The Art Gallery of South Australia is gearing up for a big winter school holidays program, with a range of free activities for kids and families launching alongside the Australian-exclusive exhibition Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition.
The exhibition opens on 11 July and features masterworks from the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, tracing a ground-breaking era in art history through works by Monet, Degas, Matisse, Picasso and more. Children under 11 can visit the exhibition for free when accompanied by an adult, with discounted family group tickets also available.
The Studio: Make an Impression
Running from 4 July to 8 November, The Studio: Make an Impression is a free, drop-in activity space open daily from 10am to 5pm, with facilitated sessions on weekends and school holidays.
Local artists Arlon Hall and Billie Justice Thomson have transformed AGSA’s Studio into a vibrant, immersive environment where visitors of all ages can step inside a painting. Through light, colour and shape, kids are invited to mix, layer and blend different artistic elements to create their own original works to take home.
Start at the Gallery
Start at the Gallery is a free monthly program for children aged 3 to 12 and their families, held on the first Sunday of every month from 11am to 3pm. Each event includes hands-on art activities, tours, live performances and entertainment.
The next event, Start at the Gallery: Future Focus, takes place on Sunday 5 July from 11am to 3pm, coinciding with NAIDOC Week. Highlights include exploring Evelyn Roth’s colourful inflatable wonderland with Nylon Zoo in the AGSA Courtyard, a dance party with creative choreographer Jessie McKinlay and DJ Angel, sketching workshops with artists Lauren Herraman and Gemma Rose Brook, and a Start Art Book Club reading of Tigg and the Bandicoot Bushranger by Jackie French.
Upcoming Start at the Gallery dates during the exhibition season are 2 August (Inside a Painting), 6 September (Kaleidoscope of Colour), 4 October (Picnic and Paint En Plein Air) and 1 November (Music and Masterpieces).
Neo: for teens
For young people aged 13 to 17, Neo is a free after-hours event offering a parent-free zone to connect with art and have fun. The next event, Neo Plasticism, is on Saturday 15 August from 6 to 8:30pm. The evening includes live performances, artist-led workshops, karaoke, art bingo, a dance floor with local teen musicians and sensory quiet zones.
Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition is on display at the Art Gallery of South Australia from 11 July to 8 November 2026.
For tickets and full program details, visit agsa.sa.gov.au.
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