Party arty

Art museums rank right up there with opera, foreign films and Brussels sprouts for most young people. In “Nine Famous Artists Your Children Will Love,” however, author Michael Napoliello Jr. writes that a lifelong relationship with fine art can begin in childhood. It’s all in the introductions.

Napoliello, founder of Gallery C in Hermosa Beach and president of USM&P;, a marketing and promotional company, offers tips on how to make children’s initial encounters with art fun and the basis for continued discovery and interest.

Published by Literary Press and released last month, the book is as much a primer for parents as it is for children. It includes a glossary of art-related terms such as “realism” and “new-expressionism” so that parents can better interact with their children as they learn about art and artists.

Among the hints are: Avoid telling children they are going to “learn” something at the museum; make the first visit no longer than two hours and limit the number of works viewed to 10 or fewer. It includes sections on how to look at a piece of art and how artists create.

The nine artists Napoliello chose were: Alexander Calder, Red Grooms, Claes Oldenburg, Roy Lichtenstein, Joan Miro, Jackson Pollock, Wassily Kandinsky, Fernand Leger and David Smith.

“Foremost, the artists and their work had to be fun, engaging and provide the first step in a lifelong discovery,” writes Napoliello. The book provides brief biographies of the artists and tips on how to help a child enjoy each artist’s work.

Of Calder’s mobiles, he writes, “You can actually make them move by blowing on them, which in turn presents a completely different look to the art. My father taught me about ocean waves and how birds fly through Calder’s art. It’s more fun than blowing out the candles on a birthday cake!” It is not a book about how to do art, says Napoliello, as much as it is a book about how to enjoy art. “I put this book out to say, ‘Have some fun at a museum, talk to your kids about art, make up stories, look at colors, hold hands, discuss life.”

Napoliello is not an artist himself, but art has been a lifelong passion, culminating in June with the opening of Gallery C in the historic Bijou Theater building in Hermosa Beach.

“I was the kid who ate the paste,” he says. “Arts and crafts to me were a nightmare. It didn’t engender a love of art. If anything, it made me feel inadequate. What we didn’t have was art appreciation. Look at a piece of art and tell me what you see. Look at a color and dream. Read about an artist’s life and find some of your own struggles in that. Some of those things were alien to me.”

The idea for the book came to Napoliello two years ago while visiting the Des Moines Art Center. He says he was impressed by the relaxed atmosphere that allowed children to play and interact with the art.

In designing Gallery C, Napoliello says he wanted to make it child-friendly. At openings, wine and cheese are served as well as cookies, reflective of a movement to make art more accessible to children, even as schools cut back on arts programs. While many museums offer programs for children, some remain intimidating.

“Museums were a nightmare, and many museums still are,” he says. “They’re quiet and they echo. Your parents squeeze your hand really tight so, God forbid, you don’t run and touch something. You can’t talk. Your parents think it’s church, so they dress you up.”

Nurturing creativity benefits children regardless of what path they choose in life, Napoliello says. And one moment can have a profound influence on a person’s life. He cites Kandinsky as an example.

“Think about this: He gave up a career as a college professor primarily because of the powerful impression that a single painting made on him, a Monet entitled ‘Haystack.’ ... What fire could a trip to the museum light under your child?”

Duane Noriyuki can be contacted at duane.noriyuki@latimes.com.

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Michael Napoliello Jr.

The book

“Nine Famous Artists Your Children Will Love: An Art Discovery Primer & Handbook for Parents and Their Children” (Literary Press, 156 pp.), $19.95

Appearance

Where: Los Angeles Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.

When: Dec. 14 (Sheila and Wally Weisman Family Day, including the opening of “Nano,” the latest installation in the Boone Children’s Gallery), 1:30 p.m.

Price: Adults, $9; seniors and students with ID, $5; children under 17, free

Info: (323) 657-8000 or www.lacma.org