I guess it is pretty unusual that all "the lovely ladies of Lillunia" were born and raised in NYC ("natives" as they say). With all of the difficulties associated with raising a family in the city, there are some extraordinary benefits; benefits that we are all certain we feel and experience to this day.
One of the amazing gifts of the city has been a life-long immersion in and engagement with art. The exposure and resources were staples of our childhoods and, although our individual experiences may have been different, the art in each of our lives had profound effects on who we are, what we care about and what we do with our lives.
Anyone who has experience with children and art (both viewing/experiencing and making their own art) is aware of the transformative effects upon them.
Children have wide-open, unspoiled imaginations...just ready for a spark. They learn so fast and furiously, that when they are given the chance to look at, process and make their own sense of images and sculpture and installations- the sky is truly the limit. It is a beautiful process to watch.
We feel so fortunate to have had such broad exposure to art when we were children and we feel this gives us special insight as adults; we understand the wide and magnificent world we present to our children when we expose them to art.
You don't have to live in NYC or a city at all to do this for your kids. With all of the digital resources and the library, we have so many ways to introduce art into the lives of the little.
Don't be afraid to show your little ones "sophisticated" images: even if you feel challenged by the "meaning"- let them engage in whatever way they do. I will never forget my then, 3-yr old niece at MOMA in NY viewing a Jackson Pollack- her words "I did that"...priceless!
*Picture 2 of the Ladies of Lillunia as kids in NYC- Lillunia founders Eve Gianni Corio and Laura L.M. Hill (1980s)
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