Weekly Family Programs

Art Agents + The Making Place

Every Sunday from 12 to 4 PM, the Gallery offers unique activities geared toward visitors aged 5- to 12-years-old and their families.

Throughout the month of November, we will take a last look at the exhibitions Vikky Alexander: Extreme Beauty and Robert Rauschenberg 1965-1980, and then move on to explore new programming around the exhibition Transits and Returns, which will run through December and into the New Year.

All activities are free for children aged 12 and under, when accompanied by an adult. Adult participation is free for Members with Gallery admission.

Join our team of Art Agents as they bring the exhibitions to life. Then move on to The Making Place to experiment with themes, processes and materials that you see in the artworks on display in a number of engaging art-making activities. Drop in any time between 12 and 4 PM to take part.

The Making Place Activity

NOVEMBER 17: Symbols of Kinship
Sculpted from Clay

The notion of kinship can be described as a sense of belonging to a place or community and includes the social connections that make this feeling possible. What habits do you practice to foster your community? Whether you come from a small island in the middle of the Pacific or from the coasts of Australia, New Zealand or North America, the dinner table is often one of the communal areas where these relationships are nurtured. The installation Hākari as guests (2019), created by Aotearoa New Zealand- based artists BC Collective (Cora-Allen Wickliffe and Daniel Twiss) with Samoan artist Louisa Afoa, explores this communal dynamic in the exhibition Transits and Returns.

Inspired by this work, consider the different foods you eat when surrounded by friends and family. Once you’ve identified your favourite dishes, imagine the kind of dinnerware that would suit it best. Does a plate give you enough room, or can you think of a shape that would fit your item more comfortably? By shaping and combining different layers of air-dry clay, you will create a custom-made dish to be displayed during your next family meal.