Manly Museum and Art Gallery

Sydney Harbour Exhibition 2021 (Children’s Exhibition Trail)

The organisation that I am involved with is the Manly Art Gallery and Museum (MAG&M). They are a regional Sydney harbourside art gallery, located in Manly Cove. MAG&M is the self-described “centre for arts and culture on the Northern Beaches.” It is also the oldest metropolitan regional gallery in Australia, opening in 1930, since then being known for visual arts and “beach ephemera.”

Manly Art Gallery and Museum

MAG&M exhibitions consistently showcase the talents of Australian artist (especially in NSW). It makes the effort of archiving Australian artists that it hosts and preserving its own history and the history of the Manly regional area. Additionally, MAG&M also attempts to try and reach a wider audience, so it can highlight its talents and histories – this is evident through MAG&M online and previous children’s exhibition trails that it has created.

West Esplanade Bandstand by Robert Hay Robertson(1924)

For my final project, I will be creating a children’s exhibition trail for the Sydney Harbour Exhibition in 2021. It will have 8 paintings by different artists from the exhibition – with a variety of activities and interesting historical facts accompanying each painting. This booklet will help to generate interest in a younger population (ages 7-12) with the exhibition, regardless of whether they are from the Manly regional area or elsewhere in NSW. It is my aim to make it both educational and fun – as I want to be able to generate interest in art and history at a young age. This project will highlight the values of MAG&M i.e. community engagement, showcasing Australian talents and educating the population. I believe that this project will lead to young people getting more involved in art exhibitions, and engaging with the history of Manly’s community and the history of Australian artists.