UCSD Does Something Cool.

UCSD knows how to be cool. Don't doubt that. Not for one second.

Un-edited. Don't Trip.

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San Diego's Children Museum has always been an intriguing place for the kids run around, think, play and create. With exhibits like painting a car every color under then rainbow, or discovering a room dedicated only to flopping around, jumping, and climbing on pillows, mattresses and tires—for the kids it has always been a playhouse. Little do they know it's actually a museum, for all they care it's a more refined, contemporary ChuckECheese, without that mysterious abyss of a ball pit to get lost in. The little child is probably reluctant to find that it smells pretty alright in the museum, thanks to the harmonica vents built throughout the walls, and hey they make a catchy noise every so often. Cool.

I vaguely remember much about the Children's Museum from when I was little, to be honest the highlight for me was that poop colored car that everyone was painting. So when I went by in May to see what the hype was about the improved New Children's Museum, from the second I opened the door, after noticing I had to bend over to reach the lowered handle I knew I was really in for something. The place has a real futuresque and eco sort of structure with its three floors with open ceilings and glassed elevator. Looking out from solar paneled windows capable of regulating the temperature of the building. Every exhibit a work of art and an adventure for those from two-four feel tall. A Texture forest constructed with recycled materials, a re-created play house called The Rain House really gets your toddlers chi energy flowing, where they can have a shesh meditation and listen to rain fall on it's tin roof from inside.

Overwhelmed and excited, I almost forgot that it was a children's museum, until the tour guide took me to the third floor in one corner was The Teen Center which was filled with artists from UCSD. Hmm, now what would about 25 college students been doing in a place like this? Besides screening T's, mapping murals and arting together. It's always nice to see another art community doing what they do best to leave their mark, make themselves known but when I looked into their haven of a corner, and saw them relaxing on Ikea-like sofa's I wanted to dive deeper into their art. To give them recognition as one group definitely seemed less interesting than getting to know the life behind the artist, the energy of each and one of them looked promising. So what exactly was the goal here?

The group of students, after getting to sit down and talk with them about their project it became clear: the New Children's Museum was in need of attracting another age group, stepping it up to another level by having a place for teens to outlet some creative energy was agreed to be a perfect addition to the museum. The idea was to establish a place for teens the ages between 14-19 to hang out and stand as a studio complete with trendy furniture, art supplies, where it constantly is interchanging with new artwork. It would be simply the "Teen Studio", a project original by a group of UCSD Visual Art Undergrads under the guidance of Professor Amy Adler. Together in collaboration with High Tech High the UCSD students gathered a better setting of what type of setting to build that would appeal to the younger crowd.

The idea that they're going for is to make the space interchangeable with new exhibits every few months, with a new artist in change. After the Visual Art UCSD student project of which exhibited for some months was the first to use the space. Not only did the students establish the first project for the space but they then developed proposals from Undergrads and Graduate students to create an artist in residence program for the Children's Museum. Which basically scopes out and finds new artists to come and add their project to the museum so that it keeps the space interchangeable and exciting for the next teen crowd to come and experience.

Art is What You Can Get Away With, was the first proposal and became the theme of their team center. An original quote by Andy Warhol, held as the inspiration for the art projects inside the teen center. Megan Anderson, William Hsu and Renee Medina led their class and made the idea a reality. The exhibit had projects like shoe painting, silk screening and other fun activities. The next proposal making its way into the exhibit space is a development by UCSD Graduate student Zac Monday. His theme is the art of transformation: in which he will create an exhibit for teens to create thier own costumes and lead thier own preformances. Monday wants to work with the idea of turning objects and people into living breathing art. The teen center at the new childrens museum won't nessesarily be the new TNT, but it's bound to make a difference sparking the creativity of San Diego's teen scene.