"Nearly sixty years have passed since, as a teen, I last attended a class at the Children's Art Centre. But the special feeling I enjoyed as a I passed through its brick archway, entered the grass courtyard, and viewed that beautiful front wall composed of five massive French doors is vivid in my memory. It was such a contrast to the South End streets of Boston of the 1950s."
— Nick Haddad, former Children's Art Centre student
— Nick Haddad, former Children's Art Centre student
This is the untold story of The Children's Art Centre of Boston's South End and Charlotte Dempsey who ran it for nearly forty years. In 1918, its doors opened, marking the first and only museum designed for children. Artwork was hung at child-height on the wall and allowed to be touched by small hands. Children were free to explore sculptures and paintings on the walls and tables. Some were created by the local talent and others came from around the world on loan from international museum and collections. There had never been anything like the Children's Art Centre in America before then.
In 1930, Charlotte Dempsey came in as the Director. She revolutionized the classrooms. She encouraged children to make with new materials and not merely copy with pencils various great works, ushering in an explosion of color and energy and innovation. Dempsey also integrated all classrooms within the Centre's iconic five French doors. All creeds and backgrounds were welcome, even those who could not pay. Children would finish school and come over to work and look at other creations.
Prior, Dempsey was a student at the College of Massachusetts in Art and Design. She never married, instead devoting herself to her career, which in the '30s and '40s was unconventional. Typically, women only lasted two years at the Art Centre because they got married or pregnant. According to other children, Ms. Charlotte was very serious and not as seemingly child-focused as other staff. In reality, she was juggling operations, managing staff, and finding funds.
Dempsey toured the children's art to over thirty countries as far as South Korea. She also brought in art from other countries. Her students had access to an impressively diverse array of culture—from Egyptian and Native American art to Japanese watercolors. This cultural exchange expanded children's vision of what was possible beyond Boston's poor South End. [JG]
In 1930, Charlotte Dempsey came in as the Director. She revolutionized the classrooms. She encouraged children to make with new materials and not merely copy with pencils various great works, ushering in an explosion of color and energy and innovation. Dempsey also integrated all classrooms within the Centre's iconic five French doors. All creeds and backgrounds were welcome, even those who could not pay. Children would finish school and come over to work and look at other creations.
Prior, Dempsey was a student at the College of Massachusetts in Art and Design. She never married, instead devoting herself to her career, which in the '30s and '40s was unconventional. Typically, women only lasted two years at the Art Centre because they got married or pregnant. According to other children, Ms. Charlotte was very serious and not as seemingly child-focused as other staff. In reality, she was juggling operations, managing staff, and finding funds.
Dempsey toured the children's art to over thirty countries as far as South Korea. She also brought in art from other countries. Her students had access to an impressively diverse array of culture—from Egyptian and Native American art to Japanese watercolors. This cultural exchange expanded children's vision of what was possible beyond Boston's poor South End. [JG]
ABOUT THE AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR
Julia Glatfelter previously studied Art Education at Gordon College in Massachusetts and taught art to youth in settings on the North Shore and in Boston's South End. Julia's work has shown in the greater Boston area, southeastern Pennsylvania, and Baltimore. You can explore her visual arts and projects here. I also really enjoyed hearing her talked about The Little Glass Treasure House on Hub History, a Boston-based podcast. Oh, and she's also my sister—so proud!
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
 |  |
| THE REPUBLIC OF IMAGINATION Azar Nafisi  | THE MIRACLE WORKER William Gibson  |
| THE BROWNING VERSION Terence Rattigan | PAPER Mark Kurlanksy |
