ArtPlay has provided many diverse and innovative programs for children and their families.
Page Content
The following programs are a snapshot of the types of events and activities we've provided.
Artists considering making an
expression of interest for our New Ideas Lab may find the information about previous programs useful for developing their proposals.
Artists: various
Delivered: 2009 to current
The Backyard Program was part of the Australia Council-funded ACCESS Initiative researched by the University of Melbourne at ArtPlay. It investigated how to broaden and deepen access to ArtPlay through a free public workshop program held outdoors.
In partnership with the City of Melbourne Urban Design team, the researchers studied how children and families play and make art outdoors, informing the ongoing design of the ArtPlay outdoor space and future ArtPlay programming. The ArtPlay Backyard is now a regular feature of the ArtPlay program.
‘Can we please go to City Park and play in the sand?’
Child participant to grandmother between sessions
‘I don’t know what it is. I don’t know, but I’m going to make it.’
Child participant
‘Often as designers we don't get nearly enough time watching kids in the actual space or users in the actual space that we're designing.’ Jeff Nelson, Landscape designer, ArtPlay Backyard
Coordinator: Greg Alexander
Delivered: 2005 to 2012
Inspired by the UK Campaign for Drawing, The Big Draw has been a key program at ArtPlay over many years. Coordinated by artist Greg Alexander from 2005 to 2012, artists have conducted workshops in schools introducing children to collaborative drawing, chaos theory drawing, blind contour drawing and tape drawing, to mention just a few of the techniques explored. For a weekend each year The Big Draw comes to ArtPlay for free all day drawing sessions for children and families.
‘At The Big Draw we used different techniques to make pictures and displayed them. There were lots of different drawing activities. Some of the activities had rules to follow. It was interesting to see everyone’s finished pictures on display. Even though we followed the same rules they all looked very different.’ E-Art blogger Tayger
2009 to 2012
Eco-cubby was a workshop program for primary school children that placed architects and designers in schools to promote the concept of sustainable design.
Through the development of an Eco-Cubby students engaged in challenging dialogues about sustainability, developed an understanding of the design process and were encouraged to adopt sustainable living principles.
Eco-Cubby is a partnership between the City of Melbourne and Regional Arts Victoria.
Performed by: Wayne Thorpe and Martin Brunsden
Developed by: Wayne Thorpe, Martin Brunsden, Nico Brown and Shellie Morris
Dramaturgy: Jen Andersen
Developed and delivered: 2010 to 2012
Bushhh was a collaboration by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal artists. This interactive show for pre-schoolers gave children and families some knowledge of the importance of the bush to Aboriginal culture. The show had a focus on the birds and animals of the Australian bush, and used simple musical interludes, call and response, and the Gunnai Aboriginal language.
Director: Sally Chance
Performers: Heather Frahn, Fleicia Hick, Stephen Noonan, Tuula Roppola
Assistant: Kat Worth
ArtPlay seasons: 2011 and 2012
‘This [Baby] Life! explores the moment-by-moment fascination of a baby’s interaction with their world and with their adults. Our aim is to meet our audiences of babies in a two-way experience which offers them dances, sounds and images to view from a safe distance and which responds to their own sounds and movements in ways which invite them to voyage bravely out to meet us.’ Sally Chance
Led by Jen Andersen, the first season of This (Baby) Life at ArtPlay inspired an investigation by a small group of artists into how to develop other work for babies for our program. Arts experiences for babies are now an integral part of the ArtPlay program.
Artist: Ingrid Weisfelt
Delivered: 2012
Dancer, choreographer and director Ingrid Weisfelt worked with 15 children aged 5 to 8 years and performer Vincent Crowley over three weeks to create a 30 minute public performance. The performance was structured using games children play and was inspired by individual interviews with the children about their fears, dreams and desires.
Video: Flights of Fancy
Artist: Gillian Howell
Delivered: 2012
Children, both experienced and new to music composed pieces using graphic and new visual notation. ‘We experiment with structure. We move the individual images around, making decisions about how to begin, how to end, and where to put a few surprises or unexpected moments. The children know about these kinds of musical conventions. They might not know how to name them, but they recognise what we are trying to do and offer all sorts of thoughtful and creative suggestions. The more I move the images around, and follow their instructions and suggestions, the greater ownership they feel over the piece.’ Gillian Howell
Artist: Erica Rasumussen
Delivered: 2012
Paint What You Hear introduced children to new ways of experiencing visual arts and music, by combining the two art forms.
The Ad Hoc Music Collective and rock duo Afterwhite provided inspiration for painting volume, pitch, texture, mood and pure energy in individual and wild group canvases.
Video: Paint What You Hear featuring Afterwhite and Ad Hoc Music Collective
Artist: Jens Altheimer
Delivered: 2012
Over three days, 17 children built a big contraption with everyday recycled objects. Children joined artist Jens Altheimer to learn about the physics behind a few quirky mechanisms and then set to work constructing their own crazy inventions with shoes, watering cans, balls, pulleys and planks.
Video: Ingenious contraptions at ArtPlay, snippets
Artist: TPO, in collaboration with Insite Arts and Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists
ArtPlay seasons: 2009 and 2011
Saltbush follows the journey of two friends travelling through the Australian landscape. Their story is told through song, storytelling and dance, using a touch sensitive carpet. The travellers’ steps trigger image, sound and animation in a magical performance that brings understandings to the complexities of Indigenous kinship, lore, relationship to the land, and reconciliation. The show was supported by ArtPlay and created by Italian theatre company Compagnia TPO, in collaboration with Insite Arts and Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists.
Video: Saltbush - Childrens Cheering Carpet - Promo
Artist: Charlie Sublet
Delivered: 2011
Visual Hunter Gatherer, Charlie Sublet, took children hunting for overlooked simple treasures like a crack in a wall that looks like a vein or a flower that moves like a dancer. Children then used cameras and sketch books to create their own treasure hunts for the area around ArtPlay. Their work culminated in a wonderful exhibition at ArtPlay and a series of treasure hunts available for anyone to download from Charlie Sublet's website.
Artist: Hayley Rivers
Delivered: 2011
The artist Paul Klee once said, ‘a drawing is simply a line going for a walk’. Artist Hayley Rivers asked, ‘What if you took a streamer, a torch or a tennis ball for a walk?’.
Over a year Hayley and ArtPlay children and families created a series of drawings with unusual objects and different forms of motion, culminating in an exhibition of their work.
Video: Artplay Light Drawing
Artist: MSO ArtPlay Graduate Ensemble, Gillian Howell and MSO musicians
Delivered: 2011
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and ArtPlay have worked together for over ten years to facilitate programs of transformative musical engagement with children from diverse backgrounds. The MSO ArtPlay Graduate Ensemble gives young musicians opportunities to create music and perform with guest artists.
Beethoven Re-Imagined was a collaborative composition program that brought together 22 young musicians aged 10 to 16, eight tertiary musicians and 11 musicians of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. The project was directed by UK composer Fraser Trainer.
‘My group got to work with a cool conductor from the UK called Fraser Trainer, and he taught us some useful beats and tricks which we put into what he called ‘material’ and left to be used in our song later.’ E-Art blogger Orla.
Video: MSO – No More These Sounds