Hands On Art

Hands On Art is Perth Art Gallery’s dedicated interactive space, designed for young children. It fosters exploration, play, and builds confidence in an art gallery environment. 

Whether it is your child’s first time visiting a gallery or their hundredth, this is the ideal place to create, touch, and discover. We will also regularly have programmes and workshops, so keep an eye on our ‘What is On‘ page for all the latest events at Perth Art Gallery, or follow us on Instagram or Facebook to stay up to date.

What to expect? 

Pre-Art Skills: Activities that help children develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and colour matching, which are the foundations for creative expression. 

Curiosity and Play: Engaging, open-ended experiences that inspire young minds to experiment and explore art in their own unique way. 

A Space for Everyone: The gallery is thoughtfully designed to be inclusive, allowing children of all abilities to create, connect, and feel at ease.

Sensory-based play experiences: Fun areas and resources that not only support little ones to engage in art but also to use the senses to help build nerve connections in the brain, supporting cognitive growth, language development, and problem-solving skills. 

Important Information: 

To ensure everyone gets a chance to enjoy the space, which has a 25-person limit, please be prepared for a wait on busy days. On exceptionally busy days, we request a two-hour time limit for families. The buggy parking can accommodate five near the gallery, and overflow is in the lecture theatre opposite. 

Opening Hours: 

Monday* 10.00am  – 4.30pm 

Thursday 10.am – 6.30pm 

Friday 10.00am – 4.30pm 

Saturday 10.00am – 4.30pm 

Sunday 10.00am – 4.30pm

*Please be aware that Hands On Art will be closed to the public from 10:15am to 10:45am to accommodate our Mini Play for Babies sessions. The dates of the sessions can be found here.

Booking a visit:

Nursery visits and community groups can book a private slot with the Early Years Co-ordinator by emailing [email protected].  Please note that these spaces will be limited. 

The Gannochy Trust generously funded the refurbishment of Hands On Art.