Operation Art

Operation Art is an annual exhibition by New South Wales school children ranging in age from kindergarten to Year 10.

The exhibition will be held at the Fairfield City Museum and Gallery annually from May to July.

Operation Art is an initiative of The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in association with the New South Wales Department of Education. The program includes exhibitions, workshops and professional learning opportunities in visual arts for teachers and students from all schools in NSW.

Heading into 2025, the goal is to represent students and schools across the state and celebrate their creative achievements in the most equitable and accessible ways possible.

All artwork entries received by schools this year will be exhibited in galleries across NSW in 2025, according to the regions where the students’ schools are located. This will provide easier access for schools and families to attend opening celebrations, workshop programs and hospital artwork donations in galleries closer to their hometowns, enabling more of our students to see their work on display.

As always, a team of judges will select 50 artworks to be gifted to the Children’s Hospital at Westmead. These works will continue to be displayed at the Art Gallery of NSW annually and in their local gallery in larger exhibitions.

2025 Exhibition Locations and Dates

(Opening ceremony dates will vary. All students and schools will receive invitations to their specific exhibition before the end of this year.)

Western NSW and Riverina regions: Cowra Regional Art Gallery 6 April – 4 May 2025

Illawarra and South Coast regions: Ngununggula Art Gallery, Bowral 12 April – 15 June 2025

Sydney regions: Fairfield City Museum and Gallery 24 May – 19 July 2025

Hunter and Central Coast regions: Singleton Arts and Culture Centre 16 August – 2 November 2025

New England and North Coast regions: Tamworth Regional Gallery 30 August – 19 October 2025

What Has Changed in 2025

• Artworks will no longer be displayed at the Sydney Olympic Park Armory Gallery. Still, they will be displayed in an exhibition schedule across the year in various NSW galleries, similar to the ARTEXPRESS exhibition model.
• The Touring 50 will now be called the Hospital 50.
• Sydney-based schools can submit up to 2 artworks (individual or collaborative works) to be included in the exhibition. The Armory Gallery is no longer available for use as a space, so the number of artworks displayed must be reduced to accommodate gallery sizes. The Sydney region constitutes more than 50% (400 artworks) of the annual exhibition, so the number must be reduced to fit into alternative gallery spaces.
• To encourage greater participation by schools outside of the Sydney Metropolitan area, regional, rural and remote schools can submit up to 6 artworks (individual or collaborative works) to be included in the exhibition. The regions will now have the opportunity to be represented at localised regional galleries showcasing as many local student works as possible.

What Has Remained Unchanged

• The Hospital 50 will be displayed at the Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney Children’s Hospital at Randwick AND Schools Spectacular SpecFest before being gifted to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
• Every single artwork submitted will be framed and exhibited in a gallery exhibition.
• Each gallery exhibition will host a special opening ceremony.
• Each school and student will receive an opening ceremony pack with certificates, a printed invitation, a lanyard and a congratulatory letter.
• Exhibition catalogues will be printed and available for all participating schools and students.
• Artwork reproductions will be available for purchase by schools and families.