'kids: Contemporary Australia' Activities And Resources For Families And Teache

19 November 2008

`KIDS: CONTEMPORARY AUSTRALIA' ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCES
FOR FAMILIES AND TEACHERS



The `Contemporary Australia: Optimism'
exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art offers
a range of free activities, programs and
resources for Queensland children, families
and teachers until February 22, 2009.


Queensland Art Gallery Director Tony Ellwood said the `Kids: Contemporary Australia' program
included interactive art works and projects by eleven Australian artists in the exhibition, the
Summer Festival and touring component to regional Queensland in January, as well as kids
animation film programs.

`Education programs for teachers and students in conjunction with `Contemporary Australia:
Optimism' include professional development activities and online curriculum resources,' Mr
Ellwood said.

``Kids: Contemporary Australia' continues the commitment of the Gallery's Children's Art Centre to
innovative, educational and entertaining activities for children which encourage contemporary art
and ideas.

`11 artists have created an activity that relates to and expands on the ideas and themes of their
work in the exhibition.

`The 11 interactive art works and projects in `Kids: Contemporary Australia' encourage children to
explore and discover the fresh and imaginative ways Australian artists consider the world.

`Younger audiences can re-create miniature versions of their dream home in Claire Healy and
Sean Cordeiro's `Rock the house' activity, or explore and make their own studio drawings on gold-
framed templates in Michael Zavros's `Studioland'.

`Young visitors will also be able to engage and learn more about the works in the exhibition
through art work labels created especially for them,' he said.
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Mr Ellwood said an exciting part of the program would be the 11-day `Kids: Contemporary Australia
Summer Festival' to be held at the Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art from
Friday, January 16 to Monday, January 26, 2009.

`The Summer Festival will be the place to be these school holidays, with exciting, free
performances, artist-run workshops and activities.

`A specially designed film program `From the Outback to the Islands: Animation by Kids' will show
in the Australian Cinmathque during the festival,' he said.

Mr Ellwood said young people across the state would also have the chance to experience the
exhibition with a one-day event to be held on Saturday, January 17, 2009.

``Kids: Contemporary Australia on Tour' will present a selection of the artists' activities at a range of
regional centres including Mackay, Bundaberg, Gladstone and Toowoomba.

Queensland Art Gallery Deputy Director, Programming and Corporate Services, Andrew Clark said
the Gallery's educational programs offered a range of opportunities for students and teachers to
engage with `Contemporary Australia: Optimism'.

`Teachers can access a range of the Look Out professional development programs, such as
exhibition viewing and information sessions on November 29, 2008 and exclusive workshops with
exhibiting artists on February 7, 2009,' Mr Clark said.

`A specially created online teacher resource featuring interviews with a range of artists in the
exhibition is also available from the Gallery's website,' he said.

`Meanwhile, in late February we have a special one-day New Wave workshop event for young
people with acclaimed street artist Regan Tamanui,' he said.

More information on `Kids: Contemporary Australia' and the `Kids: Contemporary Australia Summer
Festival' is available at www.qag.qld.gov.au/optimism_kids

For further information on the Look Out programs for teachers and the New Wave program for
young people, please visit www.qag.qld.gov.au/education

The Children's Art Centre is sponsored by Santos.

ENDS




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