The Grates present a special performance for kids at GOMA Turns 10 Summer Festival Up Late on Saturday 21 January 2017; image courtesy the artist/s
Everyone loves a festival, especially in summer. Add a birthday to that and you have one mega bash that will be memorable well beyond its five day run.
The GOMA Turns 10 Summer Festival will dominate Brisbane’s cultural calendar from 18 – 22 January 2017, with the city coming together to celebrate what has been voted one of the city’s most-loved destinations.
Tamsin Cull, the Gallery’s Head of Public Engagement said: ‘Many cultural festivals tend to be aimed at a particular age group, as this is usually the way we, as cultural institutions, think of our audiences. This festival, rather, is about celebrating GOMA and its broader community, and so we want everyone to be able to get involved.
‘It’s the first time we have developed a festival that offers events for children and families, youth, and adults.’
Cull said that is has been a number of years since the Gallery last presented a festival, and that the January program has grown from a tradition of festivals at the Gallery over many years – but that it raises the bar.
The Creases perform at GOMA Turns 10 Summer Festival Up Late on Friday 20 January 2017 / Photograph: Savannah van der Niet
Summer Festival Highlights
This fun-filled festival will feature talks, tours, creative workshops, storytelling, performances, and a special bumper edition of Up Late on Friday and Saturday nights.
‘It’s the first time we have offered tailored Up Late performances for kids, with Kids Up Late performances from Brisbane bands Ben Ely (Regurgitator) and family, and The Grates,’ said Cull.
All the events for the Summer Festival and band line up for Summer Festival Up Late are now online. Other highlights include:
- Daily hands-on workshops for kids and families with artists Nusra Latif Qureshi, Anne Wallace, Pip & Pip, The Gabori Sisters, Gordon Hookey and Julie Blyfield. See program for individual artist times.
- Daily storytelling, tours and film screenings for children and families.
- Daily drop-in speed drawing classes on Level 3 focusing on contemporary installation and sculpture. Drawing materials provided.
- Join a Tea Master from the Chung Tian Buddhist Temple for a Traditional Tea Ceremony – with a few lucky visitors invited to participate in this ancient Asian tradition each day from 3.30 – 4.15pm on the Bodhi Tree Terrace.
- Given it’s GOMA’s 10th anniversary, hear from the Gallery’s unheard voices and gain behind the scenes insights into exhibitions, artworks and other aspects of GOMA life in these informal 10 minute talks, 11.30am and 3.30pm daily.
- Join a crash course in contemporary art with Dr Mark Pennings, Senior Lecturer, Visual Arts, Queensland University of Technology so you can name-drop your way through the big ideas of contemporary art, starting with major works on display during GOMA Turns 10.
- Special events including an Arts + Crafts After Dark program with Tim Ross and Sam Cranstoun, and a Members’ night.
- FREE performances from iconic and up-and coming Brisbane bands.
- Head to the Cinematheque for a daily feature film at 2pm, or catch an animation or program of shorts.
- Drop in and watch two teams go to head to head in a bid to create the most spectacular Lego creation for Olafur Eliasson’s The cubic structural evolution project on Saturday 21 January, 9am – 9pm in the greatest Architect Build-off (pictured below).
- To close the Summer Festival, there will be a special performance of Nick Cave’s HEARD●Brisbane 2016 on Sunday, 22 January at 4.00pm.
- And as the sun goes down on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 January, the Gallery will host the Summer Festival Up Late.
Additionally, during the Festival and all through summer, GOMA’s Children’s Art Centre will present Mirror Mirror, a free, interactive project developed in collaboration with Icelandic artist Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir, where visitors create their own unique paper hairstyle and style a wall of artificial hair-like material.
Olafur Eliasson’s installation, The cubic structural evolution project (2004); Purchased 2005. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Grant; Photograph: Natasha Harth, QAGOMA, © The artist
Festival all year round
Audiences today are hungry for authentic, event-driven experiences. This festival is just one part of the broader audience engagement experience that GOMA offers. GOMA has become both geographically and culturally central to Brisbane and the city’s people.
‘I would add that everyone’s experience of GOMA is going to be different and that’s something that we encourage and celebrate. When we delve into what GOMA means to different people, responses vary greatly – it’s been described as a sanctuary, a meeting place, and a space for learning,’ Cull said.
The GOMA Turns 10 Hub, also developed by the Public Engagement team in collaboration with the Gallery’s Design department, celebrates GOMA’s audience, putting them at the centre of the GOMA Turns 10 celebrations.
18 – 22 January 2017
Check out the Summer Festival program and performance schedule for Summer Festival Up Late
To close the Summer Festival, there will be a special performance of Nick Cave’s HEARD●Brisbane 2016 on Sunday, 22 January at 4.00pm.
