The Earth Above: A Deep Time View of Australia's Epic History
2026-04-22 10:00 - 11:00 (Australia/Sydney)
The vast age of our planet and the enormous transformations it has undergone can be difficult to grasp. This lecture explores the creative journey behind The Earth Above: A Deep Time View of Australia’s Epic History, a unique and immersive planetarium show that bridges this gap. We will examine the innovative production model, a “collective storytelling practice” that moved away from a single director’s vision. We’ll delve into how a collective of Indigenous knowledge holders, artists and researchers collaborated to bring these ancient stories to the screen. The lecture will examine the creative processes through which Indigenous and Western scientific knowledge were woven together, creating a tapestry of sound and vision.
Dates and Locations
Wednesday 22 April 2026 Adelaide (SA)
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Degenerates and Perverts: The 1939 Herald Exhibition on Modern Art
2026-04-23 12:30 - 13:30, 2026-04-23 18:00 - 19:00
In 1939 an exhibition of art came to Australia which became legendary. The 1939 Herald Exhibition of French and British Contemporary Art has been called the single most enlivening event in Australia’s modern cultural development. Opening when Australia was undergoing profound change, not only in art but also socially, this exhibition became the focus for the opposing forces of cultural conservatism and innovation which marked the time. This lecture will examine the many and competing claims made for this exhibition. It will examine how the show was organised and selected, where and how it was displayed in Australia and what reception it received. Finally, it will attempt to evaluate its impact upon Australian art and society, at a time when conservatives were accused of perverting progress and progressives were accused of degeneracy.
Dates and Locations
Saturday 11 April 2026 Gold Coast (QLD)
Wednesday 15 April 2026 Brisbane (QLD)
Thursday 16 April 2026 Brisbane (QLD)
Monday 13th April 2026 Northern Rivers (NSW)
Thursday 23rd April 2026 Sydney (NSW)
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New Visions: Paris And Impressionism
2026-05-01 13:30 - 15:00, 2026-05-04 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-05-11 18:30 - 20:00, 2026-05-19 18:00 - 19:00
During Napoleon III’s reign (1852-1870), the Paris landscape was transformed by the construction of wide boulevards, elegant buildings and parks. Theatres, cafes and entertainment venues flourished, offering spaces for sociability and artistic exchange and inspiring impressionist artists keen to capture the fleeting sensations of the modern capital. This lecture will examine works by Manet, Renoir and Caillebotte to discover how their radical techniques reflect the attractions and complexities of modern Parisian society.
Dates and Locations
Friday 1 May 2026 Blue Mountains (NSW)
Monday 4 May 2026 Mudgee (NSW)
Monday 11 May 2026 Narrabri (NSW)
Tuesday 19 May 2026 Hunter (NSW)
Monday 25 May 2026 Coffs Coast (NSW)
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The Arts and Crafts of Kashmir
2026-05-06, 2026-05-10, 2026-05-13
For many people, Kashmir conjures up a beautiful valley surrounded by the snow capped peaks of the Himalayas, for others it is a land of conflict. But what is less well known is that it has been of historic artistic importance for nearly 2000 years. This lecture introduces the astonishing diversity of arts and crafts produced in this tiny area, influenced by Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic cultures. It explores Buddhist sculptures, Hindu temples, great Islamic gardens, paintings, calligraphy, Moghul carpets and Kashmir shawls. Despite its troubled history, Kashmir has fostered a unique environment of artistic diversity and religious co-existence.
Dates and Locations
Wednesday 6 May 2026 Chatswood (NSW)
Sunday 10 May 2026 Cairns (QLD)
Wednesday 13 May 2026 Geelong (VIC)
Wednesday 27 May 2026 Adelaide (SA)
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Mary Cassatt: Painting In Paris
2026-05-06 18:00 - 19:30
Mary Cassatt (1844–1926) was the only American to exhibit with the French Impressionists. Encouraged by Degas to exhibit with them, she remarked, “I accepted with joy… I hated conventional art.” Cassatt made significant contributions to four of the eight shows. However, the subjects deemed suitable for a “respectable” woman were limited. We will consider how, despite this setback, Cassatt reimagined her subjects in unconventional, thought-provoking ways. We will investigate her distinctive paintings and prints to see how Cassatt navigated the male-dominated art world, to produce avant-garde works that offer a singular, insightful perspective on 19th-century French society.
Dates and Locations
Wednesday 6 May 2026 Orange (NSW)

Constantin Brancusi and 20th Century Scuplture
2026-05-07, 2026-05-11, 2026-05-20, 2026-05-21
Brancusi was the son of a peasant from a mountainous province of Romania, yet he became an internationally famous artist and is now seen as one of, if not the, most important sculptors of the 20th century. How did this happen and what is so special about his work? Brancusi combined the Romanian wood working tradition with a Belles Arts fine art training. He also had an intuitive understanding of the significance of engineered products. A great friend of the inventor of Conceptual art, Marcel Duchamp, Brancusi is an enigmatic contradiction, and this will be explored in this lecture, along with his relevance to 20th century sculpture.
Dates and Locations
Thursday 7 May 2026 Yarra (VIC)
Monday 11 May 2026 Hobart (TAS)
Wednesday 20 May 2026 Brisbane (QLD)
Thursday 21 May 2026 Brisbane (QLD)
Saturday 23 May 2026 Noosa (QLD)
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The Artist And His Model: Whistler And Joana Hiffernan
2026-05-07 18:30 - 19:30
Whistler’s painting, Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl (1862) is both monumental and modern. Though its scale recalls grand portraits, Whistler’s innovative technique and overall treatment of the subject resist straightforward interpretation. In this presentation we will examine Joanna Hiffernan’s role in his art and life. Was she simply his model and lover? Or could she have been an essential collaborator who influenced Whistler’s artistic vision, assisting him in his development of a new pictorial language? This talk draws on themes in the Royal Academy’s exhibition in 2022, Whistler’s Woman in White: Joanna Hiffernan (26 February-22 May 2022).
Dates and Locations
Thursday 7 May 2026 Shoalhaven (NSW)
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Barbizon Painters: Pioneers Of The Forest And Modern Painting
2026-05-12 18:30 - 19:30
In the early 19th century, the Forest of Fontainebleau, situated 35 miles from Paris, became a key inspiration for modern landscape painting. Artists and tourists flocked there to escape the city. For painters, the Forest’s diverse terrain – woodlands, rocks, oaks, marshes, and glades – offered endless opportunities to explore light, colour, and composition. Painting en plein air (out of doors) transformed artistic practice, fostering new realism and atmospheric effects. Looking at work by painters including Théodore Rousseau and Jean-François Millet – members of the so-called Barbizon School – we will discover how they innovated and laid the groundwork for French Impressionism. Designs of Sonia Delaunay, to the poster girls of Shanghai and the luxury of Cartier.
Dates and Locations
Tuesday 12 May 2026 Scone (NSW)
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Journey Across The Himalayas
2026-05-13 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-05-18 18:00 - 19:30, 2026-05-19 18:00 - 19:00
This lecture will focus on the Buddhist areas of the highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas — the once spiritual domain of Tibetan culture and religion, spanning 2,000 miles from Ladakh in the west to Bhutan in the east. Zara will explore the kingdoms and principalities of Ladakh, Zanskar, Spiti, Lahoul, Nepal, Mustang, Sikkim, Bhutan and their spiritual heartland of Tibet.
Many of these countries lay on the ancient trade routes connecting India with Central Asia, and although isolated became important centres of Buddhist art and culture, housing vast repositories of sacred in art in their monasteries and temples
Dates and Locations
Wednesday 13 May 2026 Geelong (VIC)
Monday 18 May 2026 Murray River (NSW/VIC)
Tuesday 19 May 2026 Canberra (ACT)
Monday 25 May 2026 Fleurieu (SA)
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How To Look Slowly: Post-Impressionism
2026-05-13 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-05-21 12:30 - 13:30
Can we ever really ‘know’ a painting fully? What might we gain if we look again – but slowly – at a familiar picture? Looking with a curious eye we discover how familiar paintings by Georges Seurat and Vincent van Gogh that we know well from reproductions were both extraordinary and pioneering. They made extraordinary contributions to the development of modern art, each through their own distinctive and experimental approaches to picture making.
Dates and Locations
Wednesday​ 13 May 2026 Tamworth (NSW)
Thursday 21 May 2026 Paddington (NSW)
Sunday 24 May 2026 Coffs Coast (NSW)
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Berthe Morisot: Impressionist Innovator
2026-05-14 18:00 - 19:00
With her innovative use of colour, fluid brushwork, and attention to fleeting moments of daily life, Berthe Morisot stands as a defining figure of French Impressionism. Her experimental approach challenged academic conventions, creating a visual language of light, immediacy, and atmosphere. Beyond their surface beauty, her paintings convey deeper meanings. By examining a selection of works, we will see how, in negotiating her bourgeois upbringing and position as a woman artist, she reveals women’s inner emotional and psychological worlds. Our exploration will reveal how her luminous works capture the subtle complexities of life and female experience in 19th-century Paris.
Dates and Locations
Thursday 14 May 2026 Armidale (NSW)
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Bhutan: The Kingdom of the Thunder God
2026-05-14 19:30 - 20:30, 2026-05-21 14:00 - 15:00
A general introduction to the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, known by its inhabitants as Druk Yul or land of the Thunder Dragon. This is a reference to the Drukpa tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism that permeates every aspect of Bhutanese life. This lecture explores the history, art and culture of this extraordinary country, which for centuries has preserved its traditional Buddhist values. Over the last few decades there have been many changes; such as the introduction of roads, television and tourism. Will Bhutan be able to maintain the fine balance between tradition and modernity without diminishing its unique culture?
Dates and Locations
Thursday 14 May 2026 Melbourne (VIC)
Thursday 21 May 2026 Molonglo Plains (ACT, NSW)
Saturday 30 May 2026 Perth (WA)
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August Rodin and 19th Century Sculpture
2026-05-15 10:30 - 11:30, 2026-05-16 09:30 - 10:30
Rodin is one of the heroic figures of 19th century art history and was internationally celebrated during his lifetime. But after his death his reputation slipped and there were questions about his use of the female image. Now that is very much being reassessed and he is seen as having in one career taken sculpture on a revolutionary path equivalent to what the Realists, Impressionists and Post Impressionists did with many careers. This lecture surveys his work showing why he is one of the greatest sculptors ever, looking at his work in relationship to 19th century sculpture as well assessing his continuing relevance.
Dates and Locations
Friday 15 May​ 2026 Brisbane River (QLD)
Saturday 16 May 2026 Gold Coast (QLD)
​Sunday 24 May 2026 Sunshine Coast (QLD)
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Buddhism
2026-05-20 10:00 - 11:30
Lecture 1: Buddhism
This lecture will cover the transmission of Buddhist art and architecture from its birthplace in India into the Himalayas and provide a general overview of Buddhism.
Lecture 2: The Sacred Art of Tibet
In this lecture, Zara will explore the rich symbolism of Tibetan art and explain how to interpret the common images, themes and motifs seen therein.
Dates and Locations
Wednesday 20 May 2026 Canberra (ACT)
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Public Art
2026-05-21 12:00 - 13:00
Public Art is a contentious subject. It is the most visible art form and therefore is an easy target. But how do they come to appear in our public spaces? This lecture
tracks the development of public art over the last century and looks at various examples to see why are some loved and others loathed. It also explains the process of procurement from the initial commissioning to the production and installation. Drawing from my own experience and using case studies I take the audience through this process and try to show why we are all richer with the presence of art on the streets.
Dates and Locations
​Thursday 21 May 2026 Brisbane (QLD)

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Women and Impressionism In France - Special Event
2026-05-22 09:30 - 12:30
Joanne Rhymer, MA (UCL) is an art historian specialising in 19th-century and early 20th century French art. Her interests include the visual skills involved in sustained looking at paintings.She has worked at the National Gallery and for London galleries and institutions including Tate, the Hayward Gallery, Sotheby’s and the National Portrait Gallery as well as leading group excursions in the UK and abroad. She is a Panel Tutor for the Institute of Continuing Education at the University of
Cambridge and teaches for the Wallace Collection and the V&A as well as a range of private institutions.
Dates and Locations
Thursday 22 May 2026 Paddington (NSW)
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