Taking the kids: Let the wild rumpus start and more fun new museum exhibits

The kids were certainly ready for the Wild Rumpus to start.

“I’m a wild thing!” declared one nearly 3-year-old at the Denver Art Museum’s “Wild Things: The Art of Maurice Sendak.” He didn’t want to leave the larger-than-life Wild Things monsters who in the famous story are tamed by a small boy named Max.

Sendak, one of the most prolific and versatile artists of the 20th century, is best known for his award-winning children’s books, including “Where the Wild Things Are,” “In the Night Kitchen” and “Nutshell Library.”

Originally published in 1963, “Where the Wild Things Are,” has sold more than 30 million copies and has been translated into more than 40 languages. It is just as popular now as then and was considered groundbreaking for its treatment of children’s emotions, especially anger.

Kids certainly can relate to Max who exasperates his mom and is sent to bed without dinner. A boat appears in his bedroom and he sails to the land of wild things, giant creatures with claws. They agree Max is the wildest of them all and is made their king. What child wouldn’t love that?

I love that the Denver Art Museum is free for kids and teens up to age 18. I also love that this exhibit (here until Feb.17, 2025, and then at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles April 17 to Sept 1) has an audio guide for children quoting kids about their favorite characters in the stories as they make their way through the exhibit, which asks young visitors who they would be in the stories, or if they hang out with kids in their neighborhoods. (Tickets to the Denver Art Museum now include entry into the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art.)

The“Wild Things” exhibit includes more than 400 sketches, artwork, storyboards and paintings all created by Maurice Sendak, as well as sketches for the set designs of the Where the Wild Things Are opera and costumes for the 2009 film. The book is available for kids and adults to read in many languages and there are clips from the Really Rosie cartoon special that aired in 1975. Carole King composed and performed the music.

“Maurice Sendak’s art tells stories of courage, adventure, resilience, curiosity and a deep understanding of the human desire for connection and discovery,” said Christoph Heinrich, Frederick and Jan Mayer director of the Denver Art Museum and co-curator of this exhibition. “Sendak’s identity and experiences as a first-generation American, combined with the legacy and heritage of his Polish-Jewish family, especially through WWII and the Holocaust, make his personal perspective and artistic insight immensely valuable, powerful and timeless.”

(Wild Things is a ticketed exhibition that is added to the cost of general admission. Kids 18 and under can get in for $5.)

Wherever you find yourself this winter, there are bound to be new museum exhibits that are guaranteed to please, whatever the weather. Some local museums can provide a great introduction to a region. The Museum of the Rockies, for example, in Bozeman, Montana, is a premier destination for those seeking an immersive experience in the cultural and natural history of the Northern Rocky Mountain region. It has a remarkable collection of dinosaur fossils, including the fully mounted Montana's T. rex skeleton.

Also free for kids in Denver is History Colorado Center which has just opened The ’90s: Last Decade Before the Future which will give everyone who sees it the chance to journey back to a time that shaped our modern world. Visitors will better appreciate how the ’90s changed everything. See a piece of the Berlin Wall, President Bill Clinton’s saxophone, costumes worn by movie stars in iconic films and by era-defining music superstars, memorabilia from star athletes, vintage fashion, toys, technology and more.

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History has just opened and is hoping to set a new standard for natural history museums with immersive exhibits and an innovative approach to content, connecting science to the local community and to reflect our impact on nature. The museum’s transformation includes the Sears Dynamic Earth and Evolving Life wings, offering immersive storytelling that reveals the forces shaping our planet and humanity’s place in it. There are more than two acres of outdoor visitor areas.

In Seattle, the Museum of History & Industry has just opened Teamsters, Turtles, and Beyond: The Legacy of the Seattle WTO Protests on the 25th anniversary of one of the largest political demonstrations in the city’s history. The protests lasted a week and cast a spotlight on issues ranging from environmental protection to free speech, labor rights and international diplomacy.

In Washington, D.C., see the just-opened In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World (until June 8, 2025). The exhibit at the National Museum of African American History and Culture enables visitors to navigate the histories and legacies of slavery and colonialism and encourages visitors to consider the continued impacts of slavery and colonialism, complete with 100 objects, 250 images and 10 multi-media interactives and films.

In Philadelphia’s Museum of Art, The Time Is Always Now: Artists Reframe the Black Figure features 28 Black and African diasporic contemporary artists who use figurative painting, drawing and sculpture to illuminate and celebrate the richness of Black contemporary life in more than 60 works. At the Franklin Institute, the popular Giant Heart anchors a new 8,500-square-foot show exploring biological systems and AI health technology while the two- story Hamilton Collections Gallery showcases the museum exhibits on one level and a working collections/preservation center below.

The Chicago History Museum’s Dressed In History: A Costume Collection Retrospective features everything from fancy gowns to sneakers, exploring how clothing captures social and changing values.

After they had seen the Sendak exhibit at the Denver Art Museum, kids and adults were busy making their own books in the interactive studio with plenty of art supplies at the ready. Let the wild rumpus start!

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The fourth edition of The Kid’s Guide to New York City and the third edition of The Kid’s Guide to Washington D.C. are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen.)