Fostering Empathy Through Pretend Play

By Suzy Letourneau (Research & Evaluation Specialist) and Robin Meisner (Director of Exhibits)

The Museum’s recently reinvented Coming to Rhode Island exhibit explores history through four story galleries – an English colonist’s farmhouse (1640), the new Fort Adams worksite (1835), a Cape Verdean packet ship (1892) and a Dominican bodega (1961). The exhibit uses these stories to build empathy and foster respect for the diversity of individuals who make up the world. Empathy is the ability to sense, understand and share other people’s emotions, and it allows individuals to take others’ perspectives, communicate and collaborate.

Children develop social and emotional skills like empathy as they begin to understand their own identities and appreciate differences between themselves and others, and research shows that pretending is a natural avenue for this development. In Coming to Rhode Island, children engage with each story through pretend play, allowing them to practice social and emotional skills in developmentally meaningful ways.

Toddlers (and even infants) start to notice and react to others’ emotions, a foundation of empathy. They also start pretending in simple ways and playing in parallel with other children, setting the stage for social skills and later forms of pretending. In the exhibit, a toddler might offer fake food to someone who says they are hungry or share with another child while playing side by side.

Children ages 3 to 5 begin to engage in more complex forms of pretend play, from wearing a costume or using props to creating stories with different roles. Children in Coming to Rhode Island might pretend to cook in a kitchen, build a fort or sail a ship. When pretending together, they talk about their ideas and decide how a story should unfold. In the process, kids learn that other people might not think and feel the same things they do, and they practice seeing other’s points of view and learn to work through conflicts.

Children ages 5 to 7 start to understand similarities and differences between themselves and others, and can take many different perspectives. When playing together, they create elaborate stories and practice empathy by imagining what others might feel in different situations. In the exhibit, kids might take on roles that are very different from their own lives. They might think about what life was like for the people whose stories appear in the galleries, and they recognize differences between their own lives and those who lived in the past.

Children ages 7 to 11 begin to recognize that different people might have different interpretations of the same situation, and that multiple perspectives can be equally valid. They also start to understand that people’s feelings are influenced by what others think and how others act towards them, helping them develop deeper empathy for others. In Coming to Rhode Island, older kids might reflect on how other’s previous experiences shaped the decisions they made and their perceptions of the world.

While children begin developing empathy and perspective-taking very early on, these skills continue to grow throughout their entire lives. In Coming to Rhode Island, older children and adults might question stereotypes and challenge assumptions, and appreciate the diversity represented in our community.

Click here to learn more about Coming to Rhode Island and get a peek at the process of creating the exhibit.

Coming to Rhode Island Art

One of the Museum's core values and defining features is the quality and beauty of its learning environments. To enrich visitors’ experience and inspire creative exploration, the new Coming to Rhode Island spaces incorporate the work of these additional outside artists:

• The photographs on the walls of the Story Center at the end of the time tunnel are by Brown University graduate Lucas Foglia, who lives in San Francisco and whose work has been widely exhibited in the United States, Europe and Asia. All of the photographs were taken in Rhode Island, many at Southside Community Land Trust’s gardens, and strikingly showcase the state’s diversity.

• The intriguing interactive installation in the Story Center resulted from a collaboration with Pawtucket-based French artist Philippe Lejeune. The sculpture’s reflective surfaces challenge perception and encourage exploration of how something looks from a different and unexpected perspective – a fundamental skill for understanding and engaging with people from different cultures. The installation is part of a larger body of Philippe’s work, called The Glass Project, a group of pieces which are “experiments in transforming the way we see.”

• The illustrations of John Quigley’s descendant and his brother and him leaving Ireland were drawn by illustrator and former Museum AmeriCorps member Maris Wicks, whose work can be seen in each of the Coming to Rhode Island galleries. To create the illustrations, Maris worked from photographs of John Quigley’s fourth great granddaughter, Margo, and historic images of his hometown in County Kilkenny, Ireland.

Click here to learn about other Museum art works.

Making the Coming to RI Murals

One of the Museum's core values and defining features is the quality and beauty of its learning environments. Throughout its history, the Museum has made a strong commitment to art, commissioning or accepting donations of work from artists – many of them local – to include in exhibits and public spaces. To enrich visitors’ experience and inspire creative exploration, the new Coming to Rhode Island spaces incorporate the work of several outside artists.

The murals and historic figure in the new Fort Adams gallery were painted by Rhode Island artist Harley Bartlett, who is influenced by the late 19th and early 20th century American realist painters and whose work can also be seen in the Coming to Rhode Island Dominican gallery, Fefa’s Market.

Commissioned to depict the people, landscape and seascape at Fort Adams in the early 1800s, the murals extend many of the exhibit’s physical elements to show the Fort’s scale and surroundings. To create the murals, Harley…

• Visited Fort Adams with the Museum’s exhibits team and Fort staff to select appropriate views to depict in his paintings. 
• Blended photographs and historic images to create period appropriate concept drawings, and projected these images onto the walls of the Museum’s Fort to figure out scale and placement of objects. 
• Painted the murals on large pieces of canvas in his studio in Cranston, RI.
• Installed the murals onto the Museum’s walls, making adjustments and adding finishing touches once the murals were in place.

Projecting a concept image based on historic images onto the gallery's walls.

One of Harley's projected concept drawings, paired with the subsequent mural in progress.

Mural installation!

The murals add vibrancy and depth to the Fort and surrounding environment, helping to create an immersive space that inspires visitors' imaginative pretend play.

Coming to Rhode Island is NOW OPEN!

Last night, we celebrated the opening of our imaginatively updated Coming to Rhode Island exhibit with a playful party for 150-plus members, supporters, partners and other friends. The dynamic environment, which offers an interactive, time-traveling exploration of history and culture through stories, was received with rave reviews!

For hundreds of years and continuing today, people have come from all over the world to what is now Rhode Island – whether voluntarily, coerced or forced – and everyone has stories about where their families are from and how and why they came. Coming to Rhode Island shares real stories of real people who have immigrated to our state – how they lived, what they left behind, the challenges they met, the solutions they found – and is designed to encourage respect for diversity and build empathy for others by making personal connections to their stories.

Pretend play is one of the major ways that children of all ages explore stories in Coming to Rhode Island, and is an important means of engaging with history and culture. Research also shows that pretend play is closely related to developing empathy and abilities for problem solving, taking different perspectives, and relating to others – skills which develop with time and practice through early childhood and into adulthood.

Take a look at some scenes from the opening event and several of the exhibit’s components:

Upon opening Coming to Rhode Island, kids immediately flocked to our partial replica of Fort Adams, scrambling onto the deck and constructing a wall of foam bricks!

They also did a bit of gardening in the plot adjacent to the fort’s boarding house.

In the vibrant new Story Center, visitors were intrigued by an installation conceptualized by Pawtucket-based French artist Philippe Lejeune, which challenges perception and encourages discovery of how something (or someone) looks from different and unexpected perspectives.

A self-portrait drawing station, which asks visitors to look in the mirror, draw their portraits, and share something that’s important about them that nobody sees.

At this station, build with a set of blocks with diverse eyes, noses and mouths to create unique faces and expressions.

Museum staff seriously engaged in playing one of several versions of mancala!

Browse books representing many people and cultures in a cozy book nook.

And the exhibit’s talk-back board, which prompts, “The United States is made up of people from many different places, of a variety of races, who have many different religions and beliefs – and we’re all Americans. Who are you?”

But pictures can only tell you so much – please come see for yourselves! Go to www.ChildrenMuseum.org for visiting information and a calendar of related events. And click here for a peek at the process of creating Coming to Rhode Island.

Tremendous thanks to our many community partners – especially the Fort Adams Trust and The Museum of Newport Irish History, for collaborating with us on the development of our Fort Adams gallery. And our gratitude to the funders who generously supported the exhibit: The Champlin Foundations; The Children's Workshop Foundation; CollegeBound Saver; June Rockwell Levy Foundation; Murray Family Charitable Foundation; The Providence Journal Charitable Legacy Fund; Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, an independent state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities; The Ryan Family Foundation; and Nancy Smith Worthen, in memory of Margaret L. Worthen (as of November 14).

Coming to RI: Finishing Touches!

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity as we finalize our Coming to Rhode Island exhibit.  Here are some final peeks at the installation process.

Exhibit designer Chris and muralist Harley Bartlett hanging Harley’s incredibly beautiful murals in the Fort Adams gallery – more on the mural process later.

Crew member Mark grinding the cannon created for the Fort gallery in partnership with Cumberland Foundry – more on that later, too!

Chris installing the railing for the Fort’s second level.  It’s very fun to climb the ladders and onto the deck!

RISD student Lisa working on the wheelbarrows for kids to cart foam bricks and stones around the Fort.

Chris installing “story cubes,” one of several activities exploring culture and diversity in the exhibit’s Story Center.  The cubes are particularly important because they share a dozen stories of a variety of real Rhode Islanders who have come to and settled in our state, expanding on the four stories told in the galleries.

Crew member Zach putting the finishing touches on the exhibit’s vibrant entryway.

Graphic designer Valerie mounting photos and labels in the Story Center.

We’re very nearly ready for you, thanks to the months of hard work of the exhibits team and the critical contributions of our many partners.  Come see for yourselves all weekend long, beginning Friday, November 18 at 9:00 AM!

Coming to Rhode Island is supported by The Champlin Foundations; The Children's Workshop Foundation; CollegeBound Saver; June Rockwell Levy Foundation; Murray Family Charitable Foundation; The Providence Journal Charitable Legacy Fund; Rhode Island Council for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities; The Ryan Family Foundation; and Nancy Smith Worthen, in memory of Margaret L. Worthen (as of November 14).  The Irish gallery was developed in collaboration with The Museum of Newport Irish History and the Fort Adams Trust.

Coming to RI: Bits and Pieces

Making an exhibit involves a TON of work over many months, both big projects and smaller supporting elements. Here’s a look at some of the Coming to Rhode Island details and “loose parts” the exhibit team has worked on along the way.

Crew member Mark and exhibit designer Chris cutting bricks from giant sheets of foam, which kids will use to add to the walls and arches in our replica of Fort Adams.

RISD student Julianna making an array of adorable tools – mallets and trowels – for kids to use in their brickwork.

Exhibit technician Ian painting a pig! Our porcine pal will overlook a small garden plot adjacent to the Fort, where visitors will be able to plant and harvest veggies like carrots and turnips.

Crew member Zach creating frames for an assortment of striking photos that will adorn the walls of the “Story Center.”

Chris building one of several pieces of furniture he has crafted for the exhibit – a field desk for the Fort Adams gallery that will house examples of documents and tools of the trade from the 1800s.

Newly installed flooring in the “Story Center,” in a vibrant palette that complements the freshly painted walls.

And not a small detail by any means, but the finished brick and stonework on our Fort looks absolutely amazing!

With just under two weeks to go until the opening weekend, the exhibit is moving along fast and furiously – check back for finishing touches and background stories.

Coming to Rhode Island is supported by The Children's Workshop Foundation; CollegeBound Saver; June Rockwell Levy Foundation; Murray Family Charitable Foundation; The Providence Journal Charitable Legacy Fund; Rhode Island Council for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities; The Ryan Family Foundation; and Nancy Smith Worthen, in memory of Margaret L. Worthen (as of October 11).  The Irish gallery was developed in collaboration with The Museum of Newport Irish History and the Fort Adams Trust.

Coming to RI: Building Fort Adams

As we mentioned previously, our replica of Fort Adams for the updated Coming to Rhode Island began long before the exhibit installation started, with a cardboard mockup constructed in the exhibit workshop.

The exhibits team then assembled the entire cardboard version of the fort, to help figure out layout and floor plan.

From there, the fort was constructed in wood and the pieces were stored until it was time to start installation.

After the demolition work was finished, fort installation began!

The crew installed the first and second levels of the fort, then built surrounding walls and second level decking.

After the fort was fully in place, work began on a brick façade, which is being completed as a community project by the apprentice program of the Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen Union Local 3 MA, ME, NH, RI.

Apprentices in the program learn through practical experience under skilled workers and receive both on the job and in-class training, and the Museum’s project counts toward their training hours. We’re grateful to benefit from their skills to give the fort a more authentic feel, and to be able to provide a valuable training opportunity.

Check back for more stories and photos of reinventing Coming to Rhode Island!

Coming to Rhode Island is supported by The Children's Workshop Foundation; CollegeBound Saver; June Rockwell Levy Foundation; Murray Family Charitable Foundation; The Providence Journal Charitable Legacy Fund; Rhode Island Council for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities; The Ryan Family Foundation; and Nancy Smith Worthen, in memory of Margaret L. Worthen (as of October 11).  The Irish gallery was developed in collaboration with The Museum of Newport Irish History and the Fort Adams Trust.

Prototyping Coming to Rhode Island

This post was contributed by Museum Exhibits Director Robin Meisner and Research & Evaluation Specialist Suzy Letourneau.

This spring and summer – well before renovations even started – the exhibits team created and tested a range of prototypes to try out some ideas and get feedback on activities, labels and components for the new Coming to Rhode Island spaces. Such mockups – which are often made of scraps of wood, cardboard and tape – help the Museum’s design process by providing insight into how something might be used or interpreted by visitors, how it might look and feel, and how it might ultimately be made.

By prototyping, both in the Museum’s workshop and with visitors in the exhibits, the team is able to create a more thoughtfully developed experience for children and families. Some of the prototypes tested include:

A full-scale cardboard mockup of a section of the replica of Fort Adams!
Through this process, the team explored the layout of the new space, made adjustments for visitor flow and children’s play, and discovered tricks for fabrication of the final wooden fort structure.

A self-portrait drawing activity with prompts to help visitors reflect on what’s important about themselves that can’t be seen.
From this prototype, the team learned that visitors valued both sharing about themselves and reading others’ responses, so they added a portrait gallery to the exhibit. Most visitors wanted to leave their portraits behind for others to see, and one group said that looking at all the portraits was “like seeing the whole community.” Both children and adults thought carefully about what to write about themselves. One parent said, “It took me a minute to think of what was really important about myself, and that was surprising to me.”

A series of labels to help caregivers connect children’s pretend play with their developing social-emotional skills.
Initial prototypes drew on interviews with caregivers about the role of pretend play in children’s ability to empathize and take others’ perspectives. By testing multiple versions of the labels, the team was able to adjust the language and add concrete examples, ultimately helping caregivers find personal connections within the messages. Many caregivers said the labels made them think about how their own children like to pretend in the Museum (and at home), and how children learn to relate to other people, even those who live in a different time or place. One caregiver described the benefits of pretending by saying, “When kids put on those costumes, they really feel how people felt when they wore those clothes and did those jobs.”

Coming to Rhode Island is supported by The Children's Workshop Foundation; CollegeBound Saver; June Rockwell Levy Foundation; Murray Family Charitable Foundation; Rhode Island Council for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities; The Ryan Family Foundation; and Nancy Smith Worthen, in memory of Margaret L. Worthen (as of September 30). The Irish gallery was developed in collaboration with The Museum of Newport Irish History and the Fort Adams Trust.

Coming to RI: Renovations are Underway!

Last week we began long-awaited renovations to our time-traveling Coming to Rhode Island exhibit, which will reopen in November. The updates will include:

• A totally transformed “time tunnel” to guide visitors’ adventure through the story galleries. 
• A new interactive gallery that shares the story of an Irish immigrant who worked on the construction of Fort Adams. 
• And a completely reinvented “Story Center” with an array of intriguing new hands-on activities that explore culture and diversity.

While there are a lot of changes in store, the new Irish gallery will replace only the French Canadian mill gallery – so no worries, the beloved English farmhouse, Cape Verdean packet ship and Dominican bodega will return in their current forms!

Before we could begin to install the new exhibit elements, the first step was demolition of the departing time tunnel, Story Center and gallery. Take a look at some scenes from the process!

BEFORE: Members of the exhibits team (Exhibit Developer Jessica Neuwirth, Exhibit Designer & Fabricator Chris Sancomb, Director of Exhibits Robin Meisner) looking like they mean business at the beginning of demo.

Taking apart the Story Center and time tunnel.

Crew members James and Mark disassemble the mill...

...and then the mill house.

The time tunnel and mill, almost fully dismantled.

AFTER: The entryway, nearing the end of demolition. It looks quite different, doesn’t it?!

Stay tuned for more stories and photos of reinventing Coming to Rhode Island.