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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowMy intention on my latest visit to The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis was to check out the new "Star Wars: the Clone
Wars,
the Exhibition," but I found little of interest there to anyone but the hard-core fan. While I appreciate that not everything
at the largely hands-on local treasure can be interactive, I was hoping for more than a showcase-covered collection of memorabilia—costumes,
light sabers, etc. Much of the material is connected to the movies rather than the cartoon series (that’s a plus, given the
disappointing series).
On the positive side, the exhibition doesn’t monopolize any existing galleries. Instead, it fills previously underused spaces
near the planetarium, making it a nice discovery rather than a plan-a-visit show.
Of course, a trip to the Children’s Museum is never wasted. There’s always plenty going on, including, this time, a live production
of "Sleeping Beauty" in the Lilly Theater. The 40-minute show managed to be playful without being smirky, and innocent
without
being cloying. Nothing groundbreaking, but as a free addition, it should meet or exceed most expectations. Some nifty lighting
and sound effects are a plus.
I also spent quality time at "Lego Castle Adventure," which offers yet more proof that parental attention span is
much shorter
than kids. There are impressively massive Lego sculptures, a dress-up area, some instructional sessions on castle construction,
and a few computer-screened areas, but the centerpiece of the exhibition is exactly what it should be: bins of Lego pieces
and tables to build on.
My objection to Lego over its more recent history has been its push toward marketing pre-packaged kits that lead to a specific
product, making them more like models and less about imaginative creation. This exhibit space, with its open-ended structure-less
structure, encourages experimentation, without any instructions or finished photos telling you whether you got it "right."
If parents find themselves bored, my advice is to just do what I did: Join in the construction fun. Just don’t hog all the
cool pieces.
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This column appears weekly. Send information on upcoming events to lharry@ibj.com. Visit ibj.com/artsfor additional reviews,
previews and arts discussion.
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