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Visual arts @ The Arts Unit

Kindergarten to Year 12 students and teachers

Provides resources to students and teachers, including gallery exhibitions, student workshops, professional learning, digital events, classes and digital resources.

Neil Tomkins holding up a painting of a face, and Digby Webster looking at the painting

Operation Art 2023

Applications will open in February.

For further information, visit Operation Art.

Nagoya Art Exchange 2022

Applications are now closed.

Explore featured artworks from NSW public schools and Japanese schools in the 2022 exhibition.

For further information and past exhibitions, visit Nagoya Art Exchange.

The Home Program 2023

Applications are now closed.

For further information, visit The Home Program.

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Programs

Operation Art

Visual arts
Kindergarten to Year 10
Operation Art is an initiative of the Children’s Hospital at Westmead in association with the New South Wales Department of Education. The program includes exhibitions, workshops and professional learning opportunities for NSW teachers and students.

ARTEXPRESS

Visual arts
Year 11 and 12 students and teachers
ARTEXPRESS is a showcase of exemplary artworks from the previous year's Higher School Certificate. Live and virtual exhibitions ensure access to the works for everyone.

Annex Art

Visual arts
Teachers
Annex Art offers workshops and enrichment programs to teachers and students to work with contemporary visual artists to develop their skills and confidence in artmaking.

Mural in a day

Visual arts
Years 5 to 10 students and teachers
Bring a full day visual arts workshop to your school as professional contemporary street artists guide students in creating a wall mural.

The Home Program

Visual arts
Years 5 and 6
The Home Program connects professional Aboriginal artists, students and teachers with local Aboriginal community, regional galleries and the Art Gallery of NSW to explore cultural practice, language and artmaking.

The Wilkins Collection

Visual arts
Kindergarten to Year 12 students and teachers
A permanent collection of student artworks owned by NSW Department of Education and managed by The Arts Unit. Established in 1974, the collection includes artworks by significant Australian artists such as Jasper Knight and Benitta Bob. 

Nagoya Art Exchange

Visual arts
Kindergarten to Year 12
Exhibits selected artworks from NSW public schools in Nagoya, Japan along with works by students from Nagoya, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Reims, Turin, Tashkent and Nanjing.
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Related digital resources

Inclusive visual arts for students in various contexts

Creative Teachers Visual arts
A series of visual arts lesson plans to assist teachers in differentiated planning, programming, and assessment to ensure that individual students learning needs are met. All lesson plans based on 2021 Operation Art artworks submitted by students from Schools for Specific Purposes.

Home – Aboriginal art from NSW – Karla Dickens

Creative Class Visual arts
Year 5 and 6 visual arts

Create artworks inspired by the practices of Wiradjuri artist Karla Dickens.

Student visual arts resource developed by The Arts Unit in collaboration with the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Operation Art artmaking

Art Bites Visual arts
Years 3 to 8
A series of artmaking video workshops using mixed media and everyday objects.

ARTEXPRESS virtual galleries

Creative Resource Visual arts
Years 7 to 12
Explore HSC Bodies of Work in incredible detail, including in virtual reality if you have a VR headset or viewer, including marker’s commentary and artist interviews. 

Bird's eye art

Creative Class Visual arts
Years 7 and 8 visual arts

Explore artwork using aerial perspective and abstract forms.

Examining an artist’s practice

Creative Class Visual arts
Year 11 and 12 visual arts

Examining the link between the artist’s world and their practice.

Nagoya Sister City Art Exchange 2022

Visual arts
Enjoy outstanding artworks from the Nagoya Sister City Art Exchange 2022 from participating NSW and Japanese students.

Your Public Art Project

Creative Resource Visual arts

Students worked with Kaldor Public Art Projects to reimagine public spaces within their local communities. This award winning eResource explores the school’s work using innovative technology to bring site specific works alive through 360 Virtual Reality video and 3D photogrammetry models. 

Ways to explore art in your classroom

Creative Resource Visual arts
Teachers
This series of lessons include recommendations for artist studies and step by step instructions on how to create artworks in your classroom. 

Using wire as a sculptural medium

Creative Resource Visual arts
Visual Art teachers
Learn how to create a continuous line portrait with aluminium wire as a medium for creating a sculpture.

The sound of art

Creative Resource Visual arts
With
Julia Brennan
Draw inspiration from this resource exploring links between visual arts and music created in conjunction with The Australian Chamber Orchestra.
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Related local arts programs

Newcastle/Gosford/Penrith

Art Matters

Local arts program Public schools Visual arts
Years 5 to 10

Workshops that focus on developing knowledge, understanding and skills in the making of artworks and the exploration of a variety of media, techniques and tools.
Campbelltown | Gymea

Not Just a Brush

Local arts program Public schools Visual arts
Primary teachers
A teacher professional learning workshop that culminates in an art exhibition opportunity for students in a professional gallery.
NSW public schools

Local Arts Program Priority Grant - Aboriginal Education

Local arts program Public schools Dance Drama Music Visual arts
Teachers
NSW public schools are invited to apply for a Local Arts Program Priority Grant for 2023 to support the development and implementation of targeted arts-based projects that address the goals of the Aboriginal education strategy and policy.
NSW public schools

Local Arts Program Priority Grants – Multicultural Education

Local arts program Public schools Dance Drama Music Visual arts
Teachers
NSW public schools are invited to apply for a Local Arts Program Priority Grants for 2023 to support the development and implementation of targeted arts-based projects based on the department's multicultural education priorities.
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