Although youth cinema, literature and theatre are long-established genres, in Québec, contemporary art exhibitions designed for and presented to young audiences are a recent phenomenon. VOX has thus been an innovator in cultural mediation, active in the production and presentation of youth exhibitions since 2013. They have been created by well-known artists interested in tackling the challenge of crafting an exhibition especially for children. The goal is to produce a highly stimulating environment that will prompt critical reasoning, in which social antagonisms concerning migration, racism, the climate crisis or overconsumption, attractiveness of screens, among other topics, may also be expressed. Stimulating their senses, teaching them to manipulate concepts, affirm their perception of the world and develop their critical thinking skills—these have been the centre’s motivations in producing five youth exhibitions over the past ten years with the collaboration of Clément de Gaulejac, Diane Landry, Alexandra Lemay, Juan Ortiz-Apuy, Jonathan Plante and Skawennati. This book contextualizes their projects and the complementary mediation activities. It includes two essays on their pedagogical and reflective approaches, and situates them within a history of mediation in the museum context.
