Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Kids on Tour Program brings interactive contemporary fun to Caloundra Regional Gallery

Exciting interactive activities for children created by a leading international artist and the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) will visit Caloundra Regional Gallery on Saturday, May 3 from 10am to 1pm.

The Kids on Tour program, proudly supported by the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, includes hands-on making activities and multimedia interactives developed in collaboration with Chinese-born, New York-based artist, Cai Guo-Qiang, whose landmark exhibition Falling Back to Earth is showing at GOMA in Brisbane until May 11.

Division 2 Councillor Tim Dwyer said it’s a real thrill for Sunshine Coast Council to host QAGOMA’s Kids on Tour program.

“As part of the Caloundra Regional Gallery’s Kids Club monthly activities, the tour brings an exciting international flare and fun to our region’s kids,” Cr Dwyer said.

QAGOMA Director Chris Saines said the popularity of the exhibition and the accompanying Children’s Art Centre project Let’s Create an Exhibition with a Boy Named Cai had been overwhelming, with 60,000 children visiting GOMA since it opened in November.

“Kids on Tour and Let’s Create an Exhibition with a Boy Named Cai are proudly supported by the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation. The Children’s Art Centre at GOMA is sponsored by Santos,” Mr Saines said.

“We are very excited to be able to share the project with audiences in regional Queensland.

‘‘Kids on Tour reinterprets Cai Guo-Qiang’s popular Bridge Crossing activity, first staged for the Kids’ APT program at the Third Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art in 1999, in which children use bamboo and masking tape to create their own small bridges inspired by the artist’s work.

“It also features activities from Let’s Create an Exhibition with a Boy Named Cai, inviting children to participate in Cai’s working methods and create their own miniature exhibitions.

“Visitors can make their own small-scale installations using templates designed by the artist, and create spectacular multimedia gunpowder drawings.

“A short animated film about the art and globe-trotting adventures of Cai Guo-Qiang will also screen.”

The QAGOMA Children’s Art Centre is sponsored by Santos GLNG.

Santos Vice President Queensland Trevor Brown said as a proud Australian company, Santos has a strong track record of investing the benefits of a world-class gas industry back into community events.

“We’re delighted to support the Kids on Tour program, which will bring cutting edge art activities to children throughout Queensland,” Mr Brown said.

“Helping to bring this interactive art project to regional Queensland is just one example of how Santos GLNG is delivering benefits for communities across the state.”

Please note Kids Club has been cancelled for April as Caloundra Regional Gallery will be closed for maintenance until April 8. Kids Club is a free event at the gallery every first Saturday of the month. Children must be accompanied by a parent/adult guardian and should wear appropriate protective clothing and footwear. No bookings are required.

Caloundra Regional Gallery is owned and operated by Sunshine Coast Council and located at 22 Omrah Avenue, Caloundra.

\* Image caption: Installation view of ‘Cai Guo-Qiang Kids: Let’s Create an Exhibition with a Boy Named Cai’ 2013. Commissioned for ‘Cai Guo-Qiang: Falling Back to Earth’ by the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Children’s Art Centre with support from the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation. Courtesy: The artist and QAGOMA.