Do you think of a museum as a serious place where visitors look at artworks in silence? Are you hesitant to take your kids to an art museum, afraid that they may find it boring? Throw that view out of the window! The Museum Dice Game turns every visit to an (art) museum into a new adventure. A box full of fun for all ages.
[caption id="attachment_12007" align="aligncenter" width="1359"]
Family playing the Museum Dice Game in the Kröller-Müller Museum[/caption]
Join the investigation! – You are hungry. Can you find something to eat in this room? “I would eat at this table. Look at all the fruit.”
Roll yourself through the museum
Every weekend it’s a joy to watch the families in our galleries. With a small box in their hands, they walk through the museum, taking turns in throwing the dice. In the first room they fantasize about a painting coming to life. In another room they discuss which painting has the nicest frame. And sometimes a brave child also dares to ask the security guard about his favorite artwork. Once they have started searching for tiny details in artworks it’s hard to put the game aside. There is so much to discover! [caption id="attachment_12009" align="aligncenter" width="1359"]
Children posing with Barbara Hepworth's Dual form, 1965 in the sculpture garden of the Kröller-Müller Museum[/caption]
Are you in? – Choose someone to stand beside a work of art. Think of a pose for this person that fits with the work. “Look it’s a butterfly!”
Roll the dice!
Playing the game is simple. You have a small box containing a game card with questions and a dice. Choose a room where paintings or sculptures are displayed. Roll the dice in the box and choose a question on the game card corresponding with the image on the dice. Then, let the fun begin! [caption id="attachment_12016" align="aligncenter" width="1600"]
Left: group of kids playing the Museum Dice Game. Right: the box and dice. Photography by Wieneke Hofland.[/caption]
Playing the game around the world
The fun does not end when you leave our museum. This game can be played in all art museums around the world. You can play it with your friends, family or partner, and discover more about artworks (and each other). This little box has become a true friend, joining me and my friends on every museum visit. The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, the National Gallery in London, the Louisiana Museum in Denmark and many others. You can use the game at the start of your museum visit, or to boost the experience when you encounter a room with artworks you are less interested in. [caption id="attachment_12017" align="aligncenter" width="1600"]
Left: playing the Museum Dice Game in the National Gallery, London. Right: Museum Dice Game at the Uffizi Gallery, Florence.[/caption]
New editions
Recently, the game was adopted by other museums in the Netherlands: The TropenMuseum, Afrika Museum and Museum Volkenkunde developed their own set of questions, especially for world culture museums. You can also play this game in the Van Abbemuseum, Bonnefantenmuseum, Kunsthal KAdE, Dordrechts Museum and Concordia Film | Theater | Beeldende kunst.
Do it yourself!
All families who visit the Kröller-Müller Museum receive a free game to play in the museum, and to take home with them for future museum visits. Do you want to order this game to play it in an art museum nearby? Buy one in our webshop for only 3 euros (excl. shipping costs).
Find out more about Kröller-Müller Museum:
[embed]https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/how-to-tackle-art-with-kids-try-some-philosophy/[/embed] https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/reasons-visit-kroller-moller-museum/
