Learning tours For primary and secondary students

Our learning tours at the Art Gallery of New South Wales emphasise inquiry-based conversations and connections between works of art and the world around us.

Led by experienced Gallery educators, these interactive sessions bring students face to face with the Art Gallery’s collection to inspire lively debates, art-making and critical thinking about art and ideas.

We offer two themed tours – Art lives here and burbangana – each with adaptations for primary and secondary stages and their relevant curriculum outcomes.

Booking information.

A tour can accommodate up to 15 students (not including teachers and carers). For groups of 15–30 students, please book two tours. For more than 30, book three tours. There is a maximum of 45 students per timeslot.

We recommend booking at least four weeks in advance.

To connect a tour to a specific unit or focus, please make a note when booking so we can discuss your request with you. Our learning tours can also incorporate artworks from free exhibitions when applicable, including the 24th Biennale of Sydney and the Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial 2024. Please note your interest in these exhibitions when booking.

Art lives here

What defines a museum collection? How does where an artwork lives influence the way we see it and understand it? In this learning tour, we introduce students to key artworks in the Art Gallery’s collection, examine different gallery spaces and discover new ways of looking at and thinking about art and museum collections. Art lives here is designed to engage students with a range of artistic practices, and to spark curiosity about art and museums.

To view some of the artworks included in this tour and ideas for classroom learning before or after your visit, see our Artworks in focus resource

burbangana

This tour draws on the concept of burbangana, a word from the Aboriginal language of Sydney that inspired the inaugural display in the Art Gallery’s relocated Yiribana Gallery. The tour connects students with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and its diversity of practice across time, media and styles. Meaning to ’take hold of my hand and help me up’, burbangana is akin to an invitation. It is imbued with generosity and care, and emphasises the connections between people.

To view some of the artworks included in this tour and ideas for classroom learning before or after your visit, see our burbangana resource.