Culture Dose for Kids

Murray Art Museum Albury is inviting children - aged 9-12 - who are experiencing mild anxiety to take part in this 8-week art program in a small group setting at the Museum. A free program for their parents and caregivers will run at the same time.

Culture Dose for Kids is a study to understand the impact of an arts engagement program on improving wellbeing in primary school-aged children who experience mild anxiety. Parents/caregivers will also participate in this calming and engaging program in both separate and combined sessions.

Engagement with the arts can help young people connect to their feelings, thoughts, and imagination. It can build self-confidence and resilience, foster social connections and improve mental health and wellbeing.

The program will provide a safe, structured space for young people and their parents/carers to engage with and respond creatively to three curated artworks led by an experienced team.

What to expect

Participants will visit the Museum each week for a 2-hour workshop over 8 weeks.

You will complete a questionnaire about anxiety at the first and last session, and also three months after the completion of the program. A survey will also be shared to evaluate your experience of the program.

A one-on-one interview will also be conducted about your experience of the program and the art activities you completed. This will take about ten minutes.

If you provide consent, our research team would also like the opportunity to:

• Observe some of the arts activities you take part in to understand the process and your response to it
• Photograph any artworks produced (with no identifiable links to participants)

Who can participate?

Young people (with their parent/carer) will be eligible to participate if they:

• Are between the ages of 9 to 12 in primary school
• Are able to travel to the gallery
• You (the parent or caregiver) believe your child experiences mild anxiety*

*Anxiety itself is a normal emotion. However, some young people worry more than others, either through a greater number of worries or more frequent or intense worries. For research purposes in this project, mild anxiety refers to children who worry a little more than their peers but have not been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

For more information please contact MAMA Education Officer, Sophie Holvast at sophie.holvast@alburycity.nsw.gov.au

The program was developed by the Art Gallery of NSW and the Black Dog Institute with the support of the Jibb Foundation.