From crafting a micro-exhibition in a dolls house to trying on a Victorian jacket or pondering a playful question beside a painting, children can discover new ways to connect with the art on our walls.

The Gallery has introduced a dolls house to the Caroline Walker: Mothering exhibition. Displayed within the domestic setting of the Gallery’s historic house, Walker’s paintings act like windows into the homes and lives of children and their carers. The dolls house echoes this homely feeling by inviting you and your children not only to play with miniature figures and furniture, but also to curate your own tiny exhibition using miniature artworks.

This playful approach closely reflects Walker’s own childhood experiences. She recalls having a dolls house she ‘loved as a child’, where the main resident was her troll, Brucie. ‘My mum used to handmake clothes for some of my toys and dolls’, Walker explains, ‘and she knitted Brucie a jacket and bobble hat.’

Inspired by this, Walker decided that Brucie should also be a collector. ‘I decided that Brucie should have a large collection of art and made lots of miniature paintings for him to hang in his house’, she says. These included ‘nice seascapes, sunsets, a still life and at least two portraits of Brucie himself’. The tradition has continued into the next generation; when her daughter Daphne received a dolls house for her third birthday, Walker made miniature pictures of Daphne’s favourite soft toy crab, Crabby, to hang inside.

Seeing this idea reimagined at Pallant House Gallery has been a joy for the artist. ‘I love it!’, Walker says. ‘I like the idea that children visiting the Gallery can play at making their own mini exhibition’. She notes how fitting it feels, particularly as many of the paintings in the exhibition depict children at play or re-enacting adult roles. The setting of Pallant House itself adds another layer, she explains, as ‘the architecture of Pallant House Gallery and how the works are presented in this context also reminds you of the way that they might be hung in a house’.

Walker hopes that children curating their own displays will feel a sense of belonging within the exhibition. ‘I hope that they’ll have fun and feel part of the exhibition,’ she says. ‘It would be interesting if they start to consider how the place that you put a work of art can make a difference to the way that you see and understand it’. 

The Gallery also invites you and your family to experience the William Nicholson exhibition by finding meaning through play and interaction. Despite coming from a traditional and rather conservative background, Nicholson considered himself a ‘dandy’ and often dressed in a theatrical, expressive style. So, of course, themes of fancy dress are present throughout the exhibition.

Nicholson’s portraits often consist of sitters in dramatic outfits, so to bring his paintings to life we are offering a dressing-up box. This activity allows children to step into the role of both the artist and the sitter. Originally inspired by Mary’s suitcase in Nicholson’s children’s story Clever Bill, our vintage suitcase contains period clothing such as top hats, bonnets and corsets.

These items allow you to place yourselves within art history, within the context of Nicholson’s extravagant and fashionable lifestyle.  

The William Nicholson exhibition has child-friendly labels, empowering your children to interpret artworks in their own way. The labels include questions designed to allow younger visitors to digest the exhibition’s themes. They are accessible, playful and curious and encourage you and your family to discuss artworks together. This supports meaningful engagement, helping your children to connect with the exhibition in ways that feel relevant and enjoyable.

The Learning and Public Programmes team believe wholeheartedly in the benefits of a creative life for everyone. Our activities are rooted in the belief that children engage more meaningfully with themes and artworks when they are invited to engage and explore on their own terms. By inviting your children to play, create, curate and interpret, we offer them roles which mirror the work of professional artists and curators. This will hopefully inspire them to lead a creative life. 

So, if this sounds like something your family would enjoy, come to the Gallery and explore our child-friendly activities! We’d love to hear your thoughts, so make sure to tag us in your tiny exhibitions, your costume photos, or your thought-provoking conversations via the Gallery’s social channels.