The new gallery includes the latest in children's interactives. © Simon Webb photography
The Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool launched a new gallery dedicated to its younger visitors called Big Art for Little Artists on March 31 2006.
Designed for children to discover art through looking, touching, listening and doing the new children’s gallery provides a launch pad for discovering the Walker’s world famous collections.
“Visitors to the Walker Art Gallery will be surprised by and delighted with the new Big Art children’s gallery,” said Ann Bukantas, the Walker’s Fine Art Curator.
“We welcome thousands of children through our doors every year, but this is the first time we have created a space that is dedicated towards their enjoyment of the gallery and its collections.”
There is plenty to keep little hands - and minds - busy. © Simon Webb photography
The new gallery is in fact the first time a national art gallery in the UK has developed a gallery just for its younger visitors. Utilising a space that has been closed to the public since 1938, Big Art for Little Artists has been specifically designed for children up to age eight as a safe, friendly and accessible gallery to keep mini-visitors occupied.
It features a wide variety of objects from the Walker’s own collection, including paintings, sculptures, toys, ceramics and costume, but it also encourages learning through play and consists of a series of themed zones.
A Doing Zone focuses on topics such as nature and provides the opportunity to look, touch, draw and make. A Little Art Gallery allows children to display the results of their creativity.
Further zones include a Dressing Up Zone that complements the Walker’s art collection and a Story Zone that features a theatre, puppet theatre and displays including paintings; toy trains, Dinky toys and dolls house furniture.
Who's calling please? © Simon Webb photography
“We are looking forward to seeing even more children at the Walker, whether with families or schools - and hopefully many of them will be coming here for the first time,” added Bukantas.
A key element of the gallery is a Silly Sums display, which again uses items in the collection to teach children the numbers 1 to 10. Elsewhere an audio guide has been recorded by children’s author Shirley Hughes and features some of her poems whilst actors are on hand to treat children to regular storytelling sessions.
At a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by some key Liverpool celebrities, including Beryl Bainbridge and David Swift, the Chairman of National Museums Liverpool Loyd Grossman stressed the importance of the gallery as “the only children’s gallery in a national gallery.” He also singled out the charity The Jacob’s Trust as key benefactor in the success of the gallery.
The approach to interpretation has been developed with the Little Artists, an art collective created by British artists John Cake and Darren Neave. The two exhibited at the Walker in 2005/6 with a mischievous series of Lego interpretations of modern art works including Damien Hirst’s Shark and Tracey Emin’s Bed. They have helped to create activities and create trails around the gallery.
With thanks to Simon Webb photography for permission to use images.
