Joint artist commission by Bay Area Discovery Museum and The New Children’s Museum
LOS TROMPOS installation designed by Esrawe + Cadena, first commissioned by
the High Museum of Art, Atlanta.
May 11, 2022 – Sausalito, CA Two California-based children’s museums, Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito and The New Children’s Museum in San Diego, are jointly commissioning a new art installation, Los Trompos, which will be exhibited at both museums. These lively, eye-catching and larger-than-life ‘spinning tops’ created by contemporary Mexican designers Héctor Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena, will be on exhibit at the Bay Area Discovery Museum from May 21 to September 11, and then travel south to The New Children’s Museum to be displayed from mid-October to January 2023.
Los Trompos consists of six colorfully woven, life-size spinning tops. Children ages 6 months to 8 years old will be invited to team up to spin the tops, climb inside and marvel at the sky and clouds as they spin, encouraging engagement in joyful play and collaboration with others. The new interactive installation extends Bay Area Discovery Museum’s Art Studios experience and brings an exploration of textiles to the outdoors for both museums.
“The concept behind Los Trompos is based on an approach of traditional toys, their colorful expression and the way they are constructed,” explained Héctor Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena, two of Mexico’s leading designers and creators of Los Trompos. “We wanted to talk about the traditions and skills of the craftsmen in Mexico, and an inheritance of our culture. We like the idea of translating these techniques into new symbols.”
The Bay Area Discovery Museum will kick off the celebratory opening of Los Trompos with a festive, members event on May 21 from 9-10 a.m. Visiting special exhibits is included in the price of admission or FREE for members.
“We’re delighted to host this magical installation at Bay Area Discovery Museum. I can’t wait to see how children and their grown-ups bring these interactive sculptures to life,” said Kelly McKinley, CEO of Bay Area Discovery Museum.
In the fall, Los Trompos will travel from the Bay Area Discovery Museum to The New Children’s Museum in downtown San Diego. This will be the second art collaboration for the two children’s museums, who partnered on a traveling version of the popular toddler installation Wobbleland by artist Marisol Rendón, which was on display at the Bay Area Discovery Museum from January 2020 to February 2021.
“This joint commission of Los Trompos is a continuation of a growing partnership with our northern neighbors at the Bay Area Discovery Museum. Not only is this collaboration exciting, but also expands the opportunity for more families to experience these joyful spinning tops as they travel from one region to the next,” said The New Children’s Museum’s Executive Director and CEO, Elizabeth Yang-Hellewell.
Los Trompos will be exhibited in the park across from The New Children’s Museum beginning in October 2022 (opening date to be announced) and will be accessible to the public for free. Both The New Children’s Museum and Bay Area Discovery Museum are part of the Association of Children’s Museum’s (ACM) Reciprocity program in which members of children’s museums nationwide get 50 percent off admission with their museum memberships.
All photos of Los Trompos must include this credit line and be credited to the original photographer, as labeled on images: “LOS TROMPOS installation designed by Esrawe + Cadena, first commissioned by
the High Museum of Art, Atlanta.“
About the Bay Area Discovery Museum
Bay Area Discovery Museum is located at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge on Fort Baker National Park in Sausalito, CA. The museum believes that children grow and thrive through joyful play and its mission is to create playful learning experiences that inspire a lifelong passion for discovery in every child. Playful experiences connect children with the people and the world around them. The museum knows that play is essential to children’s well-being, and when children and families thrive, our communities thrive. To learn more, follow Bay Area Discovery Museum on Facebook and Instagram.
About The New Children’s Museum
The New Children’s Museum is a new model of children’s museum whose mission is to stimulate imagination, creativity and critical thinking in children and families through inventive and engaging experiences with contemporary art. Located downtown, the Museum collaborates with contemporary artists to design and create art installations and educational programs for children. In addition to the downtown San Diego location, the Museum has a satellite location called the Art + Play Space in Del Mar. To learn more, visit thinkplaycreate.org or follow them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
About the Los Trompos Artists
More than six years ago, Héctor Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena established their interdisciplinary design firm E+C based in Mexico City. Esrawe is an award-winning industrial designer as well as a celebrated furniture, interior and product designer. Inspired by traditional Latin American design, architecture and folk art, Esrawe’s works are playful, sometimes humorous, and organic. Like Esrawe, Cadena is creative director of his own firm CADENA+ASOC. CONCEPT DESIGN with over 20 years experience. Cadena’s collaborative designs explore the boundaries between art and science. The ability to jump from one discipline to another turns his work into hybrid expressions that nurture from one another. Cadena´s work has been published, recognized and awarded around the globe in multiple disciplines.