NGAkids

http://www.nga.gov/kids/lizzy/lizzy.htm

Description

This website uses a very low-fi method to deliver its information in a way that is very compatible to its audience. The purpose of this site is to introduce and explain different sculptures in a way that is comprehensible and engaging to kids. Using simple gif animation, links, and voice over, the site tells a story of two children exploring the gallery. The story goes on with having the older brother going to the gallery to look at sculpture for a homework assignment, accompanying him was her sister, who soon goes on exploring the gallery herself as her mother goes looking for his lost brother. As the story continues, the sister interacts with the sculptures in an imaginative ways. The sculptures can talk back to the wandering sister, giving hints to the story behind the sculptures. Difficult art terms like post-structural and abstract are thrown in to the story, exposing the children to the deeper, maybe harder side of art. An overview of each sculpture is also provided on the site. The whole story behind each sculptures can be found.

Analysis:

This website is very effective in dealing with its target audience - the children. This website understood the need of the children They know that they are too young to understand complicated, abstract ideas. They know that children have short attention span. They know that many children are not a reader yet. All this requirements are considered by the site builder, and we can see each requirements met in a very effective way.

The method that this site chose to fulfill the requirements is through a narrative. They understand that stories are the best way, the most familiar way for a kid to grasp difficult concept. So using a narrative format, children were able to follow the cute main character, Lizzy to visit and appreciate each sculpture. Simple animations were provided to entertain our children who are mostly visual learner, for those who may not be able to read yet, a narrator read out the story for them. In order to go to the next page, the children only have to clink on a link. There is only one link on the page and it is in a different colour, so the children is able to learn and use the interphase very easily. And since everything is so low-fi, this site is easy to maintain, cheap, and accessible to different computers (old or new).

The best thing I like about the website is how it introduce difficult material like high art and low art. This material are causally thrown into the story, if the children missed it, it is fine, but it exposes children to difficult ideas, allowing to appreciate a more complex side of art. By exposing to this kind of information, the children are not limit to what we think they can understand, but what they want to understand. It also teaches kid how to appreciate art in a way that is comprehensible to kids, and that is through imagination. The story was used to guide them in this process.

It is also a nice touch to have an overview for each sculpture that presents the history and story behind it. The children can choose to click to the overview or they can keep on going with the story. This gives a choice to the children to choose to glimpse over some info and go in-depth for others. This is good because we are taking consideration of the learning capability and short attention span, and not forcing information down their throat.

Sample of the overview.


 * [[image:http://www.nga.gov/kids/lizzy/images_homework/hmwrk_puellae.gif]][[image:http://www.nga.gov/kids/lizzy/images_homework/spacer.gif width="20" height="1"]] || [[image:http://www.nga.gov/kids/lizzy/images_homework/hmwrk_tle_puellae.gif width="231" height="56"]] ||
 * Polish sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz was a teenager when the Nazis invaded her country and slaughtered many Poles and Jews. Most of her art comes from her memories of World War II and its aftermath.

Each bronze girl in //Puellae// is cast from a mold made of burlap and is textured and unique. But when they are grouped together in a crowd, the spooky headless girls all start to look the same. That's what Magdalena Abakanowicz intended to show us: when governments are taken over by evil dictators, people become as insignificant as ants. ||