Wild Child Grand Opening Debut

WHEN: Grand Opening Day is Tuesday, October 29, 2019 from 10 am - 3 pm. The exhibit runs only until February 23, 2020.

Closed Mondays, Tuesday – Thursday: 10 am - 3 pm, Friday- Sunday: 10am - 5pm

WHERE: Wild Child Pop-Up is hosted at the Junior Center of Arts and Sciences at Lakeside Park on the shores of Lake Merrit – 558 Bellevue Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610

WHAT: Go ahead, let your kid smash that vase. Or jump on the fluorescent sofa. Or smear goop on the walls with unbridled abandon. It’s the Grand Opening and debut of Wild Child – a new interactive gallery, art studio, and play space for babies and little kids popping up for an exclusive four-month run in the Bay Area.

Created by a team of educators, renowned artists, and early child development experts, Wild Child is a new pop-up experience created for infants and little kids to roam free and explore the limits of artistic expression. Together with their parents or caregivers, kids lead the way through an immersive, multi-sensory world where they call the shots, make the rules, and imagine new realities. Wild Child features the interactive works of internationally acclaimed artists, hosts weekly workshops and sensory-based art classes designed for tiny hands and growing minds.

WHO: Wild Child is created specifically for babies and children between the ages of 6 months up to 5 years old; older siblings/children are welcome. Adults cannot enter unaccompanied by children.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Play Sculptures: Meet a little family of colorful lumps and logs created by parent artist duo Chiaozza.
• White and Wild: What’s at the center of thousands of strands of chain link? Immersive sculpture contains surprises within by artist Sofie Ramos.
• Break Zone: Yes you can! Safely enjoy the pleasure of smashing objects in a giant bin. (don’t worry, goggles provided).
• Wildwood: Help bring to a verdant Northern Californian forest to life.
• Hygge Nook: Sink into this room for a little R + R (rest and reading)
• Lumens Gallery: A wonderland of interactive projections, short films, and transportive soundscapes in collaboration with Lumen & Forge.
• Shake, Rattle, and Roll: Infant discovery zone complete with giant stuffed toys and life-size rattles. In collaboration with Jessica Caldas and Katie Gong.
• Take a pee(p) and see how Lorien Stern brings the Wild Child restrooms to life.
• Sensory-based art classes for children to create and collaborate together!

PUBLIC INFORMATION: Grand Opening Day includes FREE admission, giveaways, perks, surprises and more! Any other day, tickets are $13 per person, $7 for accompanying adults. Public Transportation: The Junior Center is a 20-minute walk from the 19th Street BART station. AC Transit lines 12 and NL drop off several blocks from our doors. Parking: Metered street parking is available nearby on Perkins St, Grand Ave, and Bellevue Ave. Paid parking is in the Lake Merritt Parking Lot ($2 per hour or $5 all day). For more information, visit www.wildchildplay.com

ABOUT: With a child-led and hands-on approach to early childhood arts education, Wild Child’s mission is to inspire the next generation of bold creators, design thinkers and innovative leaders driven by wonder and curiosity to reimagine a brighter world. Wild Child is hosted in partnership with the Junior Center of Arts and Science, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children cultivate curiosity and creative exploration through the arts and sciences.

• Visit www.wildchildplay.com
• On Instagram @WildChildPlay
• On Facebook https://www.facebook.com/wildchildplay/