Early Childhood Education in Museums Symposium: Reimagining Museums Through Children’s Participation

May 4 – 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Clyfford Still Museum
May 5 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the University of Colorado Denver School of Education and Human Development

The Early Childhood Education in Museums Symposium: Reimagining Museums Through Children’s Participation is a collaborative program dedicated to advancing museums’ roles as dynamic spaces for young children and their adults. Hosted by the Clyfford Still Museum and co-hosted by the University of Colorado Denver and the Denver Art Museum, this Symposium will explore how centering children’s rights, agency, and creativity can fundamentally transform the daily work within museum spaces. Shaped by current research and practice, the agenda features an international keynote, critical panel discussions, conversation hubs, and case studies. Participants will also have the opportunity for experiential learning through program demonstrations at both the Clyfford Still Museum and the Denver Art Museum, and a tour of “Tell Clyfford I Said ‘Hi,’” An Exhibition Curated by Children of the Colville Confederated Tribes at the Clyfford Still Museum.

Registration is required, and space is limited. Register for both days or just the second day. The cost to participate in both days is $50. To attend day two only (on May 5) is free.

Register for Both Days

Register for Day 2 Only

Keynote Speaker

Nicola Wallis is Early Years Programme Manager at the National Portrait Gallery in London, England, having previously worked at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. With a background in primary and nursery education, she now specialises in understanding how museums and art galleries can support babies, young children, and everyone who cares for them. Her work has a particular focus on inclusive pedagogical practices and the role of cultural education in promoting equity and social justice. Her doctoral study with the Centre for Research in Early Childhood in the UK explored young children’s engagement with museum objects and spaces within the context of museums’ civic responsibilities.

Spotlight Presenter

Kyong-Ah Kwon, PhD, is the Drusa B. Cable Endowed Chair, Professor, and Rainbolt Family Endowed Education Presidential Professor at the University of Oklahoma. She is passionate about interdisciplinary, applied research that strengthens young children’s development across home, school, and community learning environments—especially for underserved families. Her work also advances early childhood workforce well-being, retention, and quality through research-to-practice partnerships. She has authored 76 peer-reviewed publications and secured over $7 million in external funding to support research and innovation. Dr. Kwon is also co-author of Evaluating Early Learning in Museums: Planning for Our Youngest Visitors (Routledge, 2021) and served as a Residential Fellow at the Clyfford Still Museum (Summer 2025), exploring how infants, toddlers, and families engage with art in museum settings.

Agenda

Learn more about the sessions on each day of the Symposium.

Day One – May 4

Day one focuses on practices at the Clyfford Still Museum and the Denver Art Museum. Capacity is limited to accommodate program observations and exhibition tours.
Location: Clyfford Still Museum, 1250 Bannock Street, Denver, CO, 80204
*Attending both days includes a registration fee.

• 9–9:15 a.m. – Check-in and coffee
• 9:15–9:45 a.m. – Welcome from co-hosting organizations
• 10–11:15 a.m. – Program Demonstrations of Art Crawl with Paris Baker, Family, Early Childhood, and Community Engagement Manager, Clyfford Still Museum; Program Demonstration of Create and Play with Lindsay Genshaft, Senior Manager of Family and Community Programs, Denver Art Museum
• 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. – Tours of Tell Clyfford exhibition by Nicole Cromartie, Director of Learning and Engagement, Clyfford Still Museum, and catered lunch
• 1:45–2:30 p.m. – Clyfford Still Museum Case Study: Pedagogical Documentation in Infant Programming – Paris Baker and Katie Watson-Best, Digital Media Manager, Clyfford Still Museum; Denver Art Museum Case Study: Drama and Storytelling in Family Programming – Lindsay Genshaft and Xinyue Zhang, The Coterie
• 2:45–3:45 p.m. – Spotlight Session: CSM Early Childhood Education Research; Little Eyes, Big Impression: How Infants and Families Engage with Art – Kyong-Ah Kwon, Professor; Cable Chair in Early Childhood Education, Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, University of Oklahoma
• 4–4:30 p.m. – Baby Rave – Ben Coleman, artist, and Melissa Word, artist
• 4:45–5:30 p.m. – Baby Rave Talkback and Happy Hour

Day Two – May 5

On the second day, we move the conversation beyond museum walls. We have increased our capacity for this session, and registration for Day Two is free of charge.
Location: University of Colorado Denver School of Education and Human Development
1380 Lawrence St. Terrace Room, Denver, CO, 80204
*Attending day two only is free, but registration is required.

• 9–9:30 a.m. – Check-in and coffee
• 9:30–9:40 a.m. – Lori Ryan, Professor and Program Lead, Early Childhood Education, School of Education and Human Development, University of Colorado Denver and Dean’s Welcome
• 9:55–11:10 a.m. – Keynote with Q&A: In Time with Children: How Slow Museum Practices Support Cultural Citizenship – Nicola Wallis, Early Years Programme Manager, National Portrait Gallery in London
• 11:20 a.m.–12:20 p.m. – Panel Conversation: Children’s Rights and Agency in Museums – Moderator: Kristina Stamatis, Assistant Professor, Teacher Education, University of Nebraska
  Panelists:
  Clare Murray, Doctoral Candidate, Teachers College; Co-Founder and Executive Director, cARTie
  Natalie Williams, Education Director, Miami Children’s Museum
  Sean Trujillo, Programs and Interpretation Manager, Museo de las Americas
  Nicole Cromartie, Clyfford Still Museum
• 12:20–1:20 p.m. – Lunch
• 1:30–1:45 p.m. – Birds of a Feather Flock Together: Physicalizing Figurative Language – Rachel Hamilton, Director of Education, Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus
• 1:45–2:45 p.m. – Panel Conversations: Making Museum Early Learning Visible – Moderator: Lori Ryan, Professor and Program Lead, Early Childhood Education, School of Education and Human Development, University of Colorado Denver
  Panelists:
  Tarajean Yazzie-Mintz, Founder, Principal Consultant, First Light Education Project
  Ethan Yazzie-Mintz, Founder, Executive Director, First Light Education Project
  Cristina Gillanders, Associate Professor, Early Childhood Education Co-Editor, Bilingual Research Journal, University of Colorado Denver
  Nicola Wallis, Early Years Programme Manager at the National Portrait Gallery in London, England
  Kyong-Ah Kwon,  Drusa B. Cable Endowed Chair, Professor, and Rainbolt Family Endowed Education Presidential Professor at the University of Oklahoma
• 3–3:30 p.m. – Conversation Hubs:
  Recent Research on Family Motivations at the High Museum of Art – Melissa Katzin, Manager of Family Programs and Group Experience, High Museum of Art
  Art, Emotions, and Young Children – Emily Holden, Ed.S. NCSP
  Playful Design, Lasting Impact: Children’s Spaces as Museum Gateways – Jackie Hobbins, Exhibits Designer and Fabricator, Longmont Museum
• 3:45–4:15 p.m. – Closing Provocation: The hundred languages of children: Seeing the world through the children’s eyes – Jen Selbitschka, Teacher Education Program Director, Boulder Journey School
• 4:15–4:45 p.m. – Open Forum: Shaping the Future of Museum-Based Early Learning, Facilitated by Grace Hanover, Associate Director, Youth & Community Engagement, Denver Art Museum
• 4:45–5 p.m. – Closing remarks

Sponsored by:

Co-hosted by: