Children in Museum Award 2014: The children’s exhibition and programmes of the National Gallery of Denmark winner of the 2014 CHILDREN IN MUSEUMS AWARD

The third edition of the Award was announced in Bologna in the evening of 26 March 2014. The winner this year is The National Gallery of Denmark (Statens Museum for Kunst). The judges said “We are unanimous in praising the in-depth and high quality presentation, materials and programmes for children, which are unique for an art museum.

Marianne Grymer Bargeman’s thorough work, knowledge, experience and conviction has aroused awareness of children as a museum target group. Children are taken seriously by curators and director, and ideas from the children’s presentation are adapted in the main museum. Complex subjects, well researched, are made accessible to children and offer a unique, surprising and stimulating environment based on the idea of freedom of thought and an original approach. The combination of workshop spaces, exhibition area and drawing room is a unique idea.” The jury also highlighted the way the children’s exhibition connects children and parents to the museum using educational tools, as well as commenting on the importance of documentation of the exhibitions and their evaluation in co-operation with external scholars. www.smk.dk

The Children’s Museum Award was established in 2012 by the European Museum Academy and Hands On! International, for the recognition of excellence in the specific sector of international children’s museums. In 2014 the name of the Award was changed to Children in Museums Award, to reflect the wider range of provision for children in today’s museums. Applications were welcomed from children’s museums and from education, children and youth departments in museums and science centres, both long-established and recently opened.