Adelaide Festival Centre today revealed plans to open a wondrous new interactive childrens gallery, Childrens Artspace, which will officially launch with a special Family Day event and become part of an international network of similar childrens galleries.
The new space will be dedicated to children of all ages, students, and their families, to share big ideas and engage with art created by and for South Australian children. Opening on February 19 next year, it will become a regular attraction at Adelaide Festival Centres Artspace venue, complimenting other arts events on offer.
Hosting a new exhibition each school term, the gallery will present interactive workshops, performances and offer creative experiences for children and families as part of Adelaide Festival Centres CentrED, On Stage programs and the new Families At Adelaide Festival Centre program, starting next year.
Adelaide Festival Centre has one of the most comprehensive education and learning programs amongst international arts centres and is the proud presenter of DreamBIG Childrens Festival so the creation of Childrens Artspace is a logical extension of those activities.
It was also inspired by similar international organisations and their remarkable creative achievement and impact so we are very pleased that we will be part of a global network of like-minded galleries in Japan, the United States and Norway. This has so much potential for international exchange and cultural engagement.
We are also delighted to be partnering in this project with the Adelaide Central School of Art and the new Childrens Artspace will interface with the new Festival Plaza and will be a major public attraction. I would like to thank the private donors and corporate partners that have made this possible.
Childrens Artspace will launch as part of a special Family Day celebration on February 19 alongside the reopening of Festival Theatre, including areas of Festival Plaza. Family Day will include free events, activities, and workshops as well as Adelaides first ever Kidtrepreneur Markets, where movers and shakers can create and sell their own wares. Young stall holders (and their trusty assistant adults) can register now here.
The gallery will connect with similar institutions around the world and even exchange exhibitions and digital workshops with places including the Hamada Childrens Museum of Art in Japan and the Childrens Museum of Art in New York. It is also currently in discussions with the International Museum of Childrens Art in Oslo, Norway, and childrens museums around Australia.
Childrens Museum of the Arts is excited to welcome Childrens Artspace to the dialogue on childrens art, and we look forward to many fruitful collaborations between our organisations and between child artists from across the globe.
Many local schools have already signed up to be part of next years four exhibitions. Students will be mentored by local artists who have been specially selected and are graduates from Adelaide Central School of Art, who Childrens Artspace has a partnership with.
Ruby Chew is one of the local artists who has been working with students in years 3-7 at Hackham West School and Keller Road Primary School to create new works for the opening exhibition, titled Kaleidoscope: Playing With Colour.
The exhibition will include paintings and sculptures used to create a large mural and will encourage children to play with colour and texture through expression, new skills and fun.
As a national leader in visual arts education, Adelaide Central School of Art is excited to be partnering with Adelaide Festival Centre to connect Bachelor of Visual Art graduates with South Australian schools to undertake these special artist residencies.
Im especially looking forward to the outcome of the residencies being exhibited in the new Childrens Artspace and giving students the opportunity to share their work with the diverse audiences at Adelaide Festival Centre.
Supported by Adelaide Festival Centre Foundation, Childrens Artspace will be curated by Adelaide Festival Centres Alice Dilger.
With exhibitions created by, and for, the children of South Australia, Childrens Artspace will encourage creativity and expression whilst providing a safe place for discussions around big topics facing children in these challenging times.
Adelaide Festival Centre Foundation is raising money for the Childrens Artspace project which will ensure the next generation of South Australians has an opportunity to participate in, be inspired by and fall in love with the arts.
Childrens Artspace
Location: Artspace Gallery, Adelaide Festival Centre
Entry: Free
Opening Date: Adelaide Festival Centres Family Day, Saturday 19 February 2022, 10am
First Exhibition: Kaleidoscope: Playing With Colour
First Exhibition Artist and Schools: Ruby Chew, Hackham West School and Keller Road Primary School