It’s not every day that your artwork gets displayed in a museum … especially when you’re eight years old. But that’s not the case for Jemma Jacobsen of Hammond, Ind., who helped the Chicago Children’s Museum decorate their new exhibit, Ready, Pet, Go!, opening Wednesday. We talked to the second grader about her role and what she thinks about it.
How did you end up doing the artwork for this exhibit?
My mom’s friend Jenny who works at the Children’s Museum knows how well I draw, so she asked me to do some of the drawings.
Do you have any pets?
I have two cats, a fish and a bunny.
If you could have any pet in the world, what would it be?
That’s kind of a hard one. But me and my friend Char both thought we would really, really, really, really like a horse.
What kind of animals did you draw for the museum?
Horses and hamsters and cats and dogs and snakes.
Do you have a favorite one?
There’s a guinea pig that I think was really cute.
Is there any animal that’s really hard to draw?
For some reason, I find it really hard to draw a dolphin.
What’s your favorite kind of art?
I like drawing. And most of my drawings at home are of my cats.
Do your friends know that you’re going to have artwork in a museum?
Most of my friends at school don’t believe me, but I say “You’ll see that I really am.” I showed them the plans for it and they finally believed it. Most of my friends didn’t think that I was going to have an interview today!
How do you feel when you think about your art being in a museum?
It makes me feel really excited. And it makes me wonder if any of my friends would go to the Children’s Museum and see it.
What do you think it will be like to see your drawings at the museum?
I don’t really know, but I’m sure it’s going to be really fun.
