There’s a book about Miffy – the little white rabbit created by Dutch author Dick Bruna – going to a gallery that I can recite by heart. A fellow art critic friend posted it to my son soon after he was born; back then its pages were pristine, now they’re crumpled and torn. Another Miffy book on our shelves (the bunny’s a firm favourite) follows her as she makes half a dozen pictures at home, and, at the end of the day, puts them up on the wall. “That looks wonderful, Miffy,” says Mother Bunny. “It’s your very own gallery.” Her very own gallery in her very own home.
We’ve been to museums and sculpture parks across the country. We’ve braved family drop-ins and an underground gallery dedicated to digital art. We’re lucky – so very lucky – that there’s great art on offer out there. But what about those days when it’s just easier to stay home? Days when it’s raining or the trains are cancelled or your child is refusing to put on their socks and shoes. Can we introduce small children to art without the faff of packing a changing bag, planning snacks and nap times and hopping in the car or on the tube?
