What to expect from the Costume Adventure exhibition at Louvre Abu Dhabi's Children's Museum

It allows young visitors to explore the history of clothing in art through interactive play

Children get to the opportunity to dress up in costumes from different regions and across the ages. Courtesy Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi
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Louvre Abu Dhabi has opened a new exhibition at its Children's Museum that aims to deliver little visitors a mix of education and entertainment.

The new experience is called A Costume Adventure, and the space has been completely revamped from the last exhibition, but continues to use "discovery through play" that is highly focused on interactive multimedia and sensory tools.

Inspired by the clothing portrayed in artworks from the museum’s permanent galleries, this "costume adventure" invites children to think about the wardrobes and accessories of prominent figures from the past, and what they could mean, and is set through six integrated stages.

The experience starts with the little visitor creating an avatar that will then continue on with them on a journey through interactive multimedia displays.

As the children go from one station to the other, they are asked to answer questions and solve puzzles in relation to the figures represented in the artworks, and they will learn more about costumes from places such as Japan, China, France, Greece and the MENA region in the process.

The children continue their adventure from the ground floor to the first floor - in what used to be the workshop area at the Children's Museum - to find replicas of the costumes they have been learning about, in sizes small enough for the children to try on.

The Children's Museum new exhibition was officially opened in the presence of Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development and Jameela Al Muhairi, Minister of State for Public Education, along with senior officials from Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi and Louvre Abu Dhabi. Courtesy WAM
The Children's Museum new exhibition was officially opened in the presence of Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development and Jameela Al Muhairi, Minister of State for Public Education, along with senior officials from Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi and Louvre Abu Dhabi. Courtesy WAM

The exhibition was officially opened on Tuesday in the presence of the Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development Noura Al Kaabi, the Minister of State for Public Education Jameela Al Muhairi, the Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, and the Undersecretary of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi Saif Ghobash, as well as Louvre Abu Dhabi Director Manual Rabate, among senior officials from the museum.

“Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Children’s Museum is a prime example of our efforts to engage and inspire young minds through fostering creativity, critical thinking and a deeper understanding of the world around them," said Al Mubarak in a statement.

The museum has introduced a reading area for children as well. Courtesy Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
The museum has introduced a reading area for children as well. Courtesy Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi

"Museums for children do exist as part of the programming of some international institutions or as standalone spaces, but what is special about ours is that Louvre Abu Dhabi offers the opportunity to engage with real objects rather than replicas," said Ghobash. "With such programming, Louvre Abu Dhabi is building an art educational ecosystem, with innovation and education at its heart," he added.

Catherine Monlouis-Felicite, Education and Cultural Engagement Director at Louvre Abu Dhabi, told The National that the museum is working on engaging families with children in the UAE, as well as, schools.

"What we want for sure is to engage people to come again, not to come once," she says. "We can also engage schools... it's a way to make an additional experience when you come with your class."

Most recently, the museum has introduced family weekends, and on the last weekend of every month families are invited to come in to learn about a specific theme within the galleries.

The newly renovated Children's Museum now offers a Toddlers’ Space, for children three years old and younger, and a reading area with books to read or colour, to keep little ones entertained.

A Costume Adventure is open until May 2020. Entrance to the Children’s Museum is free with the museum’s admission ticket (AED 63). Children under the age of 13 enter for free. For more information, visit www.louvreabudhabi.ae