"Kids Take Over" Exhibit (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

 

"Kids Take Over" Exhibit

The “Kids Take Over” Exhibit, opened last  April 15, 2022, combines some of the more playful pieces from a rich selection of works, in a range of media, in Vancouver Art Gallery’s collection. It vividly captures the perspectives and creative expression of local elementary and high school students from Metro Vancouver, ages five to eighteen.

Check out "Vancouver Art Gallery"

Foreground: Environment For Reading (Evelyn Roth, 1974, textile, light fixture)

Special participation came from Champlain Heights Elementary School (grade 1/2) and Queen Victoria Annex (grade 4/5) in Vancouver; Carson Graham Secondary School in North Vancouver (grade 11/12); and artists Evan Lee and Brendan Lee Satish Tang who visited the classrooms to discuss their art practices and engage directly with the students.

 

Gathie Falk’s playful ceramic oranges and grapefruit stacks

Highlighting young voices and a future generation of art lovers, the students were asked to respond, in spirited, curious, thoughtful, whimsical, funny and often unexpected ways, to a plethora of artworks (a varied selection of paintings, prints, photographs and sculptures) produced in the 1960s up to the present.  

Scrambler (Robert Rauschenberg, 1980)

They wrote down their thoughts, created their own drawings and collectively moved their bodies, using the artworks by a range of local, national and international artists from the Gallery’s collection as inspiration. Photographs of the students, taken by photographer Anita Bonnarens, show some of the activities leading up to the exhibition.

 

Octopus (Guud San Glans Robert Davidson, 2014, acrylic on canvas)

While cultivating a future generation of artists and art lovers, Kids Take Over also engages with children and youth of all ages, as well as adults, to highlight their creativity. The exhibition was organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery and curated by Zoë Chan (Assistant Curator); Mandy Ginson (Assistant Curator); and Julie Martin (Curatorial Assistant), in collaboration with Susan Rome (Program Coordinator: Schools and Youth), and Christina Jones (Family Programs Coordinator).

 

Off and On, In and Out, Round and Round
(Audrey Capel Doray, 1966, acrylic on canvas)

The Gallery’s rotunda and alcoves has been transformed into dynamic interactive spaces that feature regular programming for families and kids, including a workshop for teens led by artist Chantal Gibson.  

Family Startled by a Goose (Lucy Qinnuayuak, 1961, stonecut on paper)

Among the highlights of well-known artists’ works are Zhang O’s mesmerizing portrait photos of Chinese children set against endless horizons, Guud San Glans Robert Davidson’s monumental painting Octopus (2014), Gathie Falk’s playful ceramic fruit stacks, Chantal Gibson’s radical modifications of historical books, Annie Pootoogook’s touching family portrait Listening to the Radio (2005-06) and much more.

 

Three Doors (John MacGregor, 1970, wood, paint)

Other well-known featured artists include Pitseolak Ashoona, Eric Cameron, Evan Lee, Ken Lum, Audrey Capel Doray, Evelyn Roth, Thomas Kakinuma, Kimsooja, Devon Knowles, Brendan Lee Satish Tang, John MacGregor, Michael Morris, Laurie Simmons and Allan McCollum, LucyQinnuayuak, Koki Tanaka, Claude Tousignant, Joyce Wieland, RobertRauschenberg, Simon Ripoll-Hurier, and Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, among many others.

 

Manga Ormolu 5.0j (Brendan Lee
Satish Tang, 2010, ceramic, glaze)

The Kids Take Over Exhibit also features a range of welcoming, interactive elements for young families.  It includes a play area in one of the alcoves, a touch wall, an activities booklet and a drawing/coloring space in the rotunda. 

Woman Under a Tree (Evan Lee, 2019,
oil pigment, pastel on canvas)

Mobile guides also invite children to explore the exhibition and learn about some of the featured artworks through a series of playful and informative prompts. To begin, scan the QR code on the exhibition’s title wall. This exhibition is affiliated with the international Takeover Day initiative, organized by Kids in Museums, whose mission is to make museums more accessible to children, youth and families.

 

Play Area

 “Kids Take Over” Exhibit: 3/F, Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6Z 2H7, Canada.    Open Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM, Tuesdays and Fridays, 12 noon to 8 PM. Admission: $24.00 (adults), $20.00 (seniors), $18 (students), $6.50 (children, 6 – 12 years old) and free (children 5 years old and under).  Tuesdays, from 5 – 9 PM are “donation nights” (pay whatever you want or can afford). Coordinates: 49.282875°N 123.120464°W.