KinderKunstLabor for contemporary art

The KinderKunstLabor for contemporary art

“The KinderKunstLabor will be an exhibition space.
There will be artworks by famous artists, playgrounds
for children, and there will be lots of things to look at.

You can come with your whole family.”

Mudasar Alikhel (jury member Public Art Lower Austria / 2022,
art ideas workshop co-creator, 13 years old)

The KinderKunstLabor for contemporary art, a institution in St. Pölten, opened its doors in June 2024. Designed by the Viennese architects Schenker Salvi Weber, the building is a place for encounters between children, contemporary art, and artists. The entire spectrum of current artistic production is presented, from video art, photography and painting, sculpture, sound art, installation and performance to works with scientific connotations. A children's library enriches the museum's offerings with illustration, literature and film. With three exhibitions per year and an extensive range of workshops and projects, the new venue focuses on a young audience up to the age of 12. The special area for young children up to the age of six, an in-house café, and the surrounding sculpture park offer all age groups a lively place to meet in an open and creative environment.

Children participate in the ongoing development of the institution on all levels – from the new building and its surroundings to the choice of thematic focuses and the artistic programme. Contemporary art productions are conceived in a close dialogue with the co-creation committees, the Kunstideenwerkstatt (art ideas workshop), and the Kinderbeirat (Children’s Advisory Board). These bodies are directly involved in the institution’s decisions concerning content, programme, and design.

The KinderKunstLabor for contemporary art is a learning institution that builds upon research-based support. Knowledge and insights attained on site are scientifically evaluated and shared in the framework of a comprehensive training and further education programme.

Contemporary Art for and with a Young Audience

Young visitors are involved in the planning of the exhibitions and the design of the spaces from the very beginning. The themes and content of the KinderKunstLabor are created and developed collaboratively in various formats together with the Kinderbeiratsgruppen (Children’s Advisory Groups) and children from the Kunstideenwerkstatt (art ideas workshop).

Since 2019, artistic workshops have been held as part of lessons with six school classes and five kindergartens – these are the Children’s Advisory Groups. Complementing these fixed groups, the art ideas workshop is an open format for all children outside of their school and kindergarten curriculum. In this way, around 350 children have been contributing their wishes, interests, concerns, and ideas to the KinderKunstLabor from the very beginning.

Hence, children do not just visit the house, they are part of it. Their ideas and wishes are the starting point for the artistic work. Children enter into a dialogue with the artists, designers, architects, and the team of the KinderKunstLabor and thereby initiate reciprocal processes. Involved on these different levels, they contribute to the character of the place and transform it: the KinderKunstLabor becomes their place. Almost 200 workshops have been held to date.