The Art Gallery That’s Changing How Children Experience Art: Where “Don’t Touch” Becomes “Go Explore”

There are some places parents almost instinctively prepare their children for before they even walk through the doors. “Remember to use your inside voice.” “Don’t run.” “And whatever you do, don’t touch anything.” Art galleries have long carried that reputation. They are places of quiet admiration where paintings hang untouched on pristine white walls and visitors move slowly from one work to the next. They are beautiful, inspiring and culturally important, but not necessarily somewhere many parents imagine spending an entire afternoon with young children.

That was certainly my perception before visiting the Art Gallery of New South Wales with Aurora, 9, and Arcadia, 3. I imagined we would wander through a few exhibitions, admire some incredible works, perhaps stop to explain a painting or sculpture before little legs grew tired and someone inevitably asked when we were leaving. Instead, we discovered something that completely challenged every assumption I had ever held about museums and what they could be for children.

Deep beneath the Gallery, inside a decommissioned World War II naval oil tank, my daughters weren’t being asked to stand quietly or admire art from a respectful distance. They were climbing over it, weaving through it, disappearing inside it and emerging moments later with enormous smiles stretched across their faces. What we had discovered wasn’t simply an exhibition. It was an invitation to explore, to play and to become part of the artwork itself. By the time we eventually left, I realised we hadn’t just experienced one of Sydney’s most extraordinary family attractions. We’d witnessed one of Australia’s oldest cultural institutions quietly rewriting the rules of how children experience art.

A Giant Playground Beneath the Art Gallery of New South Wales

Created by New Zealand artist Mike Hewson, The Key’s Under the Mat transforms the Gallery’s vast Tank space into something unlike anything we have experienced before. The Tank itself is remarkable. Once a World War II naval oil bunker, the cavernous concrete structure feels mysterious before you’ve even encountered the artwork. Its immense scale immediately sparks curiosity, and as you descend into the space you quickly realise this isn’t somewhere you’re expected to simply stand back and admire.

Instead, an enormous timber structure unfolds throughout the Tank like an oversized cubby house imagined by an architect with no intention of telling visitors where to begin or how they should move through it. Staircases lead in unexpected directions, hidden passageways disappear around corners, elevated platforms reveal entirely new perspectives and small openings tempt curious visitors to discover what lies beyond. Every section encourages exploration and rewards those willing to wander a little further.

Aurora disappeared almost immediately, excitedly calling back every few minutes to tell us she had found “another way through”, while Arcadia followed closely behind her sister, convinced each opening led to another adventure waiting to be discovered. Before long, they were navigating the installation with a confidence that only children possess, inventing games, creating stories and deciding which pathway should be explored next.

What fascinated me most, however, wasn’t simply watching my own daughters. It was watching everyone else. Parents, grandparents, teenagers and toddlers were all navigating the installation together. Complete strangers pointed out hidden pathways to one another, older children instinctively helped younger visitors squeeze through narrow spaces, and laughter echoed throughout the Tank as families shared the simple joy of discovering something unexpected together.

There was something wonderfully equalising about the experience. Adults weren’t standing on the sidelines watching children play, nor were children simply following adults through an exhibition they barely understood. Everyone became an explorer. Everyone became curious. Everyone became part of the artwork itself.

As I stood watching this unfold, it suddenly occurred to me that nobody was telling the children to be quiet. There were no anxious reminders not to touch anything, no whispered apologies for excited voices and no sense that children were somehow disrupting the experience. Instead, they were exactly where they were supposed to be. Mike Hewson hadn’t simply created an artwork to look at. He had created one that welcomed participation, encouraging visitors of every age to climb, crawl, wander and discover the work through movement rather than observation.

Changing the Conversation Around Art

As parents, we’re constantly searching for experiences that encourage imagination without relying on screens. We want our children to ask questions, solve problems, move their bodies, work things out for themselves and perhaps most importantly, remain curious. The remarkable thing about The Key’s Under the Mat is that it quietly achieves all of those things without ever feeling educational.

Children aren’t reading information panels or being instructed how they should interpret the artwork. Instead, they naturally begin creating their own narratives. One moment the structure becomes a pirate ship. The next it transforms into a secret fortress hidden beneath the city. Every opening presents another mystery, every staircase another possibility. Each child seems to discover something completely different inside the same installation, reminding us that creativity is deeply personal and that art doesn’t always need to come with explanations.

Watching Aurora and Arcadia move confidently through the installation reminded me how naturally children engage with creativity when they aren’t worried about getting it right. There was no right path to follow, no correct interpretation and no expectation beyond simple curiosity. The freedom to explore became part of the artwork itself.

Standing back and watching hundreds of families experiencing exactly the same thing, I found myself wondering how a gallery with more than 150 years of history had become brave enough to challenge the traditional museum experience so completely. This clearly wasn’t accidental. Someone had made a deliberate decision that children should experience art differently.

The answer, it turns out, begins with the woman now leading the Gallery.

Leading a New Era

Last year, Maud Page became the first female Director in the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ 154 year history. While that achievement is remarkable in itself, spending time inside the Gallery made me realise her appointment represents far more than a historical milestone. It reflects a broader shift in thinking about who museums are for, how families engage with culture and what future generations will expect when they walk through the doors.

When I spoke with Maud, what struck me first wasn’t the significance of becoming the Gallery’s first female Director, but the humility with which she spoke about those who came before her.

“It’s a tremendous honour to be appointed Director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and also to be the first woman to hold the role in the 154 year history,” she told Parenthood360. “While I recognise the significance of that milestone, I do so standing on the shoulders of some exceptional women who helped shape the Art Gallery, including former Deputy Directors Anne Flanagan and Suhanya Raffel, now Director of M+ in Hong Kong.”

As the mum of two daughters, I found myself reflecting on something much bigger than the exhibition itself. Aurora and Arcadia weren’t simply exploring an extraordinary artwork. They were doing so inside an institution now being led by a woman making history. Children may never know who occupies the Director’s office, but leadership quietly shapes every experience they have. It influences the exhibitions they encounter, the stories they hear and, ultimately, whether they feel they belong in spaces like these.

For Maud, becoming the Gallery’s first female Director isn’t simply about breaking through a glass ceiling. It’s about ensuring the next generation sees leadership differently.

“For me, this appointment reflects the progress that has been made, but I hope it also signals that leadership opportunities for women should be the norm, not the exception. I hope my appointment sends a clear message to young women that there is a place for them at every level of leadership within Australia’s cultural institutions.”

Standing there watching my daughters disappear into yet another hidden passageway, I couldn’t help but think they were receiving two powerful messages that afternoon. The first was that art isn’t something to admire from a distance. It’s something to experience. The second was quieter, but perhaps even more important. The people shaping Australia’s cultural future can look just like them.

Creating a Gallery Where Everyone Belongs

The philosophy behind The Key’s Under the Mat extends far beyond a single exhibition. It forms part of a much broader vision for the Art Gallery of New South Wales, one that challenges long-held assumptions about who museums are for and how people should experience them.

For many parents, visiting an art gallery can feel intimidating. There is often an underlying worry that children might be too noisy, too energetic or too curious for the space around them. It’s understandable why many families quietly decide to wait until their children are older before introducing them to galleries. Yet in doing so, they risk missing an opportunity to nurture creativity at precisely the age when imagination comes most naturally.

For Maud, changing that perception has become one of the Gallery’s most important priorities.

“As a public art institution, it’s really important that the Art Gallery of New South Wales is a place that is welcoming to everyone, and that we offer a diversity of experiences so that every visitor can find a point of connection, including children and their families. And yes, that includes not being quiet!” she explains.

“We want families to feel that there are many ways to engage with art and that the Art Gallery is a place for discovery, creativity and participation, not just observation.”

Those words couldn’t have described our experience more perfectly. Throughout our visit there wasn’t a sense that children were simply being accommodated. They were genuinely welcomed. Families weren’t confined to designated children’s corners while adults enjoyed the “real” exhibitions. Instead, children were invited into the heart of the experience, discovering artworks in ways that felt entirely natural to them. Perhaps that is what makes The Key’s Under the Mat so remarkable. It doesn’t ask children to experience the world like adults. Instead, it invites adults to rediscover the world through the curiosity of children.

More Than an Exhibition

What Mike Hewson has created inside the Tank is remarkable, not simply because it is interactive, but because it completely transforms how visitors understand the space itself. Rather than treating the former naval oil bunker as merely a dramatic backdrop, the installation embraces its history, scale and architecture, encouraging visitors to see the Tank as part of the artwork rather than simply the room that houses it.

As we continued exploring, it became increasingly obvious that there wasn’t a single route through the installation. Every family moved differently. Some climbed immediately to the upper levels before working their way back down, while others explored every hidden opening they could find first. Children instinctively slowed down in places adults might have hurried through, noticing tiny details, peering through gaps and inventing stories that made perfect sense to them, even if nobody else understood them.

Watching Aurora and Arcadia navigate the structure reminded me how rarely adults are given permission to play alongside their children. Usually we supervise from the sidelines, encouraging them to climb, slide or explore while we watch from nearby. Here, the invitation extended to everyone. Before long, I found myself squeezing through openings, climbing staircases and following my daughters wherever their curiosity happened to lead.

It is difficult to think of another artwork where participation feels so completely inseparable from the experience itself.

A Gallery Looking Towards the Future

While The Key’s Under the Mat may be capturing the attention of families right now, it also represents something much bigger about the direction of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

When asked about her vision for the future, Maud spoke not simply about attracting larger audiences, but about ensuring everyone feels welcome the moment they arrive.

“My vision is for the Art Gallery to continue making a meaningful impact locally, nationally and internationally, while ensuring that art is accessible, relevant and welcoming to all audiences. More broadly, I want people from all walks of life across Sydney, NSW and Australia to walk through our threshold and feel at home.”

That commitment can already be seen throughout the Gallery’s programming. Alongside major international exhibitions, the Gallery continues expanding opportunities for children and families to engage with art in ways that feel accessible rather than intimidating. Children under 12 receive free entry to ticketed exhibitions, self-guided children’s trails encourage younger visitors to explore at their own pace, and events such as the hugely popular Hive Festival transform the Gallery into a celebration of creativity, participation and family connection.

“Our exhibition program brings very diverse experiences and perspectives to the Art Gallery, ensuring that visitors can see themselves reflected in the stories we share,” Maud explains.

She points to the Gallery’s current exhibition, Avatar: Forms of Vishnu, which explores fifteen centuries of art dedicated to the Hindu deity Vishnu, alongside the upcoming Nolan: Origins, celebrating one of Australia’s most iconic artists, Sidney Nolan, before a major takeover of the Naala Badu building by internationally acclaimed Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami later this year. It is an ambitious program, but one united by a common purpose. Rather than asking audiences to fit into traditional expectations of what an art gallery should be, the Gallery is continually evolving to reflect the many different communities, cultures and generations who now walk through its doors.

Why Experiences Like This Matter

As parents, we spend a great deal of time searching for experiences that create lasting memories. We visit zoos, museums, theatres and parks hoping something will spark our children’s imagination or encourage them to see the world a little differently.

What surprised me most about our visit wasn’t simply how much Aurora and Arcadia enjoyed themselves. It was how naturally they connected creativity with movement, exploration and play. They weren’t trying to understand contemporary art. They were simply responding to it in the most honest way children know how. Perhaps that is where the greatest learning takes place.

When children are free to ask questions without worrying about finding the right answer, creativity flourishes. When they are encouraged to explore rather than simply observe, curiosity becomes instinctive. When art becomes something they experience with their whole bodies rather than something viewed from behind an invisible barrier, museums stop feeling intimidating and begin feeling like places where they belong. It is a subtle shift, but an incredibly powerful one.

Leaving With Curiosity

Before finishing our conversation, I asked Maud what she hoped every child would take away from experiencing The Key’s Under the Mat. Her answer felt like the perfect reflection of everything we had witnessed that afternoon.

“I would hope they leave with a sense of curiosity, joy and inspiration. More than anything, I want every child to feel that the Art Gallery is a place where they belong. If they beg their parents to come back, then we know we’ve done our job!”

Mission accomplished. As we eventually made our way back upstairs, neither Aurora nor Arcadia talked about famous artists or individual sculptures. They talked about the hidden passageways they wanted to explore again, the platforms they had climbed, the tiny spaces they had discovered and whether we could come back another day.

Driving home, I realised something had quietly shifted, not only for them, but for me as well. I had walked into the Art Gallery of New South Wales expecting to remind my children to be quiet, not to touch anything and to walk carefully through the exhibitions. Instead, I left understanding that the most meaningful experiences often begin when children are encouraged to do exactly what comes naturally to them: to ask questions, to explore, to imagine and to play. Perhaps that is the true success of The Key’s Under the Mat. It isn’t simply changing how children experience art. It is changing how parents think about museums.

If this is what the future of cultural institutions looks like, then it is an exciting one. One where creativity feels accessible, families feel genuinely welcomed and children grow up believing galleries aren’t places where they have to be quiet, but places where curiosity is celebrated and imagination is given room to flourish.

The Key’s Under the Mat by Mike Hewson is showing at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.