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If you grew up in Victoria, it’s more than likely you took plenty of trips to the Melbourne Museum in Carlton.
Whether it was a school holiday adventure or an educational excursion, the Museum was always the place where young minds were encouraged to learn and create.
But the older we get, the fewer opportunities we have to discover and imagine.
Melbourne Museum’s Digital Art Classes aim to address this gap.
“The Museum is a fascinating place for all ages, so we have really tried to tailor some programs that adults can feel are their own, without children running around,” said Ali Sanderson, Melbourne Museum’s Education Programs Producer for Design and Technology.
“It gives adults more space to connect to our exhibitions and collections.”
For those aged 16 and above, the 90-minute workshops help adults build skills in an emerging creative format while getting close to natural science specimens and historical artefacts.
Taxidermy animals, bones, fossils, gemstones, and shells are just some of the in-class models.
“We are lucky enough to have access to a large collection of historic objects. So, one night you may be drawing a collection of ceramic objects and the next a collection of historic toy cars,” said Sanderson.
“The shells are gorgeous, and the birds are so cute. You don’t get to see them out from behind glass often,” said Loraine, a Museums Victoria member and attendee.
People of all experience levels are encouraged to get involved, too.
Digital art professionals lead sessions and provide the necessary technology to complete artworks, including iPad Pros, Apple Pencils, and the ProCreate software.
Nancy, who was visiting Melbourne from Portland in the United States, was looking online for activities to do in the City when she decided to attend a session.
“I have done a lot of art classes, but not digital. This was my first digital art class,” she said.
“It was rapid, but it was helpful because they would come over when you got stuck. We’re all learning at different paces. I can’t say enough about how fun it was.”
The classes are held in Melbourne Museum’s Learning Lab Studio, an immersive educational
space where images are displayed on the walls and accompanied by sounds which fill the room.
“Between the first video, which was very immersive and fabulous, and then the peacefulness of this water projection and the birds, it was wonderful,” Nancy said.
The first video projection, River Connections, is a collaboration between the Museum and creative design studio, Grumpy Sailor.
Grumpy Sailor describes the project as a “bespoke, immersive film that submerges students in First Peoples' perspectives of the Australian landscape and its psyche”.
Participants are enveloped by the virtual surroundings, creating a rich and inspired atmosphere
Melbourne Museum says it will continue to encourage technological innovation in its program development.
“I think more and more people are wanting museums to be interactive and immersive. What better way to convey an experience, a period of time, or a historic moment, than recreating it and stepping within it,” Sanderson said.
“We are really lucky to be able to have some of the best experienced producers helping curators and collections. Experts tell stories that may otherwise be lost on an object locked away in a cabinet gathering dust.”
Digital Art Classes will be held at 4pm and 6:30pm once a month until this November, with the next sessions happening on May 21.
Tickets are $35 for adults and $30 for both Concession card holders and Museums Victoria members.
“We really take pride in the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to make sure that all ages feel that the Museum is a safe place and is accessible and inclusive. Older generations have a lot to offer the Museum as they hold knowledge that can be passed on to younger generations,” Sanderson said.
For more information on these exclusively adult classes, visit their website.
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