Interactive Art Events For Mini Culture-Vultures

With us all struggling to find new and exciting ways to keep ourselves and our kids occupied at the moment during the coronavirus lockdown, it has become more important than ever to start thinking outside the box.

As many museums, cultural sites and galleries announce their closure for at least the foreseeable future, we can't help but feel disappointed as we crave the visual and intellectual stimulation we used to get from the fun places we visited during our weekend family outings.

However, with all the wonders of technology being highlighted more than ever in the current circumstances, these experiences are now easy to gain online.

There are many fantastic online interactive art events available which will be sure to get your family's creativity flowing.

The Zabludowicz Collection is just one gallery that is offering some amazing upcoming interactive art activities and creative workshops for families to get involved with at home. With an array of workshops, art and music lessons and podcasts available online, there's plenty to keep your little ones entertained with something both educational and fun!

Read on for additional delights from a GRAMMY award-winning musician, the V&A, British Heritage and Shakespeare's Globe.

Online Art Events and Activities Available To Satisfy Your Kids' Creative Minds

The Zabludowicz Collection's new digital programme named 'Families Create' has many art online workshop and interactive activities for you and your children to choose from and get involved with, in which all are completely free.

This is a great way for your family to find out more about the modern art world and engage in some art history, whilst having a lot of fun along the way.

Get your creative hands, scissors and glue at the ready and check out the Zabludowicz Collection website to access these free events and for the full workshop videos.

Fairytale Buildings

If you have some lovers of all things fairytale in your household, then artist Rosemary Cronin's creative workshops 'Fairytale Buildings' is ideal. This workshop is inspired by Ericka Beckman’s 2018 solo exhibition at Zabludowicz Collection.

Drawing inspiration from Beckman’s installation 'Cinderella' you and your children will have a go at making your very own fairy house using items found around the home.

There's great fun to be had cutting, sticking and glueing many trinkets and treasures together, painting on decorations and truly making something beautiful that your little ones will treasure for a long time. This is definitely an activity that the whole family can get involved with.

When: Available now on the website workshop page

What Will I Need?

For the main structure: Glass bottles/jars, cardboard, glue, newspaper and tin foil. However, these are only suggestions and you can use anything you have around the house!

For extra decoration: paper clay (this is available online, or you can make using eggboxes, PVA glue and hot water) or play dough, pebbles, paint and glitter (anything sparkly).

The Amazing Fox in the Gallery

If your children enjoy playing games and getting lost in the fun of puzzles, then artist Tom Pope's workshop would be the perfect activity to get involved in.

This workshop is inspired by Francis Alÿs who released a fox into London’s National Portrait Gallery in the middle of the night and tracked it using the museum's CCTV. You and your kids will have a go at creating your very own miniature art gallery with many unique artworks hung on the walls.

Like a lot of art galleries you may have visited on your weekends, this will be a maze.

But you will have the challenge of having to navigate a marble around whilst exploring the artworks and find the exit!

This is also a great opportunity for your kids to learn some more about art history. Why not make this activity more educational by having a go at seeing if you can draw and paint some of the most famous artworks created by some of the world's greatest artists to include in your mini gallery?

Van Gogh's Sunflowers are a great and colourful place to start!

When: Full workshop video is available now on the website workshop page

What Will I Need?

For the construction: Shoebox with lid, cardboard, tape, glue, scissors, two pence piece to draw around, craft knife (adult supervision), and a small marble.

For decoration: Drawing paper, pencil, colouring pencils, paint, old magazines (optional), double-sided tape, clear tape or glue.

Social Distance Structures‍

Saturday 25 April, 2 pm

To make the most of the situation we all currently find ourselves in, why not have a go at creating ways to stay connected with artist Anne Harild.

Inspired by Jeppe Hein’s art piece 'Modified Social Benches' you will try to invent new ways to be physically distant whilst keeping up forms of interaction by making a sculpture using old cardboard boxes which will help your kids to connect with a friend or more distanced family member.

When: Launches on Saturday 25 April at 2 pm on the website workshop page

What Will I Need?

Cardboard (min. 2 boxes, big enough for a child to wear on their head), toilet rolls (optional), tape, glue, stapler, scissors, craft knife (adult supervision), pencil, and additional materials of your choice.

Other At-Home Creative Activities For You To Try Out

The Zabludowicz Collection as well as the online workshops they are offering, also have many suggestions for creative art activities and games to keep both you and your kids entertained at home during lockdown. All you need to do is see what materials you have around the house, and start to engage your imaginations!

Here are just a few ideas to get you started below.

Line Drawing

Artist Tom Pope has put together an amazingly interactive and fun line drawing activity which will be sure to keep your little one's creative hands busy and entertained. Their challenge is to see if they can complete the drawings without taking their pencil off the page.

It's harder than you think! Get your coloured pens and pencils at the ready and see who's line drawing turns out looking the best.

Create Your Own Self Portrait Puzzle

Self Portraits are a fun way for your kids to really think hard about the marks they decide to make on the page, and importantly learn about proportions too.

In this activity, they will be using a mirror to draw themselves onto a puzzle, which they can then take apart and have lots of fun trying to put back together again to make their face!

For more at-home art activity suggestions and to access these activity's downloadable information pages take a look here.

Hungry for more? These interactive culture spots are also worth making a note of:

- GRAMMY award-winning violinist Nicola Benedetti has launched a series of online music tutorials through her music education foundation ‘The Benedetti Foundation’.

Every day at midday Nicky and her team of tutors go live on Facebook with a fun and engaging introductory music workshop.

Don't miss it.- London's V&A Museum are starting #LetsMakeWednesdays with activities being hosted on their social media and blog for kids to get imaginative.- Elsewhere, English Heritage have just unveiled new additions to their History At Home hub featuring lessons, videos, podcasts, articles and activity sheets.- Love drama?

Shakespeare's Globe are streaming 'Romeo & Juliet' on their YouTube channel for free for the next two weeks.