After the project Naturally! Plants, Colors, Fabrics as part of the GuhlSchool Museum Week, two Design Kids Club courses led by Nou / Jennifer Grunder were dedicated to the topic of plant color and sensitized the children to aspects of sustainable textile design: #9 Color Lab and #11 Collecting Colors.

Jennifer Grunder's design approach is based on the aesthetic principles of Japanese culture: According to the wabi-sabi philosophy, special value is placed on the transformation of natural materials and artifacts - including those caused by aging and wear and tear. In the color laboratory , the focus was on the chemistry, alchemy and magic of color production and dyeing with plants.

The Design Kids searched for suitable materials in the museum environment. Even in the winter months, they were able to find what they were looking for here. The yield was supplemented with flowers, tubers, buds and shells from Nou's collection.

The plants were boiled, pressed, strained and the concentrated brew was filled into test tubes. The children experimented with pure colors and mixed tones, observed the sometimes surprising color changes and created color charts. They dyed different fabric samples and white cotton socks with the home-brewed plant juices. Finally, as a joint effort, they designed a long sheet of tile paper with their environmentally friendly and non-toxic natural dyes.

The results were not just a feast for the eyes. Each plant released a very special fragrance when it was processed. All the research and sensory impressions were carefully recorded in personal research notebooks.

In a total of thirteen Design Kids Club editions, findings and experiences were gathered to further sharpen the profile of design education at the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich. They will lead to the conception and educational program of a new permanent exhibition of the collections, which will open in the Toni-Areal in 2025 to mark the 150th anniversary of the museum.

Im Rahmen des dreijährigen Outreachprojekts (April 2021 bis März 2024) öffnete sich das Museum für Gestaltung Zürich jugendgemässen Fragestellungen und Perspektiven. Im Fokus standen dabei das in der Sammlung bewahrte Kulturerbe, das Ausloten der spezifischen Potenziale von Designvermittlung sowie museologische und strategische Fragestellungen.