Fathers with their Children at an Art Exhibition: A Narrative Study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the early childhood experiences of children visiting an art exhibition with their fathers and creating their own artwork. It was designed and conducted as a narrative study, which is a qualitative research methodology. Five children in early childhood (48–88 months old) and their fathers participated in the research carried out in a Contemporary Arts Centre in Ankara, Turkey. Each father and child dyad visited the exhibition at different times and their dialogues during these visits were recorded. The data obtained in the study were analysed through content analysis. It was shown in the results that the fathers and children expressed their thoughts about features of the exhibited works such as size, line, transparency and texture as well as other aspects such as the part-whole relationship and the materials and techniques used in the artworks. It was also observed in the process of creating images, that the fathers and their children had experiences in planning and initiating the creation process, continuing the drawing/colouring process, associating their artwork with the exhibition, naming their artwork and creating a common symbol. In addition, it was found that the fathers created narratives stating that they learned more about the perspective of their children regarding art, got to better know their children’s interests due to the artistic experience and decided to have more frequent artistic experiences with their children in the future.