Nottingham Contemporary

Explore past event recordings, digital family activities, artist interviews, blogs and VR scans of our past exhibitions.

National Playday 2022
children on top of a large blue and green padded sculpture
Activity: DIY Board Game
A hand drawn board game by a child with images and writing
Play & Learn: Coming out to Play?
Child outside their front door on a yellow mat with paint bottles, looking and listening to a story being read by artist Sian Watson-Taylor. Mother is in the doorway crouched downwith hands together adn a big smile on her face.
Family Activity: Building the Future
a photo of Nottingham Contemporary's building next to a drawing of the building with trees on the roof
Activity: Temple of Nature
a structure made of twigs and pine cones
Activity: Fossils of the Future
Imprints of a key, a phone, a coin and a lego character in dough
Family Explorers: A Blueprint for the Better
A 'blue print for the better' resource sheet considering what changes could be made to make a better future. Some of these include 'Sustainability, 'weather', 'predictions', 'gallery conversations', 'environments', 'sounds of the city', 'call to action' and 'food'. Includes sketches of the Nottingham Contemporary logo, the Windmill Community Gardens logo and the Our Silver City, 2094 logo.
Activity: Weather Watcher
An empty jar of twigs with strings holding pictures of a cloud, a sun and writing which says Chilly Bon Bons!
Play and Learn Team: Susie's Best Picks
a yellow game Called poo bingo
Activity: Colour Maker
two hands pressing down flowers and leaves onto card with a stone
Play and Learn Team: Milee's Best Picks
a child holding a blue kaleidoscope with planets on it
Activity: Nature Tangles
Autumn leaves placed together to create a cross-stitch
Activity: A Moment in Time
a photograph of a family and a letter are on a wooden table with a bowl
Play and Learn Team: Rachel's Best Picks
a box with drawings of animals on and the words "finger print activity set"
Play and Learn Team: Ursula's Best Picks
blue and purple socks with an illustration of Ada Lovelace's face
Activity: Best Nest
Cylinders made of newspapers with paper balls inside.
Activity: Curate a Collection
Four dinosaur figures inside and on top of two boxes.
Activity: Body Marks (Free materials)
White prints on black paper and tracing paper.
Activity: Map of Me (Free materials)
Natural materials and string weaved together in a frame made of branches.
Activity: DIY Family Festival at home (Free materials)
An image of two pairs of legs wearing wellies.
Activity: Appliance Appreciation
A purple toaster with a series of comical lyrics placed on the wall behind.
Activity: Family Tree (Free materials)
A pair of hands removing a print of a leaf next to a completed pink and green print.
Activity: Creative Veggie Walk
Activity: Water Play
Play & Learn: What we’ve all been up to!
Activity: A Den with a View
Activity: Kitchen Spell (Free materials)
Activity: Boaster Poster
Activity: Paint Play
Activity: Book Nook
Activity: Fruit & Veg Chain (Free materials)
Family Explorer Activities: Story Adventure #2 (BSL)
Associate artist, Sian Watson-Taylor, and little artist, aoife, drawing together on the floor.
Family Explorer Activities: Allison Katz, Silent Sounds (BSL)
Four school children dancing in the gallery space next to Allison Katz' paintings.
Family Explorer Activities: Erika Verzutti, Eye Spy (BSL)
A picture of little artist, Aoife, sat down with thumbs up.
Family Explorer Activities: Hello! #2 (BSL)
Little artist, Aoife, and associate artist Sian Watson-Taylor.
Family Explorer Activities: Melanie Matrangra, Hide & Seek (BSL)
Two school children sat together.
Getting to know us: Play and Learn Team
Four images of the Play and Learn Team. Left to right: Susannah Lambert, Milee Lee, Ursula Rae, Rachel Scanlon.
Vote For Us! Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award 2021
Activity: Static Magic (Free materials)
A yellow balloon with a smiley sunshine drawn on above paper cut-outs of poppies.
Activity: Creative Walks- Neighbourhood Names
A drawing of a village and writing to show each location.
Activity: Creative Walks - Colour Coordination
A child next to a bed of flowers wearing a yellow hat with a sunflower attached, a yellow polka dot coat holding a knitted, yellow flower.
Activity: Paper Patterns (Free materials)
A roll of multi-coloured paper in a white tray next to different coloured pens.
Activity: The Art of Happiness!
A chalk drawing of a game on a pavement.
Activity: Dress Grace! (Free materials)
6 images of different paper cut-outs of Grace Jones wearing different outfits.
Activity: In the Picture, with BSL (Free materials)
Activity: Feel-Good Party (Free materials)
Activity: Kitchen Karaoke
A spinning disco ball above a black and white dance floor.
Activity: Hula Hoop Disco (Free materials)
Grace Jones using a hula hoop on stage during the 'Hurricane' tour.
Activity: The Everywhere Gallery (Free materials)
Two hands holding up a frame to a jar of Starburst sweets.
Activity: Style Up
A cut out of a head on a table alongside scissors, a pencil, a pen and some purple tape.
Activity: Hidden Portraits
A child laid out on the floor holding a teddy bear in their hand, with a foot in a red bucket, a newspaper across their body, a blue cushion covering their head and a blanket covering their other hand.
Activity: Paper Moves
Ursula holding her arms out whilst holding paper out behind her
Activity: Stylish Silhouettes (Free materials)
A hand holding a cut out image and placing the image above a patterned leaf to make a new image.
Family Explorer Activities: A Story Adventure
A child holding up their paper creations. Behind is associate artist, Sian Watson-Taylor, holding up another piece of artwork.
Family Explorer Activities: Fashion Show
Little artist, Aoife, and associate artist, Sian Watson-Taylor dressed up.
Family Explorer Activities: Mirror Movements
A child and associate artist, Sian Watson-Taylor, completing a Mirror Movement activity.
Family Explorer Activities: Hello!
Little artist, Aoife, and associate artist, Sian Watson-Taylor sat on the floor.
Families in the Galleries - Denzil Forrester
Colourful poster for "Kitchen Disco" by Clare Foges and Al Murphy. Text at the top reads ""Mummy, this is fantastically brilliant! It's so funny!" Josh Age 5"
Creative Wellbeing: Activities for the Classroom
A child looking backwards to the camera.
Self Love Creative Wellbeing Project
Eight scenarios of multiple women in different roles.
Activity: Colour of Movement
A line art work of two people using tape on wooden flooring.
Activity: Flat-pack Sculpture
Two sculptures by Diane Simpson.
Activity: Found Soundscape
Children smiling and singing into a microphone.
Gill's Creative Challenge: Shape & Shadows
A group of children drawing on to a piece of paper strung up to a wall.
Gill's Creative Challenge: Super Vision Headset
A child holding up a translucent material whilst surrounded by different materials.
Family Activity: Making Moves
A black and white image of an adult's legs and shoes and a child jumping.
Play & Learn: Links We Love
Nottingham Contemporary's play and learn facilitators on Zoom.
Play & Learn at Home
A screenshot of an instructor and four families on Zoom.
Charlotte's Creative Challenges: Things to Life
A pan with eyes placed on is upside down on top of cutlery to form a creature
Charlotte’s Creative Challenges: Art with Everyday Things
Cutlery placed in the shape of a "H" and an "I"
Charlotte’s Creative Challenges: Using Your Senses Outside and Around the Home
Charlotte holding a waving hand up to the camera.
Family Activity Resource: Material Library
Two images of two different cardboard sculptures
Family Activity: Art Games
A hand holding a dice of different drawing instructions in front of a piece of paper, a pen, an apple, a banana, and a cactus
Experiments in Colour
A colourful display of different art works using tangles and paper.
Experiments in Light
An image of light up shapes through a piece of paper.
Experiments in Line
A display of 9 different black and white drawings.
Experiments in Pattern
A series of different black brush strokes on a white background.
Experiments in Shape
A series of cut out red and blue shapes on separate pieces of white paper which are stuck on to a yellow wall. In front of the art works is a wooden table to the right.
Experiments in Space
Different cut outs of black fabric and garments stuck on to a bright yellow wall.
Family Activity: Party People
Clothing laid out on a tiled floor
Family Activity: Cardboard Connect
Two photos of cardboard structures
Drawing Activity: Draw Movement
Denzil Forrester sketching on a piece of white paper on a pink background
Huntingdon Academy: Challenge Boxes
3 display tables with boards and boxes on in a gallery