The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the world’s leading art museums with its main building at Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, wants to make art as accessible as possible to kids and families.
Developed for 7-12 year olds, #MetKids launched in the museum’s website on September 10th with 40 videos and more than 125 featured objects, fun facts, and project ideas drawn from across the Met’s collection and accompanied by kid-friendly prompts.
#MetKids contributors—tweens from all five boroughs of New York City and around the world—helped to shape the content, design, and user experience of the website. The interactive feature will be updated continually with new content and opportunities to participate.
Developed for 7-12 year olds, #MetKids launched in the museum’s website on September 10th with 40 videos and more than 125 featured objects, fun facts, and project ideas drawn from across the Met’s collection and accompanied by kid-friendly prompts.
#MetKids contributors—tweens from all five boroughs of New York City and around the world—helped to shape the content, design, and user experience of the website. The interactive feature will be updated continually with new content and opportunities to participate.
The #MetKids feature is divided into the following three primary navigation channels:
- Explore the Map: The zoomable interactive map invites users to delve into the collection. Clicking on pins leads users to the selected object entries, which are divided into exploratory categories such as Watch, Listen, Discover, Imagine, and Create. Many entries include glossary terms sourced from the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Visual Arts, a guide developed by New York City visual arts educators for grades PreK-12 and included by agreement with the New York City Department of Education, Office of Art and Special Projects.
- Hop in the Time Machine: This customizable search feature allows users to select their areas of interest from 5,000 years of art in the Met’s collection. Objects can be searched based on time period, geography, and Big Ideas—topics of interest resulting from audience research and feedback from the #MetKidsAdvisors.
- Watch Videos:Short videos feature kids as investigative reporters, animators, and producers. There are four subject categories: Q&A, Made by Kids, Create, and Celebrate.
The new #MetKids blog is a companion to the online feature. It includes timely updates and provides an opportunity to highlight selected submissions by kids and their questions for specialists. A #MetKids app is in development with details announced at a later date.
#MetKids is produced by the Metropolitan Museum’s Digital Media Department, with the support and expertise of staff from departments across the Museum, including Education, curatorial and conservation departments, Visitor Services, Registrar, and Design.
