Bus to Art
Deutsche Bank Foundation Supports
Innovative Youth Project
Maiden
voyage of Wallraf the museum bus
©
Photo: Thomas Kröger
Giant streaks of
color, paintbrushes, and shiny chrome tubes on a radiant pink background,
with the insignia "Wallraf der
Museumsbus" (Wallraf the Museum Bus) emblazoned on it – Germany's
first "classroom-on-wheels" is a real eye-catcher. Since January of this
year, the brightly colored bus has picked up fifth- to eighth-grade pupils
living in areas served by the Rhine-Sieg transportation network, enabling
them to encounter art at the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum
free of charge. Whether secondary modern school or high school pupils, the
Outreach project, sponsored by Deutsche
Bank, gives young people access to art who might otherwise have never
entered a museum. "The idea behind it is, instead of waiting until the
young people visit the museum themselves, we pick them up in their own
neighborhoods," explains Museum Director Andreas Blühm. The entire program
is free for the participating pupils. Innovative projects such as the
museum bus, which give children and young people the opportunity to have
new cultural experiences, have been sponsored by the Deutsche Bank
Foundation for years.
The
kids at the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum
©
Photo: Thomas Kröger
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Even the drive to the museum is an experience for the
pupils. The bus is equipped with monitors showing a short film realized
especially for the project. The hero is the somewhat scatterbrained Art
Constable Kunz, played by the actor Peter
Nottmeier. The investigation of the slaying of Argus in Rubens'
famous panting Juno
and Argus lead him through the entire museum, from the "climate
cellar" through the three exhibition floors, all the way to the
examination room for restoration work. In this comedic, yet suspenseful
film in cinema-friendly HD format, the young viewers get to know the
Wallraf museum, its staff and their activities.
The
kids at the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum
©
Photo: Thomas Kröger
In the
museum, the pupils are given an approximately two-hour educational tour
suited to their age. A museum educator accompanies them through the
building. Titles such as "Crime Scene Wallraf – Seeking clues in the
Museum" and "Look at That! Looks, Gestures, Body Language: Grand Drama in
Art" arouse the pupils' curiosity in the paintings and sculptures on
display. In a playful encounter with the exhibits, the pupils experience
how exciting it can be to deal with Stefan
Lochner's famous painting Muttergottes
in der Rosenlaube (Virgin in the Rose Arbour) or with a Cézanne.
After the tour, the young people are afforded a chance to be creative
themselves. In a workroom set up especially for the project, they can
portray like Rembrandt or
paint like Van Gogh.
Detailed
information on "Wallraf der Museumsbus" can be found at www.museumsbus.info.
To make a booking, call (+49) (0)221 22124409.
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