Art Express 2017 - a refuge from the rain

Art Express at the Art Gallery of NSW has turned into one of our yearly day adventures. An inspiring day for children (and adults) of all ages that continues the conversation of art well after leaving.

Art Express 2017 
until the 23 April
Art Gallery of NSW

Genext - New Romance: Art and the Posthuman | Museum of Contemporary Art

My daughter (15) went to MCA's Genext evening New Romance: Art and the Posthuman  on Sunday. The event is for teens aged between 12 and 18, where they get the run of the museum. (images by Mischa)

More info 

Friday Finds

+ Best Sunday evening in Sydney for over 12's (and it's free too)
+  Got space lovers at home? The Final Frontier in Melbourne might be right up their alley
+ HIPPO! HIPPO!
+ It's an old one but we still love it
+ Kidlolly - Where have you gone?
+ Travelling with kids with Zig Zag - Would be great to see a Sydney version
+ Catch Mustang in the cinemas with your teens
+ On our list for August

BIG Kids Magazine - Contribution call out

BIG Kids Magazine have announced their next issues (issue 10) theme is HUMAN.

1. *CREATE and CONTRIBUTE your response to the theme Human. You can write, film, paint, dance, draw, sew or sing your contributions which will be considered for publication on their blog, and/or in the pages of BIG Kids Magazine.

2. SEND high resolution print quality images, sound bites, videos or word docs  of your work to submit@bigkidsmagazine.com including the title of the work, your name, age (if you’re a child) and location.

Waverley Council Art Prize 2016

Budding artists aged 9-18 are encouraged to enter the Waverley Council Art Prize, entries are welcome across a broad range of mediums including drawing, painting, sculpture, video and animation. The Youth Art Prize offers over $3000 in prizes.  Opening night for the announcement of winners and performances by stunning Circus folk.

Opening: 6pm, Thursday 2 June 2016

Exhibition dates: 2─28 June
Artworks and applications are due to be delivered to the Waverley Library from Monday 9 – 20 May.

Art Month Sydney | Youth and Families

Last night we attended the opening evening of Art Month Sydney 2015 at the National Art School. The family program is full of architecture, photography and art experiences for your young ones. It is also wonderful to branch out the family program for older children.

Art Month Sydney - March 2015
various venues

Our school holidays

• The Walking Neighbourhood at Art and About Sydney. 
• The Witches at Griffin Theatre - the marvellous Guy Edmonds made this Roald Dahl adaption his own.
• Stop Making Sense - My youngest son and I celebrated the 30th anniversary of Talking Heads Stop Making Sense at Golden Age Cinema
• Paper Planes film preview - which inspired paper planes being made throughout the holidays. If you walk past our house you will spot the paper planes left scattered along our street (our review will be out closer to the films release).

(A little early) Arts Rocket Friday Finds

Posting our Friday Finds an evening earlier  to share some exciting events happening over the school holidays and beyond.

• 13 rooms - Kaldor Public Art Projects - Fantastic kids workshops over the school holidays all inspired by 13 rooms (curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Klaus Biesenbach).  Animation, sculpture and movement.
• The MCA have some fun drop in Contemporary Kids workshops - Cardboard City   and  Junior Art School. They also encourage families to come along to their annual Zine fair on the 26th May
• If you didn't catch Olafur Eliasson last time - make sure you don't miss him this time at the Sherman Gallery.  Especially if you have kids that love lego!
• This school holidays you can't go past seeing The List Operators 6D within the Kids at the House program.

My Monster Art - Artist: Jet

Over the weekend my son was invited to an art exhibition of a friend from school.  Jet is only nine years old but already  has an extremely distinctive style.  The exhibition was held in his home and friends and family gathered to support Jets new adventure in the art world.  When Jet is not too busy playing sport or downloading music you will find him home with a pen in his hand.

To view Jets gallery of work visit http://mymonsterart.tumblr.com/archive
Any enquiries contact info@artsrocket.org

Quick Picks: Last days of Holidays

source

Last days of the holidays...Here are some quick picks to keep you busy.

• Build with artists Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan within their cardboard village on Thursday
• Children's Film night at the Nicholson Gallery on Thursday evening
• On Friday go to your local library,  get the kids their own membership card and let them get lost amongst the books.
• A Spanish family film on Saturday morning
• Catch a ferry Biennale Family Day at Cockatoo Island on Sunday

Arts Rocket Friday Finds

Image: Lotta magazine

• Documentary I am Eleven screening 25th March focuses on fifteen 11 year old children from around the world
• Ad free magazine  Lotta Magazine  for kids aged 5 - 10 years. We love their Place in a Case pictured above. 
• Also check out their blog!
• Stop-animation and claymation fun at the Maritime Museum 
• Jitter - Illuminations  - Special screenings of Australian animation featuring Shaun Tan and Adam Elliot
• Japanese Cinema Week -  Free screenings from 16 - 20th April - including Studio Ghibli's Porrco Rosso
• Fun ideas over at Classic-Play

Arts Rocket Friday Finds

• La la Land colouring books featuring Australian and International artists
• Sign up camera loving  kids to the Art House Co-op Series 
• Sydney Opera House goes  Lego  
• Film festivals in Sydney with great family films - check out French Film Festival, Young at Heart and the Silent Film Festival
• Pop up Paper Zoo at Tinkerlab

GOMA - Matisse | Pip & Pop | Yayoi Kusama

Last week we were in Brisbane visiting family but we also managed to fit in a visit to the Gallery of Modern Art.

Matisse - Drawing Life
This is an  impressive exhibition that features over 300 works on paper by Henri Matisse and is the most comprehensive exhibition of Matisse's prints and drawings ever mounted.

My youngest son (aged 8) was not very keen but my daughter (aged 10) who loves to draw any moment she can get was fascinated with the simple lines and shading Matisse used to create beautiful drawings.

My son did gain interest when we entered the Drawing Room, a large scaled studio.  They both grabbed a board, art paper and pencil to sit amongst other artists to draw just like Matisse.   There are also a selection of interactive tablets available to draw upon  and email your finished artwork to family or friends.  The studio is filled with sculptures, furniture, still - life arrangements and models - plenty of
inspiration.
     

       

• This is a great introduction to Matisse  to check out before you visit - Matisse for Kids

Matisse - Drawing Life runs until the 3rd March
Cost:  Children under 12: free, Adults: $20, Family: 2 adults 2 children ( aged 13- 17) $50

Yayoi Kusama | Look Now, See Forever
We first experienced the vibrant Japanese artist  Yayoi Kusama at the MCA with her exhibition Mirrored Years in 2009. This new exhibition, Look Now, See Forever features new work by the artist that all families will love.

Giant shiny pumpkins greet us as we enter (very tempting to touch - but not allowed), blooming flower sculptures look over us as we pass by and Dots Obsession again tempts us to touch the giant balloons.


A favourite for everyone was the Obliteration room - a completely white room that encourages children to fill with multi-coloured dots.   Kids will enjoy being part of this installation and not being restrained from  touching.  We had a lot of fun finding spaces for our dots.

    

• You can see the progress of the Obliteration room here. 
• The exhibition features painting, sculpture, video and installation
• Children can take photos but not with a flash

Look Now, See Forever runs until March 11th
Cost: Free

Pip & Pop | we miss you magic land!
My daughter and I visited the Japan Foundation 2009 exhibition "Under the crystal sky" of this talented Perth-based duo and we were delighted to see that  we could experience it all again.  GOMA commissioned Pip & Pop (Nicole Andrijevic and Tanya Schultz) to create  a new sugar coated world.    'We miss you magic land!' is absolutely beautiful.

My kids loved moving from one  area to the next and discover the sugary lands and inhabitants.  Children can also lay down on a mat to take in the creations hanging from above.   At the end of the exhibition  they have the opportunity create their own virtual magic land online featuring themselves running around in  the world of of Pip & Pop.   My children are still using the interactive game at home to create new worlds.

we miss you magic land runs until the 4th March 2012.
Cost: Free

Not in Brisbane?
If you  are unable to get to Brisbane to see any of these exhibitions - families can still interact online with a selection of games for kids.   They can fill a room with dots, draw like Matisse and create their own fantasy land.

Memberships at GOMA
This season new family memberships also receive a copy of "Drawing Life for kids: My Art Journal".
More info:  http://qag.qld.gov.au/members/gallery_membership

Location:
Stanley Place, South Bank
Brisbane
http://qag.qld.gov.au/

Outpost | Cockatoo Island

We are planning to check out Outpost at Cockatoo Island after friends came back from the Opening weekend raving about the event. Over 4 weeks until the 1oth Dec - Outpost will transform the island to a wonderland of urban art with the help of 150 artists sourced from around the world.

There are plenty of kids programs to make the trip for the whole family worthwhile and you can also pick up a kids activity guide or take a family tour.

Pack the camera in for the kids so they can explore and document their discoveries.

More info visit http://outpost.cockatooisland.gov.au/

Performance, Art, Animation + Design in July School Holidays

Image: Cynthia Sciberras

School Holidays are fast approaching... What do you have planned? Here is a quick overview of some great ideas in Sydney for all ages to explore.

PERFORMANCE

Aleksander and the Robot Maid | 1- 9 July | Seymour

Part of the new Reginald season, this Australian play written by Caleb Lewis looks like fun for all ages. An original steam - punk adventure where childhood curiosity and friendship prevail.

Age group: 8 to 108 years

Boat | 4- 16 July | Darlinghurst Theatre

Terrapin Theatre brings this piece about mariners Jof and Nic and their captivating journey on the high seas to the stage.

Age group: 5 to 12 years

Emily Eyefinger | 11- 16 July | Seymour Centre

Based on Duncan Ball series, Emily Eyefinger is the story of an adventurous heroine, Emily, who born with an extraordinary gift, an eye on the end of her finger.

Age Group: 5- 10 years

Hairspray | Until 7 August | Lyric Theatre

Based on the John Waters film, "Hairspray" looks like a great option if you have kids that love to sing and dance. Introduce them to the world of musicals.

ART, ANIMATION AND DESIGN

Look at me: What do you see? | 4 - 15 July | Art Gallery of NSW

The kids can explore the new contemporary galleries at the Art Gallery of NSW with the stress free "Look at me: What do you see?" Interactive character tour.

Age Group: 3 and over

Stop Motion! Workshop | 11 - 13 July | PACT

Work with experienced animator Lucinda Clutterbuck to learn and develop animation skills using pixilation and stop motion photography with digital camera, and a combination of digital and traditional image making.

Age group: 13- 15 years

Architectural Science for Kids | 5-7 and 12-14 July | Powerhouse Museum

Architecture is a practical application of design and engineering. In this hands on workshop children will create architectural structures.

Age Group: 8 - 12 years

+ DISCOVER

Underbelly Arts - The Lab | 3-12 July | Cockatoo Island

Visit Cockatoo Island for a free daily tour to watch the Underbelly artists at work and learn about their projects they create, build experiment, workshop, write and rehearse a diverse program of work.

Every child is an artist - Picasso

When my eldest son (who is now 12 almost 13) declared to me at the age of 3 that he could not draw ...I boosted his confidence in his drawing skills and he produced a drawing of spiderman lifting weights, which to this day makes me laugh.

Kids have an ability to draw with humour and freedom we lose as adults.

My two youngest have just rediscovered Ed Emberley. In a springclean, the Jumbo drawing book was found hidden away in our collection of books. If you have a child that is not confident in their drawing skills or one that wants to learn more - Ed Emberly is your man. He shows in basic step by step how to create fun drawings with easy instructions.

Ways to encourage your little artist:

• Have a drawing time after dinner, dont judge just enjoy
• I gave my kids a small spiral notebook to write down ideas for drawing (it had string that went around their neck) so it went with them everywhere.
• Take them to exhibitions
• Encourage and Inspire
• Always have pencils and paper on your main table...they will be attracted by it
• Make space on a wall for a gallery
• The more they draw the more they love drawing

Art Adventure | Art Month | 1- 31 March 2011

I am in the process of updating the look and features of Arts Rocket....our blog will be back to normal next week. (my apologies for any bugs!)

In the meantime, there is a week left to check out the kids (and adults!) programme for ART MONTH Sydney 2011.

Download the Art Adventure Gallery Guide designed for families to explore various galleries around Sydney.

Alive and Kicking - OTYP

The youth in Hay have had the opportunity to learn and explore drama, dance, stop motion animation, sculpture, puppetry, creating landscapes from recycled materials and photography under the guidance of OTYP Artistic Director, Mandy Field.

Workshops have been held in various locations around Hay after school and on Saturdays, during the school holidays and in schools with a huge variety of work created. On Saturday the 4th Dec this work will be brought together in an exhibition and performance where young people will share their talents and creativity with the community.

Saturday’s event will include live performances by young people and the puppets they’ve created, films and dance videos made by the young people and displays of sculpture, photography and landscapes. This will be a day of colour, music and life in a celebration of what it is to be young in this community.

For more information visit: http://www.outbacktheatre.com.au/

Visit an Artists Studio this weekend

Art is for everyone – that is the message of this weekend’s START Fest to both art lovers and the curious alike.

As part of the month long Art & About Sydney Public Arts Festival, 17 studios in Annandale, Alexandria, East Sydney, Leichardt, Lilyfield, Mosman, Newtown, Redfern, Rozelle, St Peters andSurry Hills will collectively open their doors to the general public for the first time with over 90 artists on hand to demonstrate the personality and story behind their work.

16 - 17 October | NSW

For more information visit: http://www.startfest.com.au

Ready to get Sketchen?

Odosketch is a fun online tool that lets the user draw on the screen as if they were using a sketch book.  Great rainy day distraction!

Odosketch seeks to recreate the decidedly non-digital experience of working with a sketchbook. Its papery textures, variety of brushes and intentional imperfections make you forget you're working on a screen.