SMALL and homely, the tarantula is an unlikely role model. That makes it a perfect fit for "Noah's Ark," the interactive children's galleries opening Tuesday at the Skirball Cultural Center in Brentwood. The permanent installation is designed to bust stereotypes about a lot of things -- including what a kid-centric space should be.
"We want to create a new model for a family destination," says Marni Gittleman, the exhibit's developer. "Most things are built around a set of facts like the life cycle of a dolphin. We want to provide an open-ended \o7experience\f7, one built around values such as self-esteem and community building."
The Skirball also wants its visitors to work a little. "We'll ask you to fill in the gaps, to participate," says project director Sheri L. Bernstein, the center's director of education. "The kinds of lessons we hope to convey are best conveyed on a visceral level. Traditional children's spaces use a lot of simulated things and mediated experiences. We depend a lot on the real."
Indeed, you won't find bright plastic or cartoon characters in "Noah's" activity zones, amphitheater and arroyo garden. Everything is tactile and awash in earth tones. The ark and its inhabitants were made of natural materials and re-purposed objects -- cowboy boots, Thai rain drums -- that should intrigue budding artists and engineers alike. High-tech wizardry is shunned in favor of devices that must be pushed, cranked or powered by teamwork and ingenuity. Nothing is pint-sized or segregated by age; families are encouraged to play together, in the belief that shared experiences are more memorable.
Like most children's exhibits, the ark promotes learning through play. Unlike most, it emphasizes what founding President and Chief Executive Uri D. Herscher calls "the basics of character education." This, he insists, is about values, not religion. The galleries were inspired by the biblical account of animals finding shelter from a storm, yet they mention neither God nor Noah and use imagery common to flood narratives from different cultures.
"Our goal is to be a Jewish center that is welcoming to everybody," Herscher says. "The key is to take a timeless story and make it timely. We all face adversity. We all seek safety and, as immigrants or exiles, may go on a journey in search of a shoreline. The rainbow tells us you get not just a chance in life, but a second chance."
