Kids' APT7 : In review

11 FROM THE PROJECT TEAM Every three years, Gallery staff eagerly await the opening of another ‘Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art’ (APT) to see the excitement of visitors, young and old, as they engage with new approaches to contemporary art from across the Asia Pacific region. In the lead-up to each exhibition, a cross-section of Gallery staff — Children’s Art Centre, Design and Curatorial — explore the process of curating and displaying for young audiences. As we work with the exhibiting artists to uncover the ideas in their work, we are inspired by the ways art can open children up to new experiences and encourage them to explore the world in new ways. This process enriches our appreciation of the important role of art — and the APT specifically — and strengthens our commitment to working with artists to develop projects for children and families. Curating Kids’ APT involves extensive research, close collaboration with participating artists, and the active involvement of children in the development of projects. For Kids’ APT7, staff spent several months trialling concepts and design elements with local children, including activity templates and working versions of multimedia activities, to ensure the design of the final projects would be relevant and thoroughly appealing to young visitors. The Children’s Art Centre values its relationships with local schools as part of this testing process. We would like to sincerely thank and acknowledge the staff and students of West End State School and Milton State School for their involvement in Kids’ APT7. FROMTHE KIDS’ APT7 PROJECT TEAM While working on Kids’ APT, staff members are always thinking of ways to extend the experience of the art projects beyond the walls of the museum. This has resulted in the On Tour and Children’s Art Centre publishing programs, and we receive wonderful feedback and encouragement from audiences, both locally and across Queensland, for these aspects of Kids’ APT programming. From the Kids’ APT7 team, we extend our thanks to Tim Fairfax, AM , Gina Fairfax and the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation — whose support was crucial to realising Kids’ APT7, Kids’ APT7 on Tour and the accompanying Hahan and Friends children’s publication. On behalf of the Kids’ APT7 project team: Donna McColm Head of Public Programs, Children’s Art Centre and Membership Michael O’Sullivan Design Manager Tamsin Cull Senior Program Officer, Children’s Art Centre Top: Children participating in a Kids’ APT7 trial for Uji Handoko Eko Saputro’s (aka Hahan) project, Memento masko 2012 Below: Young QAGOMA Members participating in a Kids’ APT7 trial for Parastou Forouhar’s project Persian for kids 2012