At kigge med fingrene

This article presents a qualitative study on how museums can create attractive and inspiring external learning and development spaces for children aged 3-6, specifically focusing on conceptual artist Piero Manzoni. The article is based on data generated in 2023-24 at HEART Herning Museum of Contemporary Art in connection with the project Home and Away version 0.0 – a qualitative study of the museum as an external learning environment for young children. The author contributed to the project’s study design and to the offerings targeted at 3-6-year-olds in collaboration with project coordinator Ane Houl Bentsen. The article is based on data generated through semi-structured interviews with heads of staff, educators and children from the ten partnership institutions involved, supplemented by methodological and theoretical deliberations. The article paints a nuanced picture of the museum’s challenges, pointing out unexplored potentials in introducing 3-6-year-olds to conceptual art in a museum context.