The NGV Kids Summer Festival returns in 2022

The NGV Kids Summer Festival returns to NGV International and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia in 2022 with nine days of FREE artist-led activities, events, performances and dance workshops created for kids, teens and their families. The festival will run from 15 – 23 January 2022.

Reflecting the festival’s theme ‘Art for the whole family’ the 2022 festival will offer activities including dance performances by Indigenous Outreach Projects and L2R, art-making activities inspired by NGV’s summer program and Relaxed Sessions in the new kid’s exhibition The Gecko and the Mermaid: Djerrkŋu Yunupiŋu and Her Sister.

Kids Summer Festival highlights include:

Big and Bold Jewellery making with Haus of Dizzy

In this workshop created by Wiradjuri designer Kristy Dickinson, from Haus of Dizzy, kids will learn how to make paper jewellery designs inspired by the costume pieces in the NGV summer exhibition Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto. Dickinson will teach families how to create super-sized paper bracelets using accessible materials in a new and exciting way.

Paper Hats with Architecture for Kids School

Architect and educator Louise O’Brien, from Architecture for Kids School, will lead a paper hat-making activity in the Great Hall inspired by the NGV Garden and the 2021 NGV Architecture Commission pond[er], a pink pond inspired by inland Victoria’s pink salt lakes. O’Brien will demonstrate how kids can make sculptural hats using paper and craft materials to design their own wearable architecture.

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Dance performances

Families can dance along to lunchtime performances in the Great Hall throughout the festival presented by creative hip-hop group Indigenous Outreach Projects, who work with Indigenous communities across Australia, and Footscray-based organisation L2R, who deliver dance programs, performances and workshops for children and young people across Melbourne’s Western suburbs. Selected performances will be accompanied by Auslan interpreters.

Kids Disco Parties

Trent Ray from Kids Disco Parties Melbourne will lead dance workshops for families to learn easy-to-follow moves for children as young as two years old and encourage kids to express themselves through dance and play.

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The Gecko and the Mermaid: Djerrkŋu Yunupiŋu and Her Sister

NGV’s new kid’s exhibition celebrates the vibrant culture and community of the Yolŋu people through the work of two pioneering artists and sisters. The exhibition features artworks depicting creatures including geckos, turtles, and lizards and will introduce young audiences to Yolŋu art, culture and language and provide an opportunity for children and families to learn more about and engage with the rich culture from North-East Arnhem Land.

Relaxed sessions

Early morning relaxed sessions for The Gecko and the Mermaid: Djerrkŋu Yunupiŋu and Her Sister will be running Monday 17 to Friday 21 January from 8.30 am – 10.00 am. Relaxed sessions provide an opportunity for young visitors with autism or disability who may benefit from a quieter experience to access the children’s exhibition before the Gallery opens with fewer visitors and reduced sensory stimuli. There will also be sensory maps available to help visitors navigate the exhibition.

NGV Teens Styling a Look

This two-hour workshop led by Melbourne-based fashion stylist and creative director Aurie Indianna will teach teens industry-first knowledge about becoming a stylist, preparing for photo shoots and styling celebrities. Indianna’s clients include rapper Baker Boy, singer Elliot and hotel W Melbourne.

Playgroups Victoria drop-by sessions

Not-for-profit organisation Playgroups Victoria will host drop-by playgroups in the Asian Art Gallery at NGV International encouraging young families to build social communities and facilitating sensory-based activities responding to key themes in current NGV exhibitions including cultural diversity, use of everyday materials and experimentation.

Activity trails

Activity sheets will be available throughout the festival inviting families to explore the NGV. Yolŋu author, filmmaker and artist Siena Mayutu Wurmarri Stubbs has created an activity trail in collaboration with NGV to lead families on bird-watching expeditions in the Grollo Equiset garden. Activity sheets will also guide visitors through the NGV Collection to discover family favourite artworks and to the Maree Clarke: Ancestral Memories exhibition at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia to learn about Possum-skin cloaks through Clarke’s work.

Date: 15 – 23 January 2022
Location: NGV International and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia
Price: FREE. Bookings are recommended for all events. The capacity for in-person events may be limited due to social distancing.

More information

Main image: L2R performers prepare for their performances at NGV Kids Summer Festival 2022 running from 15–23 January. Photo: Eugene Hyland

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