A journey into different worlds
JUNIOR CURATORS: MYSTERIOUS REALMS
Junior Curators: Mysterious Realms transports audiences into playful worlds drawn from and inspired by the Ipswich Art Gallery Collection.
A ground breaking program developed with locally based young curators, who embarked on their own journey into the world of curation and exhibitions.
Ipswich Art Gallery
25 November 2023 to 28 January 2024
An ambitious
pilot program
With a clear goal to create lifelong relationships between people and art from an early age, Ipswich Art Gallery is widely recognised for its’ leadership in children’s programming.
Junior Curators: Mysterious Realms provided the opportunity to demonstrate how Ipswich Art Gallery is developing content and programming that is not just for or about young people but also by and with them, valuing their contribution as important members of our local community.
The culmination of a six month journey involving workshops, planning sessions and collaborating with industry professionals the Junior Curators vision for the exhibition was ambitious. Without bounds to their imaginations they envisioned taking visitors on a journey through different worlds, real and imagined as they reinterpreted treasures from the Ipswich Art Gallery Collection.
A collaborative process
The exhibition is a ground breaking opportunity for all involved, and the process was documented through photography and video as well as a collection of workshop outputs including post-its, visual diaries and 3D models. A display of the material provides a peak behind-the-scenes for visitors of the process and cleverly demonstrates the freedom and creative talent of children.
Angela had the opportunity of working with the junior curators in one of their planning sessions sharing her knowledge about the elements of exhibition design and guiding them through the process of crafting the perfect design for their upcoming exhibition.
Tasked with also bringing their vision for the exhibition to life across the branding, marketing and exhibition design, Goldi developed the Mysterious Realms visual identity based on the junior curators sketches, brainstorming and stories.
Merging dreams and reality through a vibrant and punchy gradient where colours bleed into one another, blurring the boundaries and becoming more abstract. Fluid shapes give the sense of looking into a portal. Each colour represents one of the 6 realms of the exhibition, and forms a map through the realms.
“I just wanted to send you a quick message to personally thank you for all your work on the Junior Curators project. You have been so gracious, professional, kind, and hard working, we couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you for all you have done to help us get this project across the line, your support has been greatly appreciated.”
Alison McKay, Project Lead
The extraordinary result is a testament to the creativity of the young curators and how they have reimagined traditional curation approaches. The exhibition showcases their unique perspectives and how they’ve breathed life into the collection, reshaping it to reflect their inner worlds.
It is a captivating experience that takes you on a journey through six imaginative realms, using colourful wall and floor graphics to differentiate realms and give clues to the underlying stories that connect the works.
From branding and marketing through to publication and exhibition design, the bold graphics and colour hint at the immersive experience and collages invite visitors to share in the story of its creation.
SCOPE
Brand identity, marketing materials,
exhibition graphic design, posters and publication
CLIENT
Ipswich Art Gallery
JUNIOR CURATORS
Abigail, Aira, Arabelle, Charlotte, Eva, Henry, Holly, Isabella, Isobel, Kayden, Khaleesi, Monroe, Peregrine, William
PROJECT LEADS
Hannah Attwood, Alison McKay,
Sebastian Moody
PHOTOGRAPHY
Thomas Oliver & Alanna McTiernan
VIDEO
Nick Maguire
DESIGN
Goldi
INSTALLATION
All City Art Services
VINYL GRAPHICS
Colour Chiefs
With thanks to the Junior Curators, their parents and guardians, Ben Warner, David Greenhalgh, Evie Franzidis, Peter Madden, Ipswich Art Gallery team, and Ipswich City Council.
YOU + US
YOU + US
We’d love to help you create a better brand experience.
Book a 15 minute phone call with Angela to discuss how you can make an impact and build value through design.