FIVE MINUTES WITH PEGGY POP ART
Peggy Pop Art’s colourful art tours at the Lismore Regional Gallery have been making art fun for kids (and their adults) for almost a decade. We go behind the scenes with Peggy’s alter-ego and Learning Officer at the gallery, Claudie Frock.
WHAT HAPPENS ON A PEGGY POP ART TOUR?
Really, what I try and do is find out what they (the kids) think about the art. So, giving them clues and information and breaking it down and unpacking it, but also, I’m always really interested to see what their experience is. I think that’s the thing that we lose sometimes as adults when we go into an art gallery, we’re like ‘I don’t really know what this is all about, I’m a bit afraid of the gallery space’. So, I think when you let people feel they’re allowed to have feelings about this or ask questions – I think it’s great for the adults as well as the kids.
WHO IS PEGGY POP ART?
She’s a bit bossy, but she’s a bit absurd. It’s a combination of absurdity with strictness. She was a lot more uptight in her costuming a few years ago. It used to be a very businesslike little suit and she was much more of a 50s kind of tour-guide that’d have a little sign and say ‘c’mon everybody we’re going’, but she’s morphed a bit, so now her clothes are more about shapes and abstractions and colours.
WHY DO YOU THINK KIDS NEED TO COME AND SEE ART?
I think it’s important for them to see how others experience the world – it makes us have more empathy for others. It helps us understand other people’s culture and other people’s points of view. I think art and creativity are incredibly important for our culture and our community. And there’s something about really being able to appreciate beauty in art.
BEST THING ABOUT WORKING WITH KIDS?
Preschool age kids are my favourite because it’s just like this age of wonder. They’re up for exploring and giving it a go. The way they talk about art, they don’t double guess themselves, they talk about the colour and the way it makes them feel and the shapes and I think lots of adults and older kids can really learn from that sense of just letting it wash over you and enjoying it for what it is.