Australia’s first Children’s Art Library opens at AGNSW

Australia’s first Children’s Art Library opens at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), filled with delight and wonder to inspire the next generation.

The new library takes shape within the newly relocated and expanded Edmund and Joanna Capon Research Library, architecturally designed by Sydney architects Tonkin Zulaikha Greer (TZG). The Children’s Art Library was made possible through a generous gift by Ashley Dawson-Damer AM, a member of the Art Gallery’s Board of Trustees from 2014 to 2022, and is named in her honour.

Children enjoying the Art Gallery of New South Wales Children’s Art Library designed by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects. Photograph © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Jenni Carter. Courtesy Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

“I am so pleased to help make this ambitious project possible and share my life-long passion for learning with generations to come. As children, the worlds we’re taken into through books stay with us our whole lives and contribute to the foundations of ourselves,” says Dawson-Damer. “Childhood should be a time for discovery and wonder, and a Children’s Art Library has the capacity to provide young minds with inspiration and awe.”‘

The Ashley Dawson-Damer Children’s Art Library is the first of its kind in Australia, with over 1400 titles; the walls adorned with childhood illustrations by Australian artists, including Grace Cossington-Smith, Grace Crowley, Adrienne Doig and Margaret Olley. The architecturally designed space features reading towers and terraced seating for children aged 0-12.

Margaret Olley, Collage book, c,1929. Margaret Olley Archive, bequest of Margaret Olley 2011, National Art Archive, Art Gallery of New South Wales. © Margaret Olley Art Trust

To provide delight, educate and spark the imagination of young visitors, the books range from titles about artists and by artists, about art history featuring acclaimed illustrations, books in languages other than English, and books for children with disabilities or who have access requirements. 

Art Gallery of NSW Children’s Art Library designed by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects. Photograph: Cieran Murphy. Courtesy Art Gallery of New South Wales

The library is activated by regularly programmed free activities for children and families, including storytime sessions, sensory and tactile experiences, performances, and new artist-led artmaking experiences with children as vital co-creators.

“Australia’s first ever Children’s Library is a unique gift to new generations of young visitors to the Art Gallery. I thank Ashley Dawson-Damer for her exceptionally generous support, which has made the creation of this beautiful library possible,” Art Gallery of NSW director Michael Brand says. “Like many adults, Ashley continues to find joy and delight in books for children and is a great ambassador for lifelong learning through books. We encourage young people and their parents and carers to enjoy this new collection of books by artists and about the wonderful world of art.”

Read more on AGNSW’s website to plan your visit.

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