An intergalactic journey to the popularization of modern art in museum-based websites for children

The aim of this paper is to explore how modern art is disseminated among children through museum-based websites. As a matter of fact, there are few well-known museums and galleries that have websites specifically designed to enable children to gain insight into the artworks and the protagonists of their collections or to visit their rooms virtually. Specifically, these websites create an interactive learning environment based on the combination of education and entertainment (“edutainment”) and on specific discourse and multimodal strategies that recontextualize art expert discourse for the young lay audience. Thus, the analysis focuses on the popularizing discursive practices used in three museum-based websites for children: Tate Kids, MetKids, and Destination Modern Art: An Intergalactic Journey to MoMA and P.S.1. Tate Kids and MetKids are examined both quantitatively and qualitatively, while Destination Modern Art is investigated only qualitatively, as it partly differs from the other two.