Sydney Street Art: Introducing Kids to the Magic of Visual Communication

Leah Smileski from the fantastic Kid Bucket List has been exploring Sydney’s Street art with her daughter, and what they’ve found is magic in their own hometown.

There’s magic happening all around Sydney right now. I’m not talking about the wizardy type that you’ll find in the pages of Harry Potter or the sparkly variety of a Disney movie. No, no…I’m talking about real life magic. In your house you probably call it “street art”.

Street Art is magical. It has the ability to cross social, racial, cultural and economic barriers and to connect people. It can bring to life dreams and integrate the body, mind and soul. It is a vehicle for self expression. Where conventional, mainstream media may push for conformity, there is freedom of expression in Street Art and often it can lead community change. Magical, right?

Recently my 8 year old daughter has shown more than a passing interest in the Street Art that we pass regularly adding new pieces to her diary after each adventure where she documents the pieces we have found and the artist (if we can identify who painted the piece).

Together we’ve developed our own routine when we come across a new piece. Initially we try to centre ourselves in front of the new piece of Street Art. We take a deep breath before I ask “what do you see?”. From my daughter’s initial response I try to probe further, to unpack her thoughts and draw out what underpins her thinking and to help her dig a little deeper. I might ask “why do you think the artist painted this? What are they trying to say to us?” or “what is happening in our community that may have inspired the artist”. We talk about symbolism, about colour, about technique. Her higher order thinking skills are developing further as a consequence. 

Newtown has been Sydney’s graffiti and Street Art epicenter since the 1980s. Many of the original pieces were created illegally. These days things have turned right around with most new pieces community and private commissions as large murals are embraced. The nature of Street Art means that they are constantly transforming. Every month we find something new. Sometimes we find favourites gone like……magic!

Want to explore the Street Art of Newton and Enmore yourself? Check out this amazing Google Map that’s been set up to show you around.

Leah is a mum of two, wife and educator. Back in 2014 she developed the Kid Bucket List, an award winning family adventure site documenting the travels of a Sydney based family as they as they explore their city, country and places abroad on a quest to make the very most out of childhood.
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