Castlemaine Art Museum has announced that it will reopen its doors to the public this Saturday June 20 at noon.
CAM will be open Thursday-Sunday only initially from 12pm-4pm, closing a little earlier to enable staff to clean the gallery at the end of each day.
CAM renewal director Naomi Cass said CAM’s magnificent galleries and wide entrances were uniquely suited to the new social distancing measures that all galleries were adopting in response to the pandemic.
“We will be welcoming 10 visitors at a time and will be encouraging people to utilise our hand sanitising stations and observe social distancing.”
The CAM team has been working hard behind the scenes over the past few months to maintain the gallery and catalogue the collection during its COVID-19 closure.
They have also stayed connected with their community through regular emails and ‘Reflections’ by local community members on some of the works featured in the extensive collection.
More recently CAM has also introduced a fantastic new program aimed at engaging children and teens with art and the gallery – ‘CAM Kids’.
Ms Cass said they were grateful for the assistance of Christine Bell as well as Geoff and Geraldine Harris for this Art Activity series.
“Developed by museum educator Melissa Bedford, each activity provides ideas and suggestions for engaging with artworks in our collection and exhibition program during 2020,” she said.
The first activity, suitable for making and sharing artworks at school or online, encouraged children aged eight years up to make their own hand-coloured photo inspired by a hand-coloured still life photograph by artist Janina Green.
The second activity, also aimed at kids aged eight and up, asked children to draw their very own fantastical figure inspired by a crazy hybrid person/dog portrait in the collection, Sea Dog by artist Rona Green.
The third instalment unveiled last week and recommended for children aged six and up invites kids to print their own pattern inspired by the striking wallpaper created by artists Stewart Russell and John Wolseley for the exhibition The Unquiet Landscape.
Ms Cass said an exciting fourth instalment aimed at VCE students would be added shortly.
If your child would like to try their hand at the activities you can find them at www.castlemainegallery.com/education
CAM has also been developing a brand new website that will enable art lovers to explore the gallery’s rich collection from anywhere in the world.
Just before the lockdown closure the gallery had also installed a new exhibition that is awaiting visitors – Cast Recast featuring the work of one of Australia’s most prolific ceramicists Damon Moon.
Inspired by the beautiful gentle space of the Sinclair Gallery and CAM’s facade, Moon responds to architecture, pottery and process, creating a poetic and contemporary recast of the past. The exhibition is being presented in collaboration with Bendigo Pottery.
