National Gallery Singapore reopens Keppel Centre for Art Education with an entirely refreshed space offering a world of wonder for children to learn about art through play
Singapore, 14 December 2023 — The Keppel Centre for Art Education (Centre), one of National Gallery Singapore’s (Gallery) most popular spaces, is reopening on 16 December 2023, just in time for the year-end school holidays. The entirely revamped centre features new child-centric learning zones and activities that revolve around the theme of Art & Wonder: Nurturing Wonder through Play and Creativity. Free for all visitors, the Centre offers a fun learning experience for the entire family to enjoy a day at the Gallery.
The Centre was the first dedicated art education facility of its kind in Singapore and the region when it first opened in 2015, and quickly grew to become one of the Gallery’s most well-loved spaces, offering engaging learning opportunities to nurture children’s creativity through art and play. The internationally recognized Centre was unanimously awarded the winner of the 2018 Children in Museums Award, an initiative of the European Museum Academy and Hands On! International Association of Children in Museums. Eight years on, the Centre reaffirms its leading position as the perfect destination for families, children and youths to embark upon a journey of artful discovery, with its line-up of refreshed spaces and exciting programmes all year round.
The reopened Centre features an immersive learning space comprising seven zones, with stimulating and interactive experiences suitable for children aged 4 – 12. Each zone offers a welcoming and nurturing environment, providing a gateway through which children can be fully immersed in the wonderment of the world of art through play and creativity. With the revamped Centre’s series of drop-in activities and facilitated workshops, children will develop imagination, critical thinking and visual literacy skills as they are exposed to the seven core elements of art: space, form, colour, texture, line, shape and value. The Centre also continues to cater to the different physical and learning needs of visitors, with wheelchair-friendly furniture and learning stations of various heights.
At National Gallery Singapore, programmes for young learners are built upon the principles found in educational pedagogies that kickstart the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development in children through active engagement with the arts. The reopened Centre features an immersive learning space comprising seven zones, with activities designed to amplify learning approaches for children aged 4 – 12. For example, play is adopted as a pedagogical approach encouraging children to explore, discover and make personal connections while learning about subject matters of interest. Young learners are encouraged to express themselves in imaginative ways, be it through the play of materials to create unique 3D sculptures, role-playing or interacting with an immersive multimedia space. By embedding inquiry-based learning within art, children have the opportunity to develop understanding and appreciation of visual language through play.
Ms Chong Siak Ching, the Gallery’s Chief Executive Officer, says, “The Keppel Centre for Art Education has always aimed to engage children in learning through play and cultivating a museum-going audience from a young age. Along with our other child-friendly programmes such as the Gallery Children’s Biennale, the refreshed Centre demonstrates the Gallery’s efforts in preparing our young for a future where critical and creative thinking are necessary competencies.”
Mr Loh Chin Hua, Keppel’s Chief Executive Officer, says, “Keppel is pleased to collaborate with National Gallery Singapore to encourage creative thinking among youths and students through the Keppel Centre for Art Education. The refreshed space, including interactive exhibits that leverage digital technology, will stimulate imagination among young visitors and provide an enriching platform for them to experience the arts.”
The Gallery is grateful to Keppel for their support in making the Keppel Centre for Art Education possible.
Stimulating and interactive experiences across seven new zones
From digital artworks, sensorial play, 3D works and drop-in activities, parents and children can look forward to a myriad of family-oriented programmes centred around sparking inspiration for learning and developing confidence in expressing children’s thoughts and feelings through art. The first zone, themed Expansion, brings Raden Saleh’s iconic artwork Boschbrand (Forest Fire) to life in an activity named A Brush with Forest Fire.
A Brush with Forest Fire re-imagines Saleh’s artwork to present an interactive tropical forest. Children will be exposed to the basic elements of art while learning about environmental issues and different animals in Southeast Asia. Using a special paintbrush as a tool, children can learn about colour theory as they are invited to mix primary colours together and create secondary colours at a digital colour well. Children are also invited to learn about composing an artwork by playing with the scale and sizes of the animals.
A Brush with Forest Fire empowers children to change the artwork’s narrative by inviting them to take part in an interactive augmented reality game where they can draw lines to help put out the virtual forest fire raging on the screen before them. For children who have enjoyed the classic game of shadow play, this activity offers a delightful opportunity to play this childhood favourite while internalising the interrelationship between shape and scale. Having been treated to these stimulating learning activities, children will be able to consolidate the ideas explored with a digital canvas for children to put their own spin upon the artworks.
Next, children will be encouraged to draw out their artistic curiosity with the theme of Exploration in the next zone, Illuminate! Drawing inspiration from the Gallery’s artworks, Illuminate! invites visitors to explore abstract art and experiment with the interplay of colours, shapes, light and shadow. Through the engaging visual presentation of these works, children will develop an understanding of how symbols, colours and shapes come together to create an artwork.
A learner-centered education space, children and youths are then invited to explore various topics and subjects with art at the Makers Studio. Revolving around the theme of Experimentation, children will be invited to use 3D doodling pens and wooden shapes to create their own unique 3D sculptures inspired by artworks from the Gallery’s collection. Through hands-on use of materials and textures, the Makers Studio aims to spark multi-disciplinary learning of art with other subjects such as science and technology. Through developing children’s understanding of the wide range of materials used in crafting an artwork, they will be able to learn how physical materials can be used to craft narratives about themselves and the world they live in. Building upon the free-ranging creativity established in the Maker’s Studio, the Workshop Studio offers daily drop-in activities and facilitated workshops, building upon the theme of Expression and inviting families to explore, create, imagine and play. Whether it be picking up a paintbrush, moulding clay, or gathering materials to build a collage,anything is possible at the Centre.
The Portrait Gallery provides opportunities for children and families to engage in role-playing activities and create stories and memories together. For an Instagram-worthy experience, mirrors and props are available for parents and kids to dress up and strike poses together. Visitors are also invited to create their own portraits using magnetic props representing various facial features. In viewing the wide range of unique individuals presented with differing personal quirks and styles, children are encouraged to embrace and celebrate the vast range of distinctive personality traits exhibited by the people around them.
The centre also features the Book Nook, stocked with a selection of books appropriate for all ages. The selection of books available offers further learning opportunities centred around art, such as Awesome Art Singapore: 10 Works from the Lion City Everyone Should Know, which encourages children to appreciate art by making art concepts and ideas easy to enjoy and understand, and Low Lai Chow’s Eat with Your Eyes, which offers a visual treat by spotlighting 14 modern Southeast Asian artworks in the Gallery’s collection.
The Centre also offers the Calm Pod, where visitors can rest if they feel over-stimulated or overwhelmed by their environment. In this soothing and safe space, visitors can take the time to calm down, regulate their feelings and renew their focus.
Interactive programmes for families to enjoy during the December holidays
The Centre is free for all, with select ticketed facilitator-led programmes that offer guided learning experiences. Be sure to drop by the Centre this weekend for special opening weekend programmes, including a DIY Hat-Making craft activity session where parents and children can make precious memories together as they apply their hands-on skills to craft a personalised hat.
To ensure that families and children have an enjoyable experience in the revamped Keppel Centre for Art Education and manage visitor flow especially during the school holiday period, visitors are encouraged to pre-book a 1 hour 15 min time slot here. You may refer to Annex A for the relevant time slots.
For visitors who did not register online, they may also register on-site as walk-ins are welcome, subject to availability. The Centre will be cleaned and sanitised after every session for the benefit of all visitors.
More information on the Centre’s free and paid programmes can be found in the following Annexes and at this link. Media assets are available via this link.
Annex A: Time slots for entry into Keppel Centre for Art Education
Annex B: Keppel Centre for Art Education Programme Lineup