A4 Kids Space is dedicated to building a community-based, child-friendly platform for aesthetic education, supporting children as they learn, express themselves, and grow through real social relationships. As the first children’s space in China to involve children in its management, A4 Kids Space encourages children, parents, and educators to participate in creative social education practices, while continuing to present the iSTART Children’s Art Festival.
Located on the third floor of the A4X Art Center in Luxelakes, Chengdu, A4 Kids Space includes a picture-book area, a small theatre, workshop spaces, and other facilities. Through art, it supports children in becoming themselves and in building connections with themselves, with others, and with the wider world.
The iSTART Children’s Art Festival was launched by A4 Kids Space in 2014 and has become a pioneering initiative in child-led co-creation and social art education in China. Rooted in children’s perspectives, the festival works continuously with schools, families, communities, public-interest partners, artists, and education practitioners. To date, it has successfully presented eleven editions, reaching 38 countries worldwide, 25 provinces across China, and 93 cities and rural communities. More than 35,000 young artists have participated, alongside over 5,100 education practitioners, artists, experts, scholars, and interdisciplinary professionals from around the world. Together, they have developed hundreds of participatory art education projects that advance child empowerment and use art to inspire the public to move beyond dialogue and become active participants and creators.
