Portraits in clay at the Art Gallery of NSW: Worth booking?

This winter school holidays in Sydney, I took on a challenge: three weeks of activities, fully planned, for my five-year-old daughter. I'm documenting the ones worth sharing, the honest experience, the practical details, and what each day quietly built in her. This post: the Portraits in Clay workshop at the Art Gallery of NSW, and why my daughter asked to go back the very next day.

The Art Gallery of New South Wales runs a full program of children's activities every school holidays, some are paid and many are free; this one caught my eye: Portraits in Clay, a hands-on workshop for 5–8 year olds with an adult, inspired by the Archibald Prize 2026 exhibition.

The short version: the day after we went, Penelope asked if we could go to "an art place" again tomorrow. I don't know a better review than that.

Getting there

I booked online, $45 for non-members ($35 for members), for a workshop of about an hour and a half. We parked at the Wilson Domain car park near St Mary's Cathedral and used the discount code the gallery provides: $17 for 10am to 4pm, which gave us the whole day rather than a rushed exit. From there it's a short, lovely walk to the gallery.

The workshop

What elevated this beyond a craft table was the sequencing. Before touching any clay, a guide walked us through the Archibald exhibition to see clay portraits on display, how they were made, what to notice, where to find ideas. Standing among serious artwork before making your own changes what a child thinks she's doing. She's not doing a craft activity; she's doing what the artists downstairs did.

Then into the activity room, where everything was provided: clay, water, tools, and a mirror for anyone attempting a self-portrait (you can also bring a photo of someone you love). The format is genuinely collaborative, child and carer working side by side, not parent watching from a chair. We got our hands properly dirty, laughed a lot, and produced two portraits that are more expressive than accurate, which I suspect is the point.

The classes are fully supervised, the pace was right for the age group, and ninety minutes was exactly enough, it finished before attention faded.

What I noticed

There's something that happens to a child who makes art inside an art gallery. Penelope walked the exhibitions afterwards differently, pointing, lingering, looking up. The workshop gave her a maker's eye for an afternoon. We had lunch at the gallery café, wandered the Archibald finalists, and drove home with two slightly lopsided clay heads that are now permanent residents of our shelf.

And then, the next morning, she asked to go back. When a five-year-old requests more art, unprompted, something landed.

The practical notes

Cost: $45 non-member / $35 member, booked online through the gallery's website
Duration: About 1.5 hours
Ages: 5–8, with an accompanying adult, genuinely collaborative, so expect to participate
Parking: Wilson Domain car park (near St Mary's Cathedral); ask about the gallery discount code, we paid $17 for 10am–4pm
Materials: All provided, including mirrors for self-portraits; you take your artwork home
Make a day of it: The workshop pairs perfectly with the Archibald exhibition and lunch at the gallery café

Highly recommended for any child who likes getting their hands dirty, and perhaps especially for the ones who don't know yet that they do.

Field notes from a mother who believes the holidays are never just holidays.

‍