Not Just a Brush

Region: Metro Metro South and West | Gymea

Primary students and teachers

Program Visual arts

Tags: Teacher professional development (PD)

Not Just a Brush (NJAB) is a visual arts program for NSW public schools. The program includes teacher professional learning workshops and culminates in an art exhibition for Kindergarten to Year 6 students in a professional gallery at the end of the year.

The NJAB program provides teachers with skills they can take back to school and use in their classrooms with their students to create artworks over a period of time, incorporating a variety of forms and media.

Students then have the opportunity to exhibit their artworks in a professional gallery exhibition.

This program aims to enhance the status and value of visual arts in schools and local communities. It enables students to develop skills in critiquing art and to see themselves and their peers as young artists.

The 2025 – 2026 theme is 'The Mathematics of Art'.

Professional learning workshop

Registrations for this professional learning will open in Term 1.

Date: Friday 1 May 2026
Time: 9:00 am – 3:30 pm
Venue: Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre
Cost: $185.00 per person

This teacher PL will enable teachers to:

update their knowledge and practice by working with their colleagues and professional artists
learn how mathematical concepts are applied in different visual art forms and will use this knowledge during the art-making process
view and discuss selected artworks, examining the unique styles and creativity of each artist
enhance their ability to use artworks as inspiration for guiding their students to create their own 2D and 3D art
learn to build sequential visual arts lessons, helping students understand that an artwork may not necessarily be completed in one sitting.

The workshop emphasises the use of readily available and inexpensive found and recycled materials in lesson planning. Teachers will develop skills in aesthetic judgement and provide feedback that encourages students to take risks in their creative endeavours.

2026 exhibition

Nominations for schools to participate in the 2026 Not Just A Brush Exhibition will open in Term 3 2026.

Artworks may be individual, small group, class or created by the whole school. Artworks can be any medium and must be for inside the gallery and comply with the gallery's WHS requirements.

To submit works, schools are asked to complete the Not Just a Brush participation form and deliver their artworks to a designated school by the end of Term 3 ready for curation.

Date: Term 4 2026
Venue: Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre
Cost: $150.00 excluding GST per school (not per artwork)