About
Creative Explorers is a unique program designed and facilitated by artist and early years teacher Verena Curr. In these sessions children and their educators and community are invited to explore creative and arts-based experiences and projects which support their social, emotional, physical and cognitive well-being and development. Children who participate have the opportunity to explore ideas through a number of creative processes which align with the Queensland early years curriculum. Verena has worked across the arts, education, and public programs with children and their communities over the past eighteen years and enjoys responding to each communities unique needs. Whilst Creative Explorers does provide opportunities for learning about different artists and artistic techniques and skills, the primary focus of this program is to allow children to experience the enriching exploration of creativity as a whole, by exposing the children to a variety of engaging and creative ways of working, playing, thinking and communicating. This program supports children’s curiosity and interest in learning while fostering their confidence, their ability to communicate, adapt, innovate, inquire and respond to various experiences and learning environments.
Meet Verena
Practicing across contemporary theatre, installation, community and public programs, facilitation and education, Verena specialises in working with young children and their communities. Verena has toured work nationally and internationally with companies as part of arts festivals and programs including... Out of the Box Festival, The Brisbane Writers Festival, Powerhouse Powerkids, Assitej Festival (Seoul, Korea), AHA! Festival (India), ANTI Festival (Finland), Woodford Folk Festival, Bleach Festival (Gold Coast), Melbourne Fringe & Australian Performing Arts Market. Having trained in performance with artists and companies in Australia and abroad Verena has often worked as a performer/devisor or with cultural or educational organisations to deliver public programs, artworks and creative community outcomes. Verena is an associate artist with Brisbane based Imaginary Theatre and since 2009 has acted in a number of roles with the company from creator, performer, educational consultant, facilitator and artist in residence. Between 2012-2020 she was engaged by the Children and Families team at The State Library as a program assistant and arts worker and during this time also took on specialist freelance contracts for the organisation offering her skills as an educational consultant, PD & workshop facilitator, devisor & performer. Verena has gained a diverse range of experience across many other projects which engage children, young people and their families/ educators with organisations such as The Creche & Kinder Association QLD, The Benevolent Society, Queensland University of Technology, Kurilpa Kindergarten, The Walking Neighbourhood, Secret Hotel (Denmark), Queensland Performing Arts Centre QPAC, Laboite Theatre, Polyglot (Melbourne). With her knowledge in performance, art making, teaching and early years education, she has developed and delivered workshops for adults including PD workshops, educational/ art and play based training for-: teachers, librarians, parents, early childhood educators and students at education conferences/ libraries/ schools and TAFE and has worked as a tutor and project facilitator with tertiary arts students at QUT university. Verena has been engaged as an early years teacher/ educator with Education QLD, The Creche & Kinder Association QLD, the City of Melbourne and various Community houses/ Co-ops settings in Melbourne. After having her son in 2018 Verena developed the Creative Explorers program with the goal of providing engaging quality experiences for young children that nurture their creativity and foster a greater sense of connection, community and overall well-being.