Incursions for early learning centres, schools & aged care facilities 

NATIONAL GALLERY ART CASES: BODIES (RED CASE) & FORM AND FUNCTION (ORANGE CASE) 

Explore works of art from the National Gallery of Australia up close and in person as well as participate in a creative workshop. 

From Monday 18 May to Friday 26 June the Western Downs Regional Council’s Arts and Culture team are bringing these educational cases to schools and community groups of the region. This program is suitable for kindergarten, primary and secondary students as well as aged care facilities. 

The Bodies Art Case brings together works that explore the lived experience of biology (flesh and blood) and how our bodies influence memory, space and form. Several of the artworks take the form of internal organs – heart, brain, digestive system – encouraging us to pay closer attention to what is going on inside our bodies, and how these organs influence our experience of the world. Other artworks consider how bodies relate to the external forces, through their ability to manipulate space or how they are shaped in relation to larger social structures. The works in this case encourage us to think about the physical composition of our bodies and how they shape our experience of the world. 

The Form and Function Art Case brings together works that blur the line between art and design. Each object can be used for everyday tasks – serving tea, giving light, or even grinding pepper – but has been created with great care and attention to detail that goes beyond the simply functional. Combining historical objects with contemporary works, this case asks us to consider the relationship between an object’s use and its form. How does an object’s decoration, shape or method of creation change the way we engage with it or its meaning to the user? From the ceremonial to the personal, these objects illustrate the complex systems and rituals that humans have developed over centuries and suggest new ways of relating to one another. 

To register a visit to Dogwood Crossing, Miles or book an incursion where we visit your school or community group by calling Amy Bevan our Exhibitions and Public Programs Officer on 07 4679 4312 or emailing amy.bevan@wdrc.qld.gov.au. 

The National Gallery’s Art Cases are generously supported by the Neilson Foundation with grateful acknowledgement of founding patrons Elaine and Jim Wolfensohn.