WHAT to do with the children on a rainy Saturday? Make a beeline for The Ark in Temple Bar, where the latest project, called Two by Two, invites seven to 10 year olds to participate in the creation of their own fantastical creatures. IMMA director Declan McGonagle opened the show, with a frog in his throat that he wished would find a partner and head for one of the boats on view. Children pulled faces and wandered across the workshop space where he was speaking without ruffling any of his feathers and he gave a lovely talk about the iconography of the ark and the importance of children's artistic input. It went right over their heads, but the exhibition certainly didn't.
Eleven adult artists were invited to make their own arks, which are on view in the gallery. The children adored toymaker Brian Buckley's automated piece and Aileen MacKeogh's colourful wooden boat and figures, which she made with her daughter Olwen Inglis and her classmates at Kildare Place National School. For the next two months, children will work with artist in residence Genevieve Murphy, making creatures in the rooftop workshop. Don't miss the fun.