SINGAPORE - Children can try their hand at digital painting, sculpture and other art forms at the refreshed Keppel Centre for Art Education, which opened its doors at the National Gallery Singapore on Dec 16.

The new space was reopened following four months of renovation works that began in August. It features seven learning zones where hands-on activities allow children aged four to 12 to explore new technologies while learning about art.

The entire revamp – from conceptualisation and content development to user testing and renovation – took 1½ years to be completed.

In the revamped zones, young visitors are encouraged to express themselves in imaginative ways, be it through playing with materials to create 3D sculptures or interacting with immersive multimedia, said National Gallery Singapore.

One of them is the Experimentation zone, which provides children with 3D doodling pens and large wooden pieces to create and assemble their own 3D sculptures.

According to National Gallery Singapore, the wide range of materials and textures available in this zone will enable children to learn how to use materials to craft narratives about themselves and the world they live in.

Another zone visitors will come across is the Expansion zone, featuring immersive multimedia and digital artwork.

Children will be invited to explore different artistic elements of an adaptation of Indonesian artist Raden Saleh’s work Boschbrand (Forest Fire) through special digital paintbrushes.

They will be guided through the elements of art creation through their reimagination of the painting, including colour theory – where they can digitally mix primary colours to create secondary colours – and composition, through playing with the scale and size of the animals.

There is also an interactive augmented reality game, which enables children to participate in shaping the artwork’s narrative by drawing lines to help put out the virtual forest fire on the digital screen.

Next, in the Illuminate! zone, visitors can experiment with the interplay of colours, shapes, light and shadows through the use of coloured blocks and fabrics in screen projections.

Following that, families can create their own portraits using magnetic props at the Portrait Gallery zone.

The remaining zones include the Expression zone, where daily drop-in activities and workshops take place, the Book Nook which offers child-friendly art books, and the Calm Pod where over-stimulated visitors can rest.

When asked for the reason behind the revamp, National Gallery Singapore learning and outreach deputy director Annabelle Tan said that the gallery had been conducting visitor studies and test-bedding various approaches to engaging children and young people since its opening in 2015.

From these studies, it learnt that families bonded well through hands-on creation of art and that young visitors gain confidence in articulating their thoughts on art when they are equipped with visual literacy skills.

The gallery also learnt that children cultivate richer imaginations when they are in environments that allow them to express themselves, added Ms Tan. “From these insights we’ve gained, and considering the evolving needs of children, we decided to revamp the centre while also leveraging new technologies,” said Ms Tan.

Speaking at the reopening ceremony on Dec 16, Minister of State for Social and Family Development Sun Xueling said that she has personally visited the centre with her children more than 10 times.

“And the experience has always been so fresh... It’s very exciting to see that now the space has been revamped in its entirety, to become even more interactive and a place of wonder for children, families and those young at heart,” said Ms Sun.

Families The Straits Times spoke to welcomed the new revamp, citing the wide range of hands-on activities and exploratory nature of play as key upgrades they enjoy.

Father of four Shahrom Taha, 44, is glad that the revamped centre has many activities that cater to children of different ages and with varied interests, especially in the Experimentation zone with the large wooden pieces.

The secondary school teacher said that his nine-year-old daughter, who is usually quite reserved, found comfort in expressing herself through art, and that the gallery is “a good way” for her to share her thoughts.

Mrs Sarah Lee-Wong, 46, also applauded the centre’s approach to inclusivity for differently abled children.

The educational therapist and mother of two neurodivergent children said the new space allows children to be non-judgmental of one another and build friendships organically through their interactions with art.

This is because young visitors have the freedom to express themselves in a safe space without the need to adhere to any rules, she noted.