Child Creativity from Secessionst Vienna to Postwar America

Megan Brandow-Faller, Professor of History CUNY Kingsborough/ 2025-26 Working Group on Jewish Studies CUNY Graduate Center

From the “creative corners” found in postwar suburban ranch homes to the proliferation of children’s art exhibitions in public schools and libraries, Secessionist notions of child creativity burned brightly in postwar America. This lecture examines the intellectual and cultural roots of notions around children’s creativity born in Secessionist Vienna through the lens of three critical intermediaries: Franz Cižek, often called the “patriarch” of progressive art education and one of the first art educators to allow children to draw from their imaginations; Emmy Zweybrück, who ran a successful craft school for girls and commercial workshops emphasizing traditionally feminine media and solid handcraft knowledge; and Viktor Lowenfeld, a Cižek pupil widely considered the most influential figure in twentieth-century American art education.

This talk is presented as part of the Summer 2025 Lecture Series, “Focus Vienna,” which explores themes related to the exhibition “Austrian Masterworks from the Neue Galerie.”

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