ArtPlay

Join master drummer and multi-instrumentalist Kofi Kunkpe in a joyful music and movement workshop. Originally from Cape Coast, Ghana, Kofi is a keeper of his culture who is passionate about sharing the songs, dances, and rhythms of West Africa.

You and your child will groove together, try out some pint-sized percussion, and learn songs you can take home to continue the musical exploration with your little one.

Ages Ranges: 14 - 24 months, 2 - 3 years, 3- 5 years, 5 - 7 years. See link in bio to book! 🔗

Join best friends MaaMaa and Nonna in their multicultural kitchen to cook a delicious feast!

There's so much to do in the kitchen, they'll need your help to cook focaccia and mantao for everyone to eat. Can you mix the dough? Mix, mix, mix. Can you knead the dough? Squish, squish, squish. Can you feel the dough between your fingers?

This project is part of ArtPlay’s New Ideas Lab – a program that develops new creative works for children over three stages with collaboration from artists, children and audiences alike.

Artists: Jennifer Tran and Sophia Constantine

Image credit: Darren Gill

Last weekend we celebrated the conclusion of the By Kids For Kids collective with multiple performances of ‘The World Is Lava, Please Calm Down’ (which all sold out a month in advance) as part of Playbound Festival – which was presented by Museums Victoria with City of Melbourne, Melbourne Recital Centre Road to Zero, Gowrie Victoria and us!

The By Kids For Kids program was an ensemble of eight young ideas makers, led by Alex Walker and Hannah Liddeaux from House of Muchness, where they designed and delivered projects for children and families.

We are immensely proud of this season of work by the collective and would like to thank the artists: Blazey, Miwa, Jude, Abel, Bede, Gianne, Matilda, Luca and Otto.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this cutting-edge and innovative curation of children’s art experiences!

Photos by Darren Gill.

🌱 Calling all artists in Jeonju and Melbourne! 🌱

ArtPlay and Jeonju Cultural Foundation are excited to announce an opportunity to join Seedling Sessions 2024, an online artist exchange and professional development project.

Project overview:

Goal: to foster experimental arts and arts education through digital collaboration, bridging cities, cultures, and languages.

Participants: three artists from Jeonju and 3 artists from Melbourne.

Activities: artists will pair up with counterparts from the other city and collaborate online throughout August and September 2024.

Showcase: develop ideas to be presented at the International Forum of Art Play in Jeonju 2024.

Focus: fully online, non-face-to-face creative projects for and/or with children.

Benefits: collaborate and network with international peers, attend interactive online professional development sessions.

Applications close at 6pm, Wednesday July 10.

For more information and to apply: https://bit.ly/4cJZDCw

'Groovy Tunes' is finally back this August and we've got sessions for everyone from 14 months to 7-years-old!

Join master drummer and multi-instrumentalist Kofi Kunkpe in a joyful music and movement workshop. Originally from Cape Coast, Ghana, Kofi is a keeper of his culture who is passionate about sharing the songs, dances, and rhythms of West Africa.

You and your child will groove together, try out some pint-sized percussion, and learn songs you can take home to continue the musical exploration with your little one.

For more information and to book: https://bit.ly/ArtPlay_WhatsOn

Dive into some delightful dinosaur play with 'Inside Out – Dinosaur Dreams' from Thursday July 11 – Sunday July 14 as part of Playbound Festival!

This is a place to get creative with others and let your imagination roaaaaaar. There will be all sorts of dynamic dino materials on hand for you to create artwork or build a play space together.

Explore a different idea and activity each time you visit; make a dinosaur sculpture out of cushions or felt; then turn it into a fabulous home for your fossils. Draw your favourite dinosaur's food or wrap and weave a nest for them using ribbon and rope.

Come face-to-face​​​ with a Tarbosaurus and meet a baby Triceratops and learn all about their lives​. Listen to music and cast dinosaur shadows as you play or have a prehistoric tea party. Anything is possible!​

Playbound is brought to you by Museums Victoria with City of Melbourne, Melbourne Recital Centre, Road to Zero, Gowrie Victoria and us!

This is a free event and bookings are not required, but if we are at capacity you may need to wait.

For more information: https://bit.ly/3zmYt1c

This Thursday – Sunday is your final chance to visit the exhibition 'Wild City' by Kathy Holowko! This exhibition is free, bookings are not required. It's open from 10am – 4pm.

Come and visit a mini city landscape that has been transformed into a wild, thriving, green metropolis – where humans and animals share their habitat. As you explore the exhibition you can use binoculars to discover creatures hiding in wildlife corridors, in nests, or even on green roofs. If you look really hard, you’ll see animals everywhere! Can you find them all?

For more information: https://bit.ly/3xl4f2x

It's World Play Day this Tuesday May 28 and we're celebrating with 'Dance Music Play'! Join dancer, Sally Chance and multi-instrumentalist, Heather Frahn in this interactive ArtPlay program on Zoom.

Come and enjoy sounds, objects and playful environments carefully designed for early years.

Dance Music Play is an invitation for you and your child to turn your home space into a cosy, creative playground and respond as you wish through gentle on-screen interaction to movement, songs and play ideas.

For more information and to book: https://bit.ly/ArtPlay_WhatsOn

The award-winning By Kids For Kids collective is back this July with an epic two-part event, 'The World Is Lava, Please Calm Down', as part of Playbound Festival!

Jump into a physical challenge obstacle course experience followed by a playful investigation of calming techniques.

For more information and to book: https://bit.ly/ArtPlay_WhatsOn

'Tingle Tangle' is back from Thursday May 30 – Sunday June 2 for babies aged 2 to 12 months!

There is a big tangle going on at ArtPlay and we need a whole lot of babies to help stretch it out. Come and stretch, wind, wobble, sing, and play in this big tangle of fun.

Babies, please bring your most playful grownup!

For more information or to book: https://bit.ly/3Kbl1nT

We've been receiving an avalanche of lovely 20th birthday messages from children and parents alike! We thought it'd be remiss to not share some that are giving us all the warm and fuzzies. We hope to see you all back at Birrarung Marr soon!

'Make Do – Round and Round' is back from Thursday May to 9 Friday May 17.

Up and down and round and round, come get messy as we make and do.

Let’s squeeze, throw and roll in this sensory play painting workshop. If a ball goes up, will it come down? What if I roll it round and round? Through process art and creative play, work together to make art that’s all about asking more questions and finding less answers.

For ages 14 to 24 months: https://bit.ly/4be76sD
For ages 2 to 4 years: https://bit.ly/4dgwZKa

'Inside Out' is back this Friday – Sunday, join us and dive into some artful play!

'Inside Out' is a place to get creative with others and let your imagination soar. There will be all sorts of inspiring materials on hand for you to create artwork or build a play space together. Explore a different idea and activity each time you visit; make a sculpture out of cushions or felt; then turn it into a cubby house. Wrap and weave using ribbon and rope. Listen to music and cast shadows as you play or have a tea party. Anything is possible!

This is a free event and booking are not required. 'Inside Out' will run on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10.30am to 12.30pm.

'Beam Me Up, Baby!' is finally back from Thursday May 2 – Sunday May 5!

The universe has shrunk through a black hole and has landed right here at ArtPlay! What are the chances?

Guided by artist Emma Salzano, babies and carers will move through a play-space, meet other babies, listen to music and sounds, and play with textured objects and fabrics.

This is a play space set up for baby adventures full of fun and exploration.

For more information and to book: https://bit.ly/3Uun8t6

'Inside Out' returns from Friday April 19 – Sunday April 28, join us and dive into some artful play!

'Inside Out' is a place to get creative with others and let your imagination soar. There will be all sorts of inspiring materials on hand for you to create artwork or build a play space together. Explore a different idea and activity each time you visit; make a sculpture out of cushions or felt; then turn it into a cubby house. Wrap and weave using ribbon and rope. Listen to music and cast shadows as you play or have a tea party. Anything is possible!

This is a free event and booking are not required. 'Inside Out' will run on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10.30am to 12.30pm.

More information is available here: https://bit.ly/3Q5YYSX

Dive into some artful play with 'Inside Out' from Friday April 19 – Sunday April 28!

'Inside Out' is a place to get creative with others and let your imagination soar. There will be all sorts of inspiring materials on hand for you to create artwork or build a play space together. Explore a different idea and activity each time you visit; make a sculpture out of cushions or felt; then turn it into a cubby house. Wrap and weave using ribbon and rope. Listen to music and cast shadows as you play or have a tea party. Anything is possible!

This is a free event and booking are not required. For more information: https://bit.ly/3Q5YYSX

We are ecstatic to announce that the By Kids For Kids collective have taken home the Green Room award for young audiences!

The Green Room awards were given out at a star-studded ceremony at The Comedy Theatre on Monday night, and the Collective were awarded for their season of 'Don’t Panic Everything is Urgent' at ArtPlay last July.

Blazey and Gianne represented the collective to accept the award and their thoughtful and inspiring speech – calling for more creative works co-created with children, was met with huge cheers from the audience.

Blazey said, “This is just the beginning of what programming that involves young people can look like: Instead of keeping children contained as innocent, passive participants, or having them want to grow up as soon as possible to access power and responsibility, this program says we can be powerful creators at the age we’re at, flourishing makers of now.”

By Kids for Kids is an ArtPlay and House of Muchness program where an ensemble of young idea makers and cultural ambassadors work together to design fun and impactful creative adventures for other children.

We’re so proud of your extraordinary work and we can’t wait to see what the collective comes up with next.

Thank you Gianne, Blazey, Able, Otto, Jude, Matilda, Miwa, Luca, Alex Walker, Hannah Liddeaux, Kate Davis, Jenny Hector, Steph O’Hara, Zak Pidd, Pia Johnson, Theresa Harrison, Dan Giovannoni, Sarah Austin, Sue Giles, the ArtPlay team, the Green Room Association and the Contemporary and Experimental Performance Panel.

'Wearable Art' finally returns this Thursday to Sunday!

Design and make stunning wearable pieces of art using colourful recycled plastics, vintage jewellery, and found objects. Sustainability-focused jeweller, Emma Grace will share the foundations of jewellery design and construction with hints and tricks to make your pieces look fantastic.

You can even bring along a pair of pre-loved shoes to embellish!

Only a few spots remain. For more information and to book, head here: https://bit.ly/3vM6Lyn

The final stage of 'Endling' takes place this Saturday and Sunday – only a few tickets remain!

'Endling' is a brand-new interactive, installation-performance from Barking Spider Creative. 'Endling' offers hope through giving children agency to reimagine and contribute to environmental regeneration.

Dive into another world and discover Endling – the last living creature of its kind. Through play, children are prompted to think about cycles of regeneration and renewal. By the end of each session, we’ll have created a whole world for Endling to live, thrive and call home.

For more information and to book: https://bit.ly/3IleIgP

Our dear friends and local and award-winning physical theatre company, The Wholesome Hour (Kimberley Twiner, Lily Fish, Angela Fouhy and Sunanda Sachatrakul) are rocketing their totally wild, neo-vaudevillian variety show 'Polite Mammals' to the Darebin Arts Centre on Tuesday April 9.

Inspired by iconic '90s Aussie kids TV (The Ferals, Lift Off, Recovery) Polite Mammals celebrates animals of all kinds: real, imaginary, sparkly, stinky, polite and rude!

Through puppetry, dance, original music and absurd mischief, you and your family will be introduced to 20+ animal inspired characters in under an hour. Expect farting skunks, a dancing praying mantis, Frankenstein cockroaches and even a singing bin chicken (AKA ibis) on Tuesday April 9.

Inspired by iconic '90s Aussie kids TV (The Ferals, Lift Off, Recovery) 'Polite Mammals' celebrates animals of all kinds: real, imaginary, sparkly, stinky, polite and rude!

Through puppetry, dance, original music and absurd mischief, you and your family will be introduced to 20+ animal inspired characters in under an hour. Expect farting skunks, a dancing praying mantis, Frankenstein cockroaches and even a singing bin chicken (AKA ibis).

This is all ages Aussie comedy at its silliest!

Suitable for children aged 5 – 10. This show is sensory-friendly.

For more information and to book: https://bit.ly/3xsXPhK

It's time to get messy in the kitchen as MaaMaa and Nonna are back at ArtPlay this April! Then afterwards you can settle down at the table because it’s time to eat!

Join best friends MaaMaa and Nonna in their multicultural kitchen to cook a delicious feast! There’s so much to do in the kitchen, they’ll need your help to cook focaccia and mantao for everyone to eat. Can you mix the dough? Mix, mix, mix. Can you knead the dough? Squish, squish, squish. Can you feel the dough between your fingers?

Discover how much fun it is to cook with your friends as we prepare the dough, get messy, clean up and eat! Delicious.

For more information and to book: https://bit.ly/3PCJ8iq

Our new exhibition 'Wild City' is back open today, tomorrow and Sunday! This exhibition is free, bookings are not required. It's open from 10am – 4pm.

Come and visit a mini city landscape that has been transformed into a wild, thriving, green metropolis – where humans and animals share their habitat. As you explore the exhibition you can use binoculars to discover creatures hiding in wildlife corridors, in nests, or even on green roofs. If you look really hard, you’ll see animals everywhere! Can you find them all?

We're back at Moomba Festival this weekend with 'Morphology' – let your imagination soar amongst a rainbow of interactive neon wires that morph as you play!

Dive into the world where a kaleidoscope of neon wires morph into new creations as you play. Designed to be touched, sculpted, bent and twisted, the wires morph with every interaction. Create something on your own or build a world with others. The sky’s the limit!

Bookings will open at 8am each day of the event from Saturday March 9 – Monday March 11. For more information: https://bit.ly/49CXZ4e

The final stage of 'Endling' takes place on Saturday April 6 and Sunday April 7.

Endling is an interactive installation-performance with puppetry, offering hope through giving children agency to reimagine and contribute to environmental regeneration.

Dive into another world and discover Endling – the last living creature of its kind. Through play, children are prompted to think about cycles of regeneration and renewal. By the end of each session, we’ll have created a whole world for Endling to live, thrive and call home.

For more information and to book: https://bit.ly/3IleIgP

'Collage Nouveau' returns from Thursday April 11 – Sunday April 14!

Go on a journey with your imagination as we dig through old books and magazines and find exciting images that catch your eye. You will learn traditional collage making skills and then turn them on their head as we combine a vibrant mix of recycled materials to complete your artwork.

For more information and to book: https://bit.ly/49R1fc6

'Wearable Art' finally returns this school holidays from Thursday April 11 – Sunday April 14!

Design and make stunning wearable pieces of art using colourful recycled plastics, vintage jewellery, and found objects.

Sustainability-focused jeweller, Emma Grace will share the foundations of jewellery design and construction with hints and tricks to make your pieces look fantastic.

You can even bring along a pair of pre-loved shoes to embellish!

For more information and to book: https://bit.ly/430gqgS

Join us from Saturday March 16 to Saturday March 23 for 'My Shadow Friend and the Wind', in collaboration with the Jeonju Cultural Foundation in Korea.

You walk into a room and there is another child waiting to meet you. But they’re not in Melbourne, they’re in Korea. Right now!

Explore the possibilities for play and conversation without language as you interact with their life-sized image and they with yours. Helped by artists in Melbourne and in Jeonju, you’ll discover new and imaginative ways to connect with each other where words are never needed. Next, you’ll each use translucent hand-crafted Hanji paper to create a life-sized drawing of each other, then head outside and animate these forms in the wind.

Together with the artists, you’ll create a video of your flying paper friend against a backdrop of Melbourne’s Birrarung Marr to send back to your new friends in Jeonju, and they’ll send one back to you!

Very few tickets remain, book here: https://bit.ly/3URTzCn