Where can your kids get excited about art, indulge in sensory play and explore a lovely urban garden? Welcome to The Artground.
In case you haven’t noticed, art for kids is having a real moment here. Singapore, whatever you’re plotting to raise the next generation of creative thinkers, keep going please! Between all of the amazing exhibits popping for children (hello Yayoi Kusama and the brilliant Children’s Biennale at the National Gallery), plus permanent go-tos for kids (think interactive art at Playeum and the mind-blowing digital displays by TeamLab at ArtScience Museum), we’re more than a bit jealous. And now, we’ve fallen in love with the latest addition: The Artground at Goodman Arts Centre.
Go down the rabbit hole
The Artground launches Saturday 8 July as part of the celebrations of Tanjong Goodman Open House. Developed by The Ground Co and the National Arts Council, it’s a spectacularly large space – almost unheard of in Singapore – and it’s entirely devoted to nurturing the imaginations and curiosity of our little ones.
Exhibits will be refreshed twice a year, but it all kicks off with mixed media artist Poh Ya See’s installation ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’, which is all about exploring a hidden world of animals living underground. It’s incredibly interactive and intuitive for little ones: there are giant foam noodles to pull through holes; tunnels and nooks to crawl into; surfaces to draw on; soft, smooth and rough textures to explore; curtains of ribbons to twirl through and beanbags to sink into…
This all takes place on the Ground Floor, one of four art play spaces. There’s also the Baby Stage, a safe place with gentle slopes for babies to crawl and walkways for tots to navigate before exploring the sensory wall or cuddling one of the colourful patchwork snakes. There’s the WhiteBox: a theatre space for baby and child-friendly performances, and outside you’ll find The Good Garden, where flowers and vegetables grow in upcycled food tins and kids can learn about urban gardening – and worms!
It all lives up to its promise of being ‘a curious place to be’, and believe us, you’ll find it hard to convince your child to leave!
Art is for everybody
What we love most? There’s something for all children. Babies, toddlers, younger kids, older kids… and it’s an inclusive environment: the space has been thoughtfully designed and curated so that children with varied sensory needs, and differently abled children are always welcome and can easily access the amazing setup.
Performances for babies
Now this is a treat for our littlest ones: The Artground is hosting a multi-sensory performance just for babies 16 months and under! Baby Space combines dance, music poetry and visual art – and tots are encouraged to interact with the dancers and explore the exhibit! Baby Space is showing Fridays to Saturdays until 23 July, and tickets are $18 per parent/carer-baby pair.
Best of all? The Artground is FREE to enter! Ticketed programs and workshops have varied prices, and can be purchased online.
The Artground
Block J #01-40
90 Goodman Road, Singapore 439053
Opening hours:
Wed-Thursday 9.30am-5.30pm
Friday-Sundays and public holidays: 9.30am-6.30pm
*Closed Mondays and Tuesdays
Photography: Darissa Lee
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