Witnessing the incredible scenes of young children creating pieces of their own art and engaging with others in a relaxed, open environment while free of expectations, is a marvellous thing.

For Simon Spain, Director of Children’s Art Studio ArtPlay at Melbourne’s Birrarung Marr, the way children engage with art and the community goes beyond what happens in the school or home. At ArtPlay, he and his team have succeeded in creating a third space (outside of home and school) for children to explore their creativity, engage with their surroundings and
learn in a new environment.

Borrowing principles from Ireland’s children’s art project “The Ark”, the initiative was developed to encourage children to actively participate in the world around them by “making” and “doing” instead of simply observing passively. Focusing on children under the age of 5, this hub of creativity stimulates original thought and cultural citizenship in a way that is not seen at school or in the home. The remodelled building in Birrarung Marr provides an open space which comfortably houses up to 16 children as they are
guided through a creative journey by established and innovative visual
and performance artists.

Since its establishment in 2005, ArtPlay has quickly become embedded in the artistic fabric of Melbourne. Leading the way for other Australian cities, ArtPlay and the City of Melbourne have welcomed growing interest from Brisbane’s Out of the Box Festival for Children’s Art, as well as from parties in Adelaide and other capital cities and regional centres.

Testament to their commitment to the continued artistic development of children, the City of Melbourne provide a significant amount of funding to the project, along with the Sidney Myer Foundation, Australia Council and the Cybec Foundation which specifically funds programs for disadvantaged children. They have recently established another initiative, working with similar principles but catering to those aged 13-21 - Signal Arts. This will mean that the creative learning experiences to be had at ArtPlay are no longer only available to small children, but can benefit teens, the artists who work directly with them and the broader community who are the biggest benefactors from this deeper level of community engagement, both now and in the future.

This funding has enabled ArtPlay to award grants for artists to work with them, developing programs for young children.

A panel of 6 adults and 6 very serious children closely examine each application on its merits, assessing what value their proposal may have for “children” of all ages. This is reinforced by a qualitative study being undertaken by the University of Melbourne to try to better understand these moments of deeper understanding that occur during each and every session, but remain fleeting and difficult to pinpoint.

One thing is clear though. The magic that happens at ArtPlay is not something that can be covered off in a brief article. The engagement must be seen to be believed. www.artplay.com.au