Children Can Create Their Own Worlds At Sydney Art Gallery Workshop

Children with disability can build imaginary worlds from feathers, fabric, foil and string at a new Art Gallery of NSW workshop on Tuesday 29 September 2026. The relaxed access sessions run at 10.30am, 12pm and 2pm in The Domain, giving families three chances to make art together in a sensory-friendly setting.

The activity is designed around each child’s own idea of what is near at hand. That might mean a loved person, a familiar place, a treasured object, a personal memory or an imaginary world, with children combining their drawings and tactile materials into a playful collage.

It is an exhibition-linked experience with a practical focus. All about my world draws inspiration from Near at Hand: Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial 2026, which is showing in the Naala Nura building from 12 September 2026 to 7 March 2027.

The gallery’s event listing says the workshop is intended as a welcoming space where children and carers can explore creativity without the pressure of a conventional gallery visit. The materials include feathers, textured paper, fabric, foil, string and coloured pencils, allowing participants to touch, layer and manipulate their work as they create.

The Art Gallery of NSW describes the central invitation plainly: "This workshop invites children to reflect on what is ‘near at hand’ to them: the people they love, the places they know, the objects they treasure, the memories they carry and the imaginary worlds they create." The open-ended prompt gives children room to respond in their own way rather than copy a particular artwork or follow one prescribed interpretation.

Families should treat the session as supported creative play rather than a formal art lesson. The gallery’s access-program research emphasises adaptive facilitation, manageable sound levels, suitable seating and extra time for different forms of response.

Earlier access programming has received a warm independent response. In an Ella’s List review of a previous Art Gallery of NSW All Access Workshop, the experience was described as "a genuine celebration of inclusion, creativity, and calm", with the reviewer highlighting wide entrances, spacious lifts, clear pathways and quiet zones across the gallery’s two buildings.

That review covered an earlier workshop, not the 29 September session. It nevertheless offers useful context for families considering the format, which combines hands-on making with gallery exploration and allows participants to move at their own pace.

Near at Hand is the latest instalment of the Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial, a recurring exhibition presented every two years with support from the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation. The 2026 edition brings together 11 Australian artists and focuses on intimate experiences of people, places and everyday life, making it a natural fit for a workshop about children’s own worlds.

The exhibition follows Infinite, the 2024 biennial, which explored abstraction through 10 artists working across graphite, coloured pencil, ink, collaborative drawings and works extending beyond two dimensions. The newer exhibition’s emphasis on close observation gives the family workshop a more personal starting point.

For families choosing between inclusive cultural programs, this workshop is more directly focused on shared art-making than a reduced-sensory museum opening. The Australian Museum’s Early Birds sessions are designed around a quieter museum environment, while the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia offers resources including social stories, quiet-space information, wheelchair loans and disability-led programming.

Practical details require a direct check before booking. The event listing does not confirm the ticket price, age range, session duration, capacity or whether carers and support workers need separate bookings, and it does not say whether a visual story, noise-reduction equipment or an advance access questionnaire will be available.

There are three fixed sessions on one day, but no verified capacity, waitlist figure or booking deadline has been published. Families wanting a supported, hands-on activity should check availability early rather than assume walk-ins will be accepted.

Public transport is likely to be the simpler option for many visitors because the gallery sits in the Domain near the CBD, where parking can be limited and expensive. St James and Martin Place are each approximately a 10-minute walk away, while bus route 441 has historically linked the Queen Victoria Building with the gallery area, although Transport for NSW should be checked for the route and timetable on 29 September.

Families using wheelchairs or mobility aids should confirm the accessible entrance, drop-off arrangements and route before travelling. The gallery’s visit information warns that the lift to lower level 3 in the Naala Nura building is temporarily out of service, so it is worth checking whether the workshop location is affected.

The Domain and Royal Botanic Garden sit immediately beside the gallery and offer a flexible way to extend the outing without booking several more activities. A short garden visit, a sensory-focused space or a stop at an accessible cafe may work better than a tightly scheduled cultural itinerary after the workshop.

Families attending on 29 September should allow extra time for arrival, toilets, settling in and transitions between activities. The strongest part of the invitation is simple: children can bring their own worlds into the gallery and decide what belongs in them.