Baby bloggers do Henry Moore at Leeds City Art Gallery

Continuing the #hometourist theme of exploring the places on our doorstep with fresh eyes, The Culture Vulture had the brilliant idea of getting together mummy and daddy bloggers and their nippers to explore the Henry Moore exhibition at Leeds City Art Gallery (“Moore on your doorstep” as she nicely put it). Meeting in the wonderful Tiled Hall Cafe for some delicious cake, we were given an introduction by curator Sarah Brown and given trail to go off and explore with the little ones.

Clearly, chasing children around the gallery meant that we were never going to have the luxury of soaking in every detail of local lad Moore’s incredible works, but it was fantastic to explore it in a completely different way. I tried to forget the intellectual themes and just look at them through my one year old daughter’s eyes. She won’t trouble herself with exploring the pertinent social and political issues of their time so nor will I today. In it’s simplest terms, the undulating shapes of the sculptures are pure fun, and very pleasing to a child’s eye. The textures and finishes also encouraged a lot of ‘ga’ and excited pointing, and been given all these wonderful, light rooms to run around in meant it was always going to be a success.

Afterwards, we all sat around in the schools area, chatting and chasing in equal measures. The school trips had obviously been busy, making sculptures out of plastecine. Some were inspired (pictured) – and, with my mummy hat on,  I enjoyed looking at the collection of them almost as much as the Moore’s. Thanks very much to The Culture Vulture for a wonderful morning – whether you have children or not I would highly recommend going to the exhibition if you can.

Henry Moore at Leeds City Art Gallery. Until 12th June 2011.

See the photographs on Flickr 

mini Henry Moore plasticine model

Admiring the school trips work

Talented mini sculpturers (not our party`s work!)

Mummy bloggers chatting

jemima crayoning