The Metropolitan Museum of Art

81st Street Studio

Inside The Met: A Hands-On Playground for Young Minds

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's 81st Street Studio is a 3,500 square-foot interactive space designed for young visitors to explore art and science. 81st Street Studio, a collaboration with The Met, KOKO Architecture + Design and Bluecadet offers hands-on experiences that spark creativity and curiosity.

Art-making enhanced by software

The Tree invites visitors to create physical artwork that comes alive digitally. Guests can craft woodblock prints and drums, which are then instantly captured and transformed into interactive digital experiences. The user interface is projected onto their work surface- providing unique engagement opportunities without constraints of traditional technology.

Light, color, and shadow, oh my!

The Optics Wall is an immersive visual playground where children can experiment with light, color, and shadow. This open-ended platform gives visitors a hands-on space to try different optics and artistic techniques.

Dig deeper

Embedded touch screens and microscopes offer an opportunity for a more content-rich learning experience. Exploring art through materials, children to discover the properties of clay, metal, and wood.

“A garden of artful delight”

“The 3,500-square-foot space exposes young minds to art’s most fundamental ingredients: materials. By offering visitors opportunities to explore these elements and relate them to the Met’s collection, the studio’s creators hope to turn them into lifelong museumgoers."

-The New York Times, review of The Met 81st Street Studio