GoMA takes festival to the regions

Families in regional Queensland can enjoy a range of the activities from GoMA’s Kids: Contemporary Australia Summer Festival this week without travelling to Brisbane.

Arts Minister Rod Welford said a fun day of free contemporary art activities would be held simultaneously at galleries, libraries and Indigenous communities throughout the state on Saturday 17 January.

“The festival will ‘tour’ to 30 regional centres from Cloncurry in the west to Thursday Island in the far north with a program of activities inspired by the Contemporary Australia: Optimism exhibition, now on at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) in Brisbane,” Mr Welford said.

“These regional events will coincide with the 11-day Summer Festival at GoMA starting this Friday 16 January.

“Queensland is Australia’s most decentralised state so it is important to develop opportunities for people living outside our capital city to access creative activities.

“As with last year’s hugely popular Andy Warhol Summer Festival, the Kids: Contemporary Australia Summer Festival will span both the Queensland Art Gallery and GoMA.”

Mr Welford said the Kids: Contemporary Australia Summer Festival will give children unique and educational ways to discover and connect with contemporary art and ideas.

Children in regional centres can take part in a range of activities created by leading artists Gemma Smith, Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro, Robert MacPherson and Michael Zavros, as well as storytelling and music from the Festival’s Summer Soundtrack of optimistic songs.

In Brisbane, activities will be held from 10.30am-2.30pm, featuring artist workshops, talks and special musical performances from children’s entertainer Peter Combe. Children can also enjoy storytelling, an interactive performance and joke workshop with comedian Lindsay Webb and a free film program.

Queensland Art Gallery Director Tony Ellwood said the workshops with artists, including Tony Albert, Gabrielle de Vietri and Arlene TextaQueen, were a very special opportunity for children to engage with the creators of works both in the exhibition and the Children’s Art Centre.

For more information on the Kids: Contemporary Australia Summer Festival and Kids: Contemporary Australia on Tour go to www.qag.qld.gov.au/optimism_kids.

The regional centres holding Summer Festival activities is as follows:

Artspace Mackay
Blackwater Library
Bundaberg Arts Centre
Cairns Regional Gallery
Caloundra Regional Art Gallery
Capella Library
Cloncurry PCYC
Crows Nest Regional Gallery
Dogwood Crossing @ Miles
Emerald Library
Erub Erwer Meta (Darnley Art Centre), Darnley Island
Gab Titui Cultural Centre, Thursday Island
Gladstone Regional Art Gallery and Museum
Gold Coast City Art Gallery
Gympie Regional Gallery
Logan Art Gallery
Macleay Island State School
Mundubbera Art Gallery
Noosa Regional Gallery
Outback Regional Gallery, Winton
Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville
Pine Rivers Regional Gallery, Strathpine
Redcliffe City Art Gallery
Rockhampton Art Gallery
Springsure Library
Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery
The Centre for Beaudesert Shire Arts & Culture
Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery
Warwick Regional Art Gallery
World Theatre Gallery, Charters Towers

Media contact: Emma Clarey or Jo Crompton on 3237 1000