middle of one of the thematic rooms, the ‘Wonderkamer’ (Wonder room), is the ‘MIni Museum’, created by the youngest children of SBO Het Spectrum Amsterdam (a primary school for children who need extra attention), during my art classes.

MINIMUSEUM
ART TREASURES FROM NATURE (from the book about the exhibition)

Showing off beautiful things is timeless. But building a cabinet of curiosities, as scientists, kings, and rich people used to do, hardly happens anymore. That makes this mini-museum even more wonderful.

This cabinet of curiosities is a real treasure trove of interesting things found in nature and in the city. Collecting curiosities is what people have been doing since their existence. Every child loves to search for shells on the beach, to find a shiny stone.

This also goes for the youngest groups from special education who made this cabinet. They searched for things, talked about them and then put them in boxes and jars. The art teacher recorded the whole process. Every jar, every box is a mini museum. A nice lesson: one can turn ordinary things into something very special.