New museum display opens window to children’s lives

The Big Voices: Children’s Art Matters exhibition opens at the museum in the Kingston Butter Factory Cultural Precinct on Saturday, July 8 and will run until early next year.

It will feature a selection of works by Woodridge State School students drawn from Dr Barbara Piscitelli’s Children's Art Archive of more than 2000 artworks by child artists.

Dr Piscitelli is a leading academic and early childhood educator. She founded the archive in 1986 when she began using art to talk with children about their worlds, future and rights.

She has since collected and documented children's artworks from urban and rural Australia, China and Vietnam through local, regional and international art projects to provide an insight into their lives and the world they live in.

The archive was donated to State Library of Queensland in 2005 to preserve the children's works.

Selected works from Woodridge State School students, stored in the archive, will be exhibited at the Living Museum of Logan.

Students from the school took part in four series of the Big Voices: Children’s Art Matters projects stored in the archive - Children Have Rights (1997), Children’s Rights Project (2013), One Sun, One World – Many Dreams (2016) and Pandemic Picture Stories (2020).

The students drew and painted stories of home, family, friends and observations of their world revealing what is valued and vital in childhood.

Lifestyle Chair Councillor Tony Hall said the new museum display would share  perceptions and observations by children on specific areas of their lives.

“It gives a window into their world through a visual representations of the things which mean the most to them,” Cr Hall said.

“Through showcasing the works of Woodridge State School students, we are demonstrating that their voices have been heard and they matter.

“I encourage the community to take the time to visit the Living Museum of Logan and see the Big Voices exhibition for themselves.”

To further complement works done by the child artists for the exhibition, the Living Museum of Logan has also worked with current Woodridge State School students.

The students, led by senior teacher Bev Rolf, brought to life their own stories through three dimensional objects which will be displayed in glass cases alongside the exhibition works.

Division 2 Councillor Teresa Lane said she was proud to see the works of local students from three decades highlighted.

“Many of the students involved from Woodridge State School are now grown-up and I’m sure they would be thrilled to know that artworks they created as students have been preserved,” Cr Lane said.

“Dr Piscitelli’s Children's Art Archive is a time capsule of works which will live on for generations to experience and enjoy.”