Summer Family Activity: Stone Stories

Stone Stories: Building the past in our present

Saturday 15 August 2026, 2–3.30pm

Come join us at CCA for this family friendly workshop facilitated by artist Éabha Mallett. This event forms part of the Public Programme for All I see is the present, a solo exhibition by artist Christopher Steenson. This workshop invites children to explore how the past and present meet through making, imagining and building. Taking inspiration from exhibitions, children will think about prehistoric sites, traces, and the movement of objects across time, becoming “mini archaeologists” and “future builders” for an afternoon.

The activity:

~ Welcome circle: An introduction to the exhibition, looking at shapes, stones, and sounds. Children share what they think “the past” looks or feels like.

~ Finding story sparks: Using images of stone circles and wedge tombs, children imagine who built them and why.

~ Clay building: Children sculpt their own “mini monuments” using clay - tiny standing stones, mysterious objects, or invented artefacts.

~ Mark making and trace: Using sticks, string, shells, and fingertips, children press patterns into clay to explore the idea of “leaving a trace”.

~ Present day building: Children arrange their clay pieces together to form a collaborative “future stone circle”.

~ Sound: A short listening exercise inspired by the exhibition’s sound works: what does their stone circle sound like?

~ Children name their creations and take them home.

This free workshop is suitable for children ages 6+. Supervision from a parent or guardian is required. Tickets are limited and booking is essential. All materials provided. You can book your free place through CCA’s online shop here.