In Honor of Yayoi Kusama: Dots Are a Way to Infinity
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- 3 min read
There are certain artists whose work stays with you, Yayoi Kusama was one of them. Learning of her passing feels especially poignant because her work has been such a source of inspiration throughout my journey of introducing young children to artists & giving them opportunities to experience art in ways that are playful, immersive, open-ended, & entirely their own. Kusama shaped so much of why I wanted to expose young children to the work of real artists in the first place.
Her art showed us that creativity could extend far beyond a piece of paper or canvas. A room could become art. A mirror could become art. A pumpkin, a mushroom, a collection of dots, light, repetition, color, even an entire environment could invite us to look at the world differently.
Introducing young children to famous artists has never been about asking them to recreate or copy a finished piece of art. It has always been about inviting them to discover the artist, explore their unique style & ideas, & then giving children the freedom to interpret that inspiration through their own play, imagination, & creativity. Kusama’s extraordinary work brought that philosophy to life in some of the most magical ways.
Over the years, I have watched children cover entire spaces in dots, transform ordinary objects, experiment with mirrors, construct miniature infinity rooms, create spotted mushrooms, spray paint collaboratively, & become completely immersed in environments inspired by her extraordinary imagination. Some of my favorite moments have been simply standing back & watching children create in response to her work.
Perhaps that is because Kusama's art so naturally speaks the language of childhood: wonder, repetition, pattern, color, scale, imagination, experimentation, & the freedom to transform something ordinary into something extraordinary.
Kusama continued creating until the final days of her remarkable 97 years, leaving behind a world forever changed by her dots, pumpkins, infinity rooms, sculptures, paintings, installations, & unmistakable way of seeing. Her studio shared their hope of carrying her wishes forward through art, continuing to bring hope & strength to future generations.
I will continue introducing young children to Yayoi Kusama, learning about her life, stepping into her incredible worlds, covering things in dots, exploring infinity & reflection, creating collaboratively, & discovering how one artist's imagination can inspire another's to grow. Her work will continue to live not only in museums & galleries around the world, but also in classrooms, studios, Tuff Trays, art spaces, & the paint-covered hands of children discovering her for the very first time.
Some of our favorite invitations inspired by her life's work:
1. Mini Infinity Rooms Inspired by Yayoi KusamaExplore the Mini Infinity Rooms invitation
2. Inviting Children to Explore Yayoi Kusama's ObliterationExplore the Obliteration invitation
3. Creating 3D Mushrooms Inspired by Yayoi KusamaExplore the 3D Mushroom invitation
4. Four Yayoi Kusama InvitationsExplore four Kusama-inspired invitations
5. Yayoi Kusama Collaborative Spray & Dot ArtExplore the Collaborative Spray & Dot Art invitation
6. Collaborative Invitation to Create: Yayoi KusamaExplore the collaborative Kusama invitation
7. Collaborative Invitation to Create: Yayoi KusamaExplore the collaborative Kusama invitation
8. Invitation to Create Just Like Yayoi KusamaExplore the Invitation to Create
And on a personal level, having the opportunity to experience Kusama's work in person at SFMOMA's Infinite Love exhibition was an unforgettable highlight. Stepping inside the immersive installations I had admired for so long, the scale, repetition, reflections, color, & endless sense of wonder gave me an even deeper appreciation for the artist who had inspired so many of the experiences I had created with children over the years. It felt incredibly special to experience that magic firsthand and to understand, in an entirely new way, why her work has always felt so naturally connected to the wonder & imagination of childhood.
“Our earth is only one polka dot among a million stars in the cosmos. Polka dots are a way to infinity.” — Yayoi Kusama
Her dots were infinite. Her imagination was limitless. Her influence will continue through every new generation of little artists we invite to discover her. Thank you, Yayoi Kusama, for showing us that when we are given the freedom to create, the possibilities truly are infinite.
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