Pastello – Draw Act at the NGV using a crayon studded helmet to draw
My son was crying the other morning. Crying about art. He just recently celebrated his hundredth day of Prep but he has already discovered that he is particularly good at reading and maths. It was a Wednesday and he has art on Wednesdays and he didn’t want to go to school because he “wasn’t good at art”. Let’s forget for the moment that actually he is a pretty good drawer, certainly much better than I ever was as a kid. He told me that he couldn’t draw the pictures as well as his art teacher could, and some of the girls in his class. His perfectionism disturbed me, more so because it resonated with my own childhood experience. I learnt very quickly what I was good at and put aside all other activities that I may have enjoyed, but where I wasn’t the best. The result – if there was a creative aspect of my personality to begin with it has atrophied almost to non-existence. I was not going to sit back and idly let that happen to my kid. It was time for a trip to the art gallery.
Paola Pivi sculpture at the NGV – I couldn’t resist this Mum and bub polar bear pair.
The first thing to greet us at National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) international was a psychedelic troupe of feathered polar bears. If I had been looking for the perfect introduction to hush the complaints on the way to the gallery that “I don’t want to go and just look at a lot of paintings on a wall” this was it. Paola Pivi’s exhibition “You started it…I finish it”, on display until August the 31st in NGV’s Federation Court is whimsical and fun – the only downside we were not of course allowed to cuddle the sculptures.
Even my littlest bub admired the roof of the NGV’s great hall
It is a tradition for visitors to lie on the floor of the NGV’s Great Hall and admire the stained glass window roof. My older children did this with their dad, looking for shapes and colors. What I loved though was that my youngest, only five months old was entranced by the roof as well. She gazed and cooed for a full ten minutes looking up at it in her pram.
Pastello: Draw Act at the NGV
We struck gold when we encountered the exhibit “Pastello – Draw Act” by Italian studio Mathery. If I was looking for an experience that would subvert my son’s ideas as art as perfection this was it. The boldly coloured exhibit engages kids (and adults – we played there too) to draw using their heads and feet. The boys rolled giant crayon balls over white surfaces to create pictures, and rubbed paper over crayon sculptures to create artwork that they then displayed in the exhibit. Pastello – Draw Act is art that is immersive and fun. If you want to experience Pastello – Draw Act (and believe me, if you have young kids you do) you have to be quick. The exhibit closes on August the 31st.
My son hanging his masterpiece (a cyclops) in the Pastello: Draw Act exhibition at the NGV
Pastello: Draw Act at the NGV
Finally, we had beautiful weather during our visit to the NGV – perfect to enjoy their permanent outdoor sculpture garden. Once again our kids were exposed to an immersive art environment where there was room to play. The garden includes a giant climbing frame as art.
NGV Sculpture Garden
I guess the surprise for me is that there has been an immediate change in my son’s feeling about art since our visit to the NGV. Rather than drawing pictures and then screwing them up because he thinks they are no good he is instead creating abstract and playful art himself. An example – cardboard covered in drawings of fingers then has two of his wriggling fingers poked through as well.
NGV Sculpture Garden
The NGV displays an obvious commitment to engaging kids in the creative process. They offer various art programs for kids, sell art activity books for kids in their shop and have both permanent and transient exhibits that are fabulous for families. They also have downloadable free kids trails for various exhibits on their website. You can read their own tips for exploring their gallery with kids here. The best part is that entry to all the exhibits we experienced was free.
NGV International is located at 180 St Kilda Road Melbourne.
Bubs on the Move provides tips and advice for parents traveling with small children including attraction and accommodation reviews. You can join us on Facebook or Twitter to receive updates to your news feed.
This post is linked to #Weekend Wanderlust over at A Southern Gypsy.
What a great museum for kids. Especially, when they can interact and create art for themselves. I can see why the ceiling can be mesmerizing. Thanks for linking up with us at #WeekendWanderlust.