ArtPlay

22/10/2026

Bring your little ones to get groovy this weekend at ArtPlay! Our venue is alive with the sweet sound of jazz for 'Inside Out', in collaboration with the .

Inside Out is a place for our youngest music fans to get creative with others and let their imagination boogie! There will be live jazz and all sorts of materials full of razzle and ritz on hand for children to create artworks or build a play space together.

Kids can make a soft sculpture out of cushions or felt, then turn it into a campfire for singalongs; draw the sound of music or wrap and weave your own melody using ribbon and rope; or listen to professional jazz musicians and cast shadows as you play or dance at your own tea party. Anything is possible!

Age: 2 to 7 years
Dates: Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October, 10.30am – 12.30pm daily

This event is free, bookings are not required.

20/10/2026

Thank you to all the artists and producers who attended our Seedling Sessions artist exchange last week! It was such a special experience to have our guests from and , and to foster new connections internationally between talented creatives making exciting and thoughtful child-centred work. We learned so much from everyone in attendance. 🧡

Seedling Sessions is an ongoing artist exchange established by ArtPlay and the Jeonju Cultural Foundation in 2023, connecting artists from Melbourne and Korea through collaborative, child-centred creative practice. This project has been supported by .australia International Engagement Fund and was presented as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival.

13/10/2026

Our professional development event, Seedling Sessions 모종의 모임, is happening this week! This is a practice exchange for artists and producers exploring cross-cultural collaboration in creating with children and families.

Date: Thursday 15 October, 1pm
For artists and producers, 18+

What can we learn when artists create with children across cultures?

Seedling Sessions is an ongoing artist exchange established by ArtPlay and the Jeonju Cultural Foundation in 2023, connecting artists from Melbourne and Korea through collaborative, child-centred creative practice.

Join artists and producers from Melbourne and Jeonju, Korea, as they share six years of cross-cultural collaboration creating participatory experiences with and for children and families.

The session will be interpreted between Korean and English. Book through our website or .

이 워크숍은 영어와 한국어로 통역될 예정입니다.
문화를 넘어 협업을 하게 된다면 어떤 어려움이 있고, 어떤것들을 배우게 될까요?

2023년부터 이어온모종의모임은멜버른아트플레이와전주문화재단이어린이들과작업하는작가님들의국제협업과 교류를 지원하고자만든 모임입니다.지난 6년에 걸쳐 아트플레이와 전주문화재단의 협업을 기획한 기획자들과 모종의 모임 작가님들과 함께 어린이들 중심의 국제 협업과 그동안 배운 노하우를 나눠보는 시간을 준비했어요.

모종의 모임은 작가, 기획자, 교육자 혹은 창작 작업을 하는 모든 분들께 작업에 대해 되돌아 보고, 교류에 대한 생각을 나누고, 어린이들과 작업하는 분들과 새로운 인연을 만드는 그런 자리로 준비되었습니다.

This project is supported by Creative Australia International Engagement Fund and is part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival. 모종의 모임은 크리에이티브 호주의 국제 교류 지원금을 받아 멜버른 프린지와 함께 제공합니다.

24/09/2026

Obang 오방 is closed Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September for the long holiday weekend. We'll be open again for all drop-ins on Sunday from 10 to 4pm.

오방은 공휴일 연휴로 인해 9월 25일(금)과 26일(토)에 휴무합니다. 일요일에는 오전 10시부터 오후 4시까지 다시 문을 엽니다.

Obang 오방 is an interactive exhibition designed for children ages 0 to 5 and their caregivers. Inspired by the traditional Korean concept of Obang*, you are invited to step inside a house inspired by traditional Korean living and East Asian philosophy.

오방은 한국의 전통적인 삶 속 의식주와 동양 철학에서 영감을 받은, 0~5세 아동과 보호자를 위한 어린이 주도적 참여형 설치 전시 입니다.

22/09/2026

We had SO much fun over the weekend with artists Youbi Lee and Hana Ebrahami during Make Do! Make Do is a chance for messy, imaginative play, this time themed around the colours of our in-house installation OBANG 오방. Obang 오방 is open 10am to 4pm, Thursday to Sunday (except for 25 and 26 September).

Keep an eye out on our newsletter (linked in bio!) for similar upcoming events. 🎨💫

15/09/2026

Looking for a fun, creative and hands-on workshop for your kids during the upcoming school holidays? Skateboard Deck Art is back at ArtPlay!

Ages: 8 to 13 years
Dates: 24 September, 27 September, 1 to 3 October

Join artist Tricia Van Der-Kuyp aka ‘Vandal’ to paint your own skateboard deck. You will use stencils, spray cans and sharpies to create your design. You can also include collage elements to create a real mixed media masterpiece.

Vandal is a proud Wiradjuri woman and Melbourne-based artist (Bundadhaany). She started her art through painting skateboards and exhibiting them! Vandal has created public artworks that have been displayed on a Melbourne Art Tram as well as on community art trails around Victoria that have decorated a sculpture, seats, a barbecue, a car parking space, a gallery door, traffic signal boxes as well as large public augmented reality artworks. Vandal believes you don't have to be perfect to be a good artist, because art has no rules!

Book now! artplay.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/168143 💫🔗

04/09/2026

ArtPlay is the perfect place for new humans to begin to explore the world through art and theatre 🎨🥰 Our baby-focused programming resumes next week with Welcome The Little Stranger by Pocketfool .

Welcome the Little Stranger celebrates the tender, joyful and sometimes confounding time when a baby joins the world through theatre. Drawing on the instinctive ways that parents communicate with their babies, the performance takes the audience on a playful musical journey through relatable and precious moments in the life of a family with a very young baby.

Dates: Thursday 10 September to Sunday 13 September
Age: 0 to 12 months

Book soon before sessions sell-out 💫🔗 artplay.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/167981

Image credit: Darren Gill

01/09/2026

Introducing our new interactive installation: Obang 오방!

Step into a Korean grandmother's home while she is away visiting her grandchildren overseas. She invites you to make yourself at home, her generous spirit and warmth lingering in every corner.

Daes: Thursday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, until 13 June 2027
Ages: 0 to 5 years and their adults

Obang오방 is an interactive exhibition designed for children ages 0 to 5 and their caregivers. Inspired by the traditional Korean concept of Obang*, you are invited to step inside a house inspired by traditional Korean living and East Asian philosophy.

Obang was originally co-created with families as an interactive theatre experience for babies through ArtPlay’s New Ideas Lab in 2019. This evolving project has toured across Victoria and to the Sydney Opera House and returns to its home base as a self-guided installation. This exhibition has been commissioned by ArtPlay, City of Melbourne.

*O (오): The Korean word for the number five. BANG (방): A play on words combining the Sino-Korean character 방 (方), meaning direction or cardinal points, and the Korean word 방, meaning room or space.

한국 할머니 집으로 여러분을 초대합니다.

할머니는 손주들을 만나러 해외에 가셨지만 집 안 구석구석에 남아 있는 넉넉한 인심과 따스함이 여러분을 반갑게 맞이해 줄 거예요.

오방은 한국의 전통적인 삶 속 의식주와 동양 철학에서 영감을 받은, 0~5세 아동과 보호자를 위한 어린이 주도적 참여형 설치 전시 입니다.

오방은 2019년 아트플레이 뉴 아이디어스 랩의 지원을 받아, 예술가들이 영유아와 가족들과 함께 창작한, 영유아를 위한 체험형 연극이며, 빅토리아 주와 시드니 오페라 하우스 등에서 공연을 마치고, 어린이들이 주도적으로 참여하는 설치 작품으로 아트플레이에 돌아왔습니다.

오방에서 ‘오’는 한국어로 다섯을 나타내고, ‘방’은 한자로 방향이나, 방위에 쓰이며, 한국어로 공간을 나타내는 방과 같은 소리 입니다.

Photography by Darren Gill

25/08/2026

Introducing an exciting theatre work for babies and their carers: Welcome the Little Stranger!

Welcome the Little Stranger celebrates the tender, joyful and sometimes confounding time when a baby joins the world. Drawing on the instinctive ways that parents communicate with their babies, this performance from Pocketfool takes the audience on a playful musical journey through relatable and precious moments in the life of a family with a very young baby.

Created and performed by Jennifer Andersen, Kym Tonkin, Heidi Weatherald, Loukia Vassiliades and Rasheeda Cooper.

Dates: Thursday 10 September to Sunday 13 September
For ages 0 to 12 months, and their carers

Book now! artplay.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/167981 💫🔗

A joyful theatre show for babies and their adults  Artists: Pocketfool    Welcome the Little Stranger is a theatre work for pre-walking babies and their adults that celebrates the tender, joyful and sometimes confounding tim…

19/08/2026

Inside Out is back this weekend! This is a free, drop-in session facilitated by ArtPlay's support officers.

Each session offers something different with various materials for your little ones to dig into and let their imagination soar. In this iteration of Inside Out, Families are invited into a colour-filled space inspired by ArtPlay’s new Obang installation.

Explore a different activity each time you visit: make a sculpture out of cushions or felt, turn it into a cubby house, or wrap and weave using ribbon and rope.

Dates: 22 August to 6 September, check our website for the specific timing
Ages: 2 to 7 years

Listen to music, cast shadows as you play, or relax in the sleepy zone. Anything is possible!