APT6 in Review

19 Gonkar Gyatso’s Funky Buddhas 2009, Kids’ APT, January 2010. Photograph: Katie Bennett Kids’ APT Celebrating a decade of Kids’ APT, the Children’s Art Centre presented the largest undertaking of artist projects and art works in an APT to date. Displayed across both sites, Kids’ APT included large-scale installations and environments, drawing activities and multimedia interactives by 17 exhibiting artists: Minam Apang, Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Gonkar Gyatso, Ho Tzu Nyen, Runa Islam, Ayaz Jokhio, the Mansudae Art Studio, Rich Streitmatter-Tran, Marcel Meltherorong, Wit Pimkanchanapong, Hiraki Sawa, Shirana Shahbazi, Thukral and Tagra, Charwei Tsai, YNG (Yoshitomo Nara and graf), and Zhu Weibing and Ji Wenyu. Kids’ APT also included special art work labels to help young visitors engage with the works on display. More than 130 000 children visited Kids’ APT at the two sites, representing almost a quarter of the overall attendance of APT6. The artist multimedia projects — Marcel Meltherorong’s Singsing with Marcel , Wit Pimkanchanapong’s I, you, we and Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian’s Patterns of infinity — received over 105 000 hits combined. Kids’ APT6 also presented the Summer Spectacular festival from 16 to 26 January 2010, as well as Kids’ APT on Tour — extending activities to regional Queensland and, for the first time, to interstate venues and hospitals. Kids’ APT was sponsored by the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation. A visit to a gallery expands a child’s mind and helps them to see the world in a different way — and it’s a great way to burn up an afternoon. However, the positive impact of this cultural experience can be extended, perhaps even to become a life-long interest. Amanda Horswill, The Courier-Mail , November 2009 It’s great that children can participate so actively. It makes them feel like this is a space that welcomes them. Parent’s response