Art and Design School Program

QCAD’s Art and Design School Program celebrates outstanding creative talent across Queensland through weekend workshops and exhibitions for high school students.

The program connects art, design and technology-focused students with our expert staff, creating a two-way dialogue that inspires students and exposes their early work to leading creative practitioners from QCAD.

All workshops are also open to teachers and school support staff looking to engage in Professional Development opportunities.

Our 2024 program includes Cairns, Rockhampton, Gin Gin and Mackay.

Nominations are open to secondary school students who will be in years 7 to 12 in 2024. We encourage nominations of students who have demonstrated passion in any creative subject, including visual arts, manual arts, technology and design. Students of all skill levels are welcome; the only criteria is a passion for visual art, design and creativity.

Schools can nominate students for one or all programs. To nominate your students please see our nomination form. (This form is for teachers only.)  If you are not a teacher and would like to nominate a young person, please reach out to us.

Please fill out the nomination form by the nomination closing date.

All primary and high school teachers, career guidance officers and school support staff are also welcome to attend for professional development.

Please scroll up to the top of this page to see our dates for the year.

We recommend that you include any information about the nominated participant that can help us determine which participants may benefit the most from the program, if there is a high number of nominations. We don't ask for any supporting documentation in terms of academic performance, ability, financial status or behaviour. If you believe that a student is not able to attend the program without receiving a fully funded position, please indicate this in the nomination form.

Once all nominations have been submitted, participants will receive an email notifying them of their nomination, along with further information about the program. QCAD Staff review all nominations and advise students and teachers of the outcome, usually within two to three weeks of the nomination closing dates.

Our program is facilitated by leading Queensland College of Art & Design academic staff, who bring a range of professional industry experience and knowledge. Topics will include hands-on skills (eg: painting, drawing, small sculpture) and theory (eg: why these skills are important, how they relate to the world, career pathways). Participants will also learn about critical reflection, creative thinking, problem solving and how to speak about their creative process. Lead staff will encourage students to experiment with unfamiliar materials and explore new ways of using familiar materials, while building their creative confidence. We invite participants to not focus on a specific skill or topic—instead be open and curious about the range of opportunities within visual art and design.

Our roster of lead staff can include any one of the amazing QCAD lecturers. We organise the staff line up far in advance, but can also change at short notice in response to the needs of our work at Griffith University. To avoid any confusion or disappointment with last-minute changes, we will provide a general overview of the QCAD lead staff and their workshops. The QCAD Art & Design Program is most suited to participants who are keen to engage in ‘all things creative’ and are open to experiencing a range of creative practices—rather than a specific focus on one type of practice. Teachers who have specific Professional Development interests or requirements are welcome to reach out to us for more details about what we have planned. What we can guarantee is that all staff who join our program are experienced teachers, researchers and practitioners in relation to their field.

Lead staff who engage with the regional program are all experienced visual art and design teachers, with research or industry led practices. Staff on past programs include:

• Bill Platz — Illustrator and portraiture artist
• Carmen Perez — Indigenous engagement officer for creative arts
• Carol McGregor — Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art program director and artist
• David Sargent — Visual communication designer and typographer
• Elisabeth Findlay — Art historian
• Liz Shaw — Jewellery and small objects artist
• Martin Smith — Photographer
• Petra Perolini — Interior and spatial designer
• Rae Cooper — Regional programs coordinator and visual communication designer
• Sam Cranston — Multi-disciplinary visual artist
• Simon DeGroot — Mural artist and print maker
• Sue Best — Art historian
• Vince Moug — Product and Industrial designer.

We encourage participants to have as much creative input into their projects as possible. Some aspects of the workshops are pre-planned to align with the materials and space that we have available. A typical workshop format might include some specific, structured or guided technical skill building activities or projects; however, the final project is often directed by the participant. Large mural projects require some more direction from QCAD staff to ensure we are meeting the requirements of the school; however, participants participate actively in the process. The staff leading the workshops are all experienced visual art and design educators, and thrive on students wanting to try new things, experiment and explore their creative interests—we encourage this whenever we can! Our workshop structure also allows students to move across different projects where appropriate.

Yes! We prefer to be guided by schools, teachers and students in regards to the workshop content and we are keen to align our program with the curriculum. Our program is planned 6 months in advance, so please reach out early if you've got recommendations for our workshop content.

All day Saturday and Sunday. Each day starts at 9.00 AM and ends at 4.00 PM.  Family and friends are invited to attend our exhibition at 3.30 PM on the Sunday.

What items should participants bring? Water bottle, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses (optional). Any other personal items that you might usually require for school.

What should participants wear? Comfortable casual clothing (e.g. school free-dress day) and covered footwear (no thongs, sandals or high heels). Some workshops could get messy (eg: paint), so avoid wearing anything expensive or precious. Participants are welcome to bring a change of clothes if they prefer.  Participants are not required to wear their school uniform. QCAD Art & Design School Program t-shirts are provided to all participants. Participants are welcome to wear their t-shirts anytime.

Participants will receive a lanyard, a QCAD Art & Design School Program t-shirt and catered lunch and light snacks. Students are also invited to take home any outcomes that they make.

The program costs $280 (including GST) per participant. A limited number of fully funded places are available for students who require financial support to participate. This fee is for both student and teacher participants. Teachers who would like to drop in for brief observation are not required to pay the fee (but will not have access to resources to participate in activities).

Yes. Lunch and light snacks are included for all participants. Everyone is encouraged to also bring a water bottle.

Participants and their families are required to organise their own accommodation and transport for the duration of the program.