DOX attracts grandparents with children to art and architecture

Prague - DOX Centre for Contemporary Art has prepared a new educational program aimed at engaging both seniors and children aged five to twelve with art. Starting March 21, it will host a monthly program that draws attention to industrial architecture, which includes DOX itself, and current exhibitions.
    The program is designed for half a day. At the beginning, pairs of participants along with a lecturer will visit two industrial zones near DOX - the Holešovice port and the building of a former brewery. The lecturer will introduce these monuments and simultaneously ask seniors about their memories of what Prague was like years ago.
    After the walk, the group will return to the gallery, where children and their grandparents will have the opportunity to learn about the industrial past and artistic present of DOX. The program will conclude with a creative workshop.
    Through educational programs for seniors, the organizers aim to support activities that can help bridge the understanding of contemporary art across generations. They also focus on enhancing communication between members of different generations - the younger generation is eager to embrace new stimuli, experiment with new things and techniques, while the older generation lives in a world of memories and history. This type of program aims to naturally connect both worlds.
    The DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Holešovice opened in the fall of 2008. It was established on the site of a engineering factory from 1901, which was transformed and completed into a gallery by architect Ivan Kroupa. According to experts, it is among the top examples of sensitive appreciation of industrial heritage. The construction of the DOX centre was initiated and financed by Leoš Válka, who currently serves as its director.
    Válka left what was then Czechoslovakia in 1981 for Australia, where he lived until 1995, when he permanently returned to Prague. He is involved in the construction industry. His lifelong interest is architecture and contemporary art.