Matilda Visits Big Art

Matilda is 8 years old. She was invited up to Liverpool to see a brand new children's gallery. Here's what she thought...

'I have been to the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool to look around Big Art for Little Artists. Big Art is a new gallery for children.

I thought it was going to be a big dull room with tables with objects on them and you were meant to draw a picture of them and write about them, like an art lesson at school, just more fun.

When I got there it was a big multi-coloured room with lots of fun things to do! This is me in the poems corner.

There was a dressing-up corner with lots of different outfits.

There was an area for puppet shows and a place where you're meant to listen to poems.

© Walker Art Gallery.

There was a little screen like a computer just without a keyboard and instead of a mouse you had to use your finger. There were four games on the screen.

© Walker Art Gallery.

You could play a game with some toy telephones where you're meant to find an animal under a wooden flap and describe the animal to another person who has to draw the animal you're describing.

There were cats, dogs and other animals from a Noah's ark set.

© Walker Art Gallery.

I thought Big Art was excellent. I don't know why I liked it so much, I just did.

My favourite activity was dressing-up. I dressed up as a horse and an angel.

There were some boys dressed up as kings and girls as queens and someone dressed up as a dragon.

I had a long play with two bird puppets. One was white and yellow and the other was blue, green, yellow and black.

They made squawking noises when you opened and closed their beaks.

I met the Little Artists at Big Art. They make lots of art and even use Lego for it!

They were dressed up in masks and clothes with the first letters of their names on and they wore the same trainers.

They are called Darren Neave and John Cake. I think 'Cake' is a funny name and quite a yummy name too.

The Little Artists were there because they helped to design the gallery and they drew all the instructions and pictures for the activities on the walls.

I recommend Big Art because it's fun and exciting. I think you should visit if you can.'

Don't worry if you can't make it to Liverpool... you can help the Little Artists solve some arty jigsaw puzzles and see some of the Walker's most famous paintings on the Big Art website.

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