Children’s hopes on show at DreamBIG Festival’s family weekend

A new exhibition reveals SA children’s hopes and concerns at the DreamBIG festival in the lead-up to its Big Family Weekend.

Isabelle Lange, 7, Lila Morris, 9, and Jude Lange, 4, enjoy the Listen to Me exhibition at the DreamBIG Children's Festival. Picture: Emma Brasier

Hopes, wishes and concerns expressed by South Australia’s young people have been brought to life in a vivid exhibition as part of this month’s DreamBIG Children’s Festival.

Isabelle Lange, 7, and Lila Morris, 9, enjoy the Listen to Me exhibition at the DreamBIG Children's Festival. Picture: Emma Brasier

The display, titled Listen to Me – The Things that Matter to SA Kids, is based on the dreams and worries that children aged from eight to 12 expressed on postcards to the Commissioner for Children and Young People.

“The postcards are about what is most important to kids – I wrote about my dog,” said nine-year-old Lila Morris.

DreamBIG director Georgi Paech said Listen to Me, which is at the Festival Centre’s Artspace until May 24, showcases just some of the 80,000 postcards sent to commissioner Helen Connelly during her tenure.

“All the artworks displayed in the exhibition are recreated from real drawings from real South Australian children, and all the quotes are quotes from the postcards,” Paech said.

“The Listen to Me exhibition is a great example of what to expect at the festival – playful, joyful but thought provoking, and placing children at the centre of the experience.”

DreamBIG, which was originally called Come Out, is celebrating its 50th anniversary with more than 70 shows and activities at the Festival Centre until May 17.

Lila hoped to go to the festival’s Big Family Weekend on May 10-11, with free exhibitions, interactive workshops and high-energy musical acts on the outdoor stage on the Festival Plaza.

“I most want to see the Lucky Dip Tent, as you don’t know what you’re going to see,” she said.