Schools & Educators
– Primary Programs (K-6)

Creative Guide to Contemporary Art

Encounter the extraodinary in this engaging introduction to contemporary art. Have eyes, ears and imaginations at the ready as you discover the creative possibilities of contemporary art. Investigate diverse art forms in the MCA Collection and exhibitions, learn about how and why contemporary artists make art, and explore how we see and respond to artworks in different ways. Experience a range of innovative creative learning strategies involving storytelling, art-making, drama, movement and games and be inspired to see and think about art in new ways.

Extend your experience with a Creative Studio session in the NCCL. Colour outside the lines in experimental art-making activities inspired by current MCA exhibitions. Use familiar materials in unexpected ways to create collaborative drawings, sculptural installations or digital medua works that experiment with materials, ideas and processes investigated during your Gallery Exploration.

Duration:
60 minutes – Gallery Exploration only
90 minutes – Gallery Exploration + Creative Studio Extension

Suitable for Stages ES1-Stage 3
Syllabus links:
CREATIVE ARTS: VISUAL ARTS – Making and Appreciating
ENGLISH: Talking and Listening, Reading and Viewing Visual Texts, Personal Response

Don’t forget to check out the Creative Guide to Contemporary Art Digital Resource before you visit!

Exhibitions in Focus: Claire Healy & Sean Cordeiro and Primavera 2012

Experience large-scale installations, new media works and live performance art in two exhibitions showcasing contemporary Australian artists through works that transform the everyday into something extraordinary. Explore ideas of time, travel, personal stories, permanence and destruction through Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro’s work, and celebrate the 21st anniversary of Primavera – the MCA’s annual exhibition for Australian artists aged 35 years and under.

Duration: 60 minutes
Suitable for stages ES1 – Stage 3 and Stages 4 – 6

Image:
Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro
Deceased Estate 2004
Lambda print
Collection of Newcastle Art Gallery
Image courtesy the artists and Gallery Barry Keldoulis, Sydney and © the artists
Photograph: Christian Schnur

About Face: Contemporary Portraiture

About Face: Contemporary Portraiture

Turn your idea of portraits upside down, inside out and back-to-front in this introduction to contemporary portraiture. Investigate different ways contemporary artists create portraits and uncover the many forms that contemporary portraits can take. In an inventive Gallery Exploration involving storytelling, art-making, drama and movement, examine stories that artists tell through portraits of themselves and others – it’s about face and so much more.

In a Creative Studio Extension, experiment with contemporary approaches to portraiture. Taking inspiration from ideas, materials and processes encountered in your Gallery Exploration, explore portraiture possibilities through symbols, words, images and materials in 2D or 3D forms.

Duration:
60 minutes – Gallery Exploration only
90 minutes – Gallery Exploration + Creative Studio Session

Syllabus Links:
CREATIVE ARTS: VISUAL ARTS – Making and Appreciating
ENGLISH: Talking and Listening, Reading and Viewing Visual Texts, Personal Response
HSIE: This is Me!, People and their Beliefs, Identity and Values

Ngami-li, Gimabi-li (To see, To make)

Ngami-li, Gimabi-li (To see, to make)

Explore works by Indigenous artists in the MCA Collection and discover the diversity of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, from fibre-based art and painting, to drawing, photography, print and new media work.
Uncover stories of creation and ancestor beings, explore personal histories, experiences and imaginings. Investigate how artists practice cultural traditions in contemporary ways. Examine Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives on Australian history.

In an extension session in the Creative Studios of the NCCL, students explore collaborative approaches to art-making, investigating art-making processes that inspire the sharing of stories.

Gallery Exploration (60 minutes)
Gallery Exploration + Creative Studio Extension (90 minutes)

Suitable for Stages 1-3

Syllabus links:
CREATIVE ARTS: VISUAL ARTS – Making and Appreciating; DRAMA – Storytelling
HSIE: British Colonisation of Australia, People and their Beliefs, Identity and Values *ENGLISH: *Talking and Listening, Reading and Viewing Visual Texts, Personal Response
CROSS-CURRICULUM: Aboriginal and Indigenous perspectives

Image:
Destiny Deacon
Forced into images 2001
single-channel digital video (transfered from Super 8), silent
9:09 minutes, edition 6/20
Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 2005

Young Critics

Everyone is a critic! Use a variety of looking and thinking strategies to develop
art vocabulary and visual literacy skills. Explore the roles of artist and audience, participate in role play, write an art review and use creative strategies to unpack the meaning of artworks.

Duration: 60/90 minutes
Suitable for Stages 2-3
Visual Arts: Stages 2-3
English: Stages 2-3

Animation Workshop

Investigate moving images, learn about animation terminology and explore techniques to animate forms. Gather inspiration from artworks in current exhibitions and design simple animations using collaborative processes in our Digital Studio.*

Cost: $225 per 15 students
*Our Digital Studio is a PC environment. This program uses Windows Live Movie Maker

Duration: 2 hours
Suitable for Stages 2-3
Visual Arts: Stages 2-3
Using Technology: Stages 2-3

Walk The Line Workshop

Follow lines through the MCA Collection to discover different ways artists use line in contemporary art practice. Experiment with line-making in the creative studios of the National Centre for Creative Learning, using traditional and non-traditional art-making materials in new and unexpected ways.

Duration: 2 hours
Suitable for Stages 1–3
Cost: $185 per 15 students

Image:
Ildiko Kovacs
T.T. 2004
oil on card mounted on masonite
60 × 60 cm
Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Ann Lewis AO, 2009

MCA Learning: Tailor Made

Got an idea for a learning program at the MCA? Our Artist Educators can develop a gallery exploration or studio workshop session especially tailored to the needs of your class. Please contact the MCA Learning team to discuss your idea and we will work with you to create your tailor-made experience.

Booking information: At least 6 weeks’ notice is required for a ‘Tailor-Made’ program. Please contact MCA Learning for further information: learning@mca.com.au or 02 9245 2484

Image:
Lee Mingwei
The Mending Project 2009 (installation view)
interactive installation, one 3 metre table, 2 wooden chairs, 400 cones of thread
dimensions variable
Courtesy the artist and Lombard-Freid Projects, New York
Photograph: Anita Kan

Bella program for students with specific needs

Look, touch, listen and create in the Bella Room, where artist Emily Floyd has created The Garden, an interactive tactile environment for people with specific needs.

Explore exhibitions, develop new skills and have fun in this FREE art-making workshop for young people with specific needs, including physical, intellectual, emotional or behavioural disabilities. Now available for adult groups with Bella Plus!

The Bella Program is offered every Monday during school term. Bookings are essential.

Also explore the Bella Room, the MCA’s space for students with specific learning needs.

Booking and Costs

Bookings are essential for all school groups visiting the MCA.
For information on how to book a school visit to the MCA, see our Booking for Schools page.