Asheville Art Museum should be more kid-friendly

Earlier this year, my husband and I visited the Asheville Art Museum with our children. After paying for our admission, we were told that we were required to leave our infant carrier along with our diaper bag. The bag included medication for our infant daughter who has life-threatening allergies along with other items necessary to have on hand. We were told rather rudely that we would have to leave our carrier and diaper bag, and carry our 20-pound baby for the duration of our visit.

The reason we were provided was due to our lack of “spatial awareness.” My husband and I each have two graduate degrees and teach at the university level, so we are well aware of the need to understand students with special needs who have disorders that affect their “spatial awareness,” including dyspraxia. Would those, according to this explanation, be refused admittance for their problems with “spatial awareness?”  It seems more likely to me that a member of the museum’s staff saw a family with young children and did not want us to enter and enjoy our local museum.
This week, my two older children and I visited the museum.  From the time we entered, we were followed by a museum staff member.  After two hours, the staff member approached my children and instructed, very disrespectfully, that they “calm down,” apparently because she felt that they were being too loud. We left immediately.
I have no plans to attend the museum and wonder if other families in our community in an effort to promote cultural awareness in their children have been provided the same treatment. Perhaps, if children are going to be treated this way, followed incessantly throughout the duration of their visit under the glaring eyes of staff members who are seemingly anticipating unruly behavior, then the Asheville Art Museum should consider changing its ages of admission.

Stephany Davis
Asheville

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Letters
We want to hear from you! Send your letters and commentary to letters@mountainx.com

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “Asheville Art Museum should be more kid-friendly

  1. Just bring a service dog with your child. Then the are required to take both.

    Another organization sucking at the public trough that doesn’t serve the public. Cut off the subsidy!

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.