Two innovative art exhibitions will be opened by Central Queensland University this week to launch Under 8s Week.

The exhibitions will be staged at CQU’s Early Childhood Building, 240 Quay Street, Rockhampton, and will be officially opened by District Director of Education Queensland Rockhampton region, Lynne Foley on Friday May 23 at 6pm. The exhibition will be open to the public throughout Under 8s Week, May 26 to 31.

CQU’s Bachelor of Learning Management (Early Childhood) students have collected and curated a unique blend of drawings, collages and paintings created by three to eight-year-old children from kindergartens, schools and childcare centres located in and around the Rockhampton area. These will be displayed on the first floor of the Early Childhood building.

'Through a Child’s Eye' is a small exhibition of professional artworks, including pieces from the CQU Collection, which will be hung at the perfect height for children’s viewing. These will be displayed on the lower floor in the Early Childhood building.

CQU’s lecturer in early childhood studies Gillian Busch said her students hoped to engage children with art and give them the opportunity to respond to the art.

“Our Bachelor or Learning Management students have worked extremely hard in preparing a week of exciting and interactive activities for the region’s under 8s. We are really proud of the cross-section of events that are planned,” Ms Busch said.

Waterworks for Kids is a display of water facts and artwork collected from the local community and from the CQU Collection to be displayed at the Walter Reid Centre. The Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF), Arts Queensland and CQU Faculty of Education & Creative Arts have sponsored this exhibition.

Children will have the opportunity to play weird and wonderful musical instruments out of discarded items on Sunday May 25 at Jazz n’ Jammin in the Early Childhood Building car park. Pots, pans and rubbish lids will be just some of the items played by children during the session.

Also on Sunday a series of art workshops including kite making, puppet making, art and pottery will be held at the Walter Reid Centre. To register for one of these workshops phone 4922 08 52. RADF and Arts Queensland have sponsored this event.

CQU have teamed up with ABC Capricornia and Rockhampton City Council to coordinate the Under 8s Week finale, Romp in the Park, at the Rockhampton Botanic Gardens on Friday May 30 from 9am to 1pm. The event promises loads of entertainment and information for under 8s and parents of under 8s.

Photo left: Bachelor of Learning Management (Early Childhood) students get ready for the opening of their Under 8s Week art exhibitions.

Photo above: Bachelor of Learning Management (Early Childhood) Students Mary Ferguson and Sally May.