Galleries’ bid to beat the school holiday blues

As the school summer holidays get underway, research by leading art galleries across the West Midlands highlights that parents are increasingly concerned about how to entertain their children over the next six weeks.

Polls conducted by the Heart of England Galleries reveal that only one in five parents has planned activities for their children to participate in over the vacation period. The findings also identified cost and bad weather as major barriers to families taking part in organised activities and visits to tourist attractions over the summer.

In response to these findings, galleries in the region have put together an entire programme of events and activities designed to inspire, entertain and engage families during the holidays. Many of these events are completely free and take place indoors – banishing cost and weather worries.

The campaign also aims to dispel the myth that children are not welcome in art galleries by organising and promoting activities and workshops designed specifically for families, with themes ranging from Hogwarts and robots to monsters and mermaids.

These activities and events are listed in a free guide produced by Heart of England Galleries, listing the whole range of activities, which is available to pick up from the organisations and has been distributed region-wide. The booklet also outlines the venues’ family-friendly facilities – from baby-changing and breast-feeding rooms to Hippy Chick hip seats and free activity packs.

Heart of England Galleries co-ordinator Kerry Endsor said: “Many parents are unaware of how family-friendly art galleries now are. Gone are the days when children were told to be quiet when walking around the exhibitions – they are now encouraged to explore and interact with the collections.

“Our research has highlighted some very valid concerns, but we’re pleased to say that, often, their worries about high costs and weather simply don’t apply in our galleries, which are usually free and offer the perfect inside venue, particularly as many like the Barber Institute of Fine Arts and Compton Verney boast stunning architecture.”

For further information about family events in art galleries across the Heart of England, pick up a free guide at any of the following venues or visit their websites:

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts - barber.org.uk
Compton Verney - comptonverney.org.uk
The Herbert - theherbert.org
Ikon Gallery - ikon-gallery.co.uk
mac - macarts.co.uk
Rugby Art Gallery & Museum - ragm.org.uk
The New Art Gallery Walsall - artatwalsall.org.uk
Wolverhampton Art Gallery - wolverhamptonart.org.uk