Sometimes it’s not enough to see great art with your eyes – you want to make it with your hands. We know the feeling well, especially when it comes to the mini-Matisse or pint-sized Pitsiulak in your life. The next time you’re at the AGO on a Saturday or Holiday Monday, look for our new Art Cart family activity centres that move to different galleries every month. In January, the Art Carts can be found in Margaret Eaton Gallery on Level 1 and by the South Entrance alongside our Library & Archives on the Concourse Level.

The Shapes Art Cart focuses on activities involving – you guessed it – shapes. Shapes can be open or closed, organic or geometric, big or small – but they are always present in art. This cart offers fun activities for young artists and their caregivers on how to use shapes to convey moods or emotions, to replicate objects or designs, and to connect them to artwork in our galleries.

The Lines Art Cart includes activities around lines, which are defined as points moving in space and often define the edges of a form. Lines can be horizontal or vertical, diagonal, straight or curved, thick or thin and are always present in art. Our family facilitators are on hand to walk you through a unique age-appropriate artmaking experience.

Each cart contains materials and activity instructions for its specific theme, but here’s an example of what you’ll find in an AGO Art Cart:

• Watercolour pencils and drawing cards
• Pencil crayons and graphite pencils for sketching and drawing for all ages
• A Frame-It activity to turn collages into finished framed abstract masterpieces
• A Junior GeoStix game for the whole family
• Blocks and foam or plastic shapes to create 3D sculptures
• Books for all artistic levels
• Info cards inviting families to seek and discover unique details about paintings in the European (or Level 1) galleries
• The Lines Art Cart includes a colouring card of one of the AGO’s Picasso paintings
• The Shapes Art Cart includes a shape search to send you out into the Gallery to find shapes in real life

Be sure to share your own works of art with the hashtag #AGOMakes!

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