Exhibitions: Playground on the Sea

March 10, 1976: Playground on the Sea, a soft-sculpture indoor playground created by Dolores Pacileo for use by normal and handicapped children, will be installed in the Members’ Room of The Brooklyn Museum, Eastern Parkway and Washington Avenue, from Wednesday, March 17, through April 4. The 17’ x 38’ “learning, play, therapy” environment will be open to handicapped children for special workshops on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays between 10 am and 2 pm. On Saturdays and Sundays, between noon and 5 pm, the piece may be viewed by adults and families; visiting children will be encouraged to play on it. On weekends, too, a slide presentation showing children involved with the sculpture will run continuously. Admission to the Museum is free to the general public.

Playground on the Sea, designed as a visual fantasy of ocean, beach, pebbles and shells, is made of softly-stuffed rubberized nylon brightly colored in red, yellow and blue. The sound, texture, color environment is divided into an activity area of soft “waves” for jumping, rolling and tumbling, and a quiet area of pebble forms and small “houses” for solitary play or learning sessions. Students from Smithtown High School West, L. I., who originally helped construct the piece, will work with the children under the supervision of therapists and teachers. Dr. Pacileo will oversee all activities.

According to the artist, "Playground on the Sea is a learning, play, therapy environment that does not exclude the handicapped child. It is art for children. It is touchable, durable art that teaches. It is functional art. With the assistance of specialists in those fields, it crosses over into therapy, education and psychology. It’s alive when children are on it. Each time you see something different happening. It seems dead until you see them on it again.”

On Saturday, April 3 at 2:00 pm “Play Sculpture for Children - the Handicapped Child and the Arts” will be discussed by Dr. Pacileo, Marie Mello, Special Education teacher, and Larry Molloy of Educational Facilities Laboratories. Admission is free. First floor Community Gallery.

Playground on the Sea was developed with the aid of a grant from the America the Beautiful Fund of New York through the New York State Council on the Arts.

Groups wishing to view or participate in the program should call 638-5000, extension 221.

Brooklyn Museum Archives. Records of the Department of Public Information. Press releases, 1971 - 1988. 1976, 002. View Original