My daughters were out of town for a week and the one thing I really wanted to do was see the new Modern Wing of the Art Institute (which actually isn't so new anymore). While I was there I also wanted to evaluate whether it is a place I would want to take my children in the near future. I would love to have them exposed to as much art as possible at a young age and the Art Institute is AMAZING but I don't think I will be taking them anytime soon.
First in regards to the Modern Wing it is beautiful and a real contrast to the rest of the museum which is old, dark, marble, and also beautiful in a completely different way. The Modern Wing is open and airy with a cute little courtyard where you can have lunch and awesome views of Millennium Park. One important note, however, is that the Modern Wing does not open until 11:30 whereas the rest of the museum opens at 10:30. I did not know this ahead of time and there really isn't any information indicating what time it opened so when I first got there and everything was on lock down I was not happy. What kind of museum doesn't open until 11:30?! It was worth the wait though. I feel very lucky to have such an amazing museum in our city plus residents get a $2 discount!
On the kid front, kids under 14 are free (awesome!) and they do have family programs and a Family Room, which I didn't go into because I was without kids. However, I feel like you take your kids to the museum to see priceless works of art not play in a kids room. I mean it is great/important to have a place where kids can take a break and where they are welcome and there is programming for them -I think all museums should have rooms like this which makes what they will be seeing accessible to them - but you are all there to also spend time in the museum. (On a side note the family room at the Field Museum is super awesome) Basically what convinced me that I need to wait a few years before taking my kids (maybe when they are 6 and 9?) is watching a mother go through an exhibit with her two kids, who looked to be maybe 2 and 4 years old. Now these kids were perfectly well behaved. Much better than my kids would have been but it still wasn't working. First of all there is museum personnel in every room in the museum (which I totally understand) but these people were tracking the kids like it was a given that they would destroy one of the paintings. Then the one boy started running his hand along the wire rope that keeps people far enough away from the paintings, which was making the museum staff really freak out. Overall the kids didn't seem that into it and she was struggling to keep everyone happy and under control. I could completely picture myself in that scenario and it going even worse with my 2 year old doing some irreparable damage to a Monet painting. When I think about the value of these works of art and the fact that you are only separated from them by a little rope (that could easily be tripped over by a child) I just could not imagine being there with my kids. I would be a nervous wreck the whole time. I did see lots of kids who were 10 and older and it seemed like a much better experience. So I definetly will be waiting a few more years before I go with my kids.
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