2026 Monet to Matisse Transport Subsidy Recipients

Before students stand before Monet’s waterlilies or discovered the thick and textured surface of the wheatfields in a Van Gogh painting, a number of them will have already travelled a collected total of 14,486 kilometres to reach the Gallery.

This meeting between South Australian students and masterworks from the Toledo Museum of Art in the United States has been made possible due to the generosity of a group of dedicated exhibition ‘Luminaries’, those who share the belief that art should be accessible to all children, regardless of their geographical or financial barriers. Often, the cost of transport alone can be prohibitive for a school looking to bring students into the city.

Thanks to the Luminaries Transport Subsidy Fund, 1560 children from forty schools will have travelled from remote and regional communities across South Australia to experience Monet to Matisse – and many of them were visiting a major cultural institution for the very first time. Naracoorte, Port Lincoln, Renmark and Ceduna are just a few of the regional areas where students began their journey. With this benefaction support, distance was no longer a barrier to viewing works of art in situ, which many of us who live in metropolitan areas may take for granted.

We wish to extend our sincere thanks to the Exhibition Luminaries for their generous support of this initiative:

Tim Fairfax AC

Penelope Gore

Lusia and Hugh Guthrie

Amanda Harkness and Karen Barrett

Trevor and Ann Lands and Family

Joan Lyons AM

David McKee AO and Pam McKee

Pamela McKee

Diana McLaurin AM

Robert Menz

Prakash Rajah

Elizabeth Robson

Barbara Van Ernst AM

Elizabeth Grove Primary School | Years 5 and 6

Our visit to Monet to Matisse was a wonderful and valuable experience for our students. For many, it was their first time visiting the Art Gallery, and some had never experienced an exhibition like this before. The students were enthusiastic, excited and engaged throughout the excursion, and it was wonderful to see them being introduced to a whole new world of art and creativity.

Within my teaching and learning program, I try to provide students with as many opportunities as possible to experience new things beyond the classroom. The Monet to Matisse exhibition was a perfect example of this. Experiences such as these encourage students to think outside the box and consider the many possibilities available to them in life. The exhibition allowed students to explore different artistic techniques and mediums, discover how stories and ideas can be communicated through art, and understand that there are many different ways to express themselves creatively.

Excursions such as Monet to Matisse are particularly valuable because they provide authentic learning experiences that cannot always be replicated in the classroom. They can spark curiosity, build confidence and inspire students to explore interests and ideas they may not have encountered before. For our students, this excursion was not just about viewing artwork; it was an opportunity to experience something new, broaden their understanding of the world and see creativity from a different perspective.

The transport subsidy ensured that all students had equal access to this valuable learning opportunity. It allowed our students to experience the Art Gallery, explore art and creativity in a new environment, and participate alongside their peers without financial barriers. For many of our students, opportunities such as this would simply not be possible without this type of support.

Lisa Linnell | Year 5 and 6 Teacher

Eastern Fleurieu School | 9 -12

Fantastic to see these paintings and artworks in real life and for many of our students they may never get the opportunity again. It was great for them to make real like connections and see these pieces in person as we have studies them online/ books etc. but making that connection is valuable.

We are traveling from the country (over 1.25 hours by bus), and transport can be expensive. By the time we have to pay for TRTs etc. excursions can be expensive and at times limited. Having access to this subsidy has given us the opportunity to cut costs and increased the approval for our excursion. This has then resulted in our students having the opportunity to see this artwork in real life instead of just online.

Tracey Rosser | Art and Design Teacher

Heathfield Primary School | Years 3 - 6

The exhibition came after a 14 week Visual Art Unit that looked at artists who used non-traditional painting techniques. I have a lot of students who don't believe they are talented artists because they can't draw detailed images. This unit of work demonstrated that art did not have to fit into very specific criteria. We looked at the evolution of Impressionism, Cubism, Fauvism and into abstract. We also learned the art of "slow looking" in which we sat and looked at a painting and noticed things.

My class was taken aback by seeing the brushworks in the Piet Mondrian - as when you look at photographs and online images - this level of detail is not apparent. They were so taken with seeing the brushstrokes and art techniques applied. I was able to standby - transfixed - as my class analysed Dalet Tet by Morris Louis - looking at the hopefulness of the colours trying to break through the bleakness of the black (their words).

Stephanie Keller | Teacher

Ingle Farm Parimary School | Years 5 and 6

This excursion helped the year 5/6's of our school engage and respond to artists and their artwork. We did a pre-assignment before we attended to assist with engagement and the students engaged well with seeing the artwork in person after looking at the images online.

We had so many students who otherwise would not have been able to afford the excursion to be able to go. The students and their families were happy with the price and we had 80% of our cohort attend.

The students mentioned that they loved Monet's 'Water Lillies' and they didnt know how large the painting actually was. They liked how there was different things to see and no artwork was the same.

They especially enjoyed creating the artwork in the Studio, and the time we were in there went by so fast as they were so engaged.

Shannon O'Boyle | Teacher

Mark Oliphant College | Years 11 and 12

For my students this experience was a once in a life time chance to see such an immense collection of historical artworks. The students have been able to return to school inspired, challenged and ready to create their major pieces. All students have created inspiring pages for their Folios. The enormity of this exhibition and importance of seeing artists they have studied for years was realised. The range of the artworks from Impressionism through to Abstract Expressionism has truly inspired and motivated the class to go big!

The Year 12s LOVED the chatterbox. We have used the Curiosity Cards on numerous occasions and the students enjoy the prompts to guide careful noticing.

Trudy Brown | Art Teacher

Wallaroo Primary School | Years 3-6

Our children often don't leave the town, much less go to Adelaide for exhibitions like this. Being given this opportunity gave our learners an experience that they wouldn't have had otherwise. The grant allowed us to attend in an affordable way as bus transport is really expensive for us. It gave our children an experience they wouldn't have had otherwise.