2025 Tarnanthi Transport Subsidy Recipients

After the success of transport subsidies in 2021 and 2023, with the support of BHP, in 2025 AGSA Education was again able to provide transport subsidies to categories 1–4 Department for Education schools located 30km outside the CBD to visit.

This funding allowed schools to secure transport to see Tarnanthi and in most instances participate in a Gallery tour and Studio session. We welcomed a total of 1870 students from forty different sites to Tarnanthi under this program.

Subsidy schools were provided with guided tours where possible and a facilitated workshop with Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara artist Elizabeth Close or with our Facilitator in the Studio featuring Layne Dhu-Dickie Schools were also supplied with a Tarnanthi education pack including the following AGSA publications: Tarnanthi 2025 exhibition catalogue, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art in the Classroom volume 2, Tarnanthi Make and Create.

Aldinga Beach Primary School | Year 5 & 6

This excursion would not have been possible without the subsidy. Transporting Aboriginal students to events that celebrate Aboriginal culture and Aboriginal people is challenging within budgets provided by the public education system. Many events are free to attend but travel/transport can be very high.

The full experience was very enjoyable. We found our guide to be very knowledgeable and to showed learners a great array of both traditional and modern art mixed with thought provoking and beautiful, creative and political sharing traditions and customs across Australia, while also showcasing the vast similarities and differences in Aboriginal art/artists across Australia.

Amy Gibson | Aboriginal Community Engagement Officer

Ardrossan Area School | Years 3 - 6

Visiting Tarnanthi provided a rich and immersive experience that deepened understanding of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, culture, and perspectives. The impact of the Tarnanthi experience enabled students the opportunity to feel the impact of the confronting and rich cultural knowledge and themes of the exhibition.

The transport subsidy has had a huge impact. We would not have been able to provide the students with the opportunity without the help from the gallery. The addition of the subsidy meant we could take the kids at no cost to them, which made it an equitable experience for all our students.

Ron Edwards | Teacher

Cambrai Primary School | Year F - 6

Tarnanthi offered our students valuable insight into artist's work and the variety of genres that art includes. Students were able to engage in meaningful art experiences that provided a different view of their own heritage. The impact of this excursion was huge. Our students were wholly engaged. Many of them had never been to the Art gallery, nor would they ever come, if not for this excursion. They were exposed to positive aspects of First Nations culture and we feel they walked away with eyes wide open.

Danielle Kerin | Teacher

Christies Beach Primary School | Years 3 - 6

We had a fantastic day visiting the exhibit. I was lucky enough to chat to your staff member who ran the studio - she was amazing, I spoke to her about how important this excursion is to open pathways for our students. My mission is to show these students that art can take many forms and they were so amazed by the different types of art.

We wouldn't be able to have an experience like this without support with transport. It is so important for our students to have access to things like this so they realise there are different opportunities out in the community beyond school.

Chloe Virgin | Teacher

Eastern Fleurieu School - Milang Campus | F - Year 6

One third of our students are First Nations and we are always looking for ways to weave First Nations culture into our teaching and learning programs. It was helpful for both staff and students to see that art does not have to be just a painting on a wall. There are many different ways we can explore art with our students and I think this visit opened our eyes to this. The resources you have provided us with will support us in this.

Our students would not be able to visit an exhibition like this without the grant to cover the cost of the transport. The students at our campus rarely visit the city due to the distance, no public transport from Milang and the financial costs of travel.

Merran Jolley | Head of Campus

Elizabeth Downs Primary School | Years 3 & 4

Excursions to places like the South Australian Art Gallery and Tarnanthi exhibition that feature First Nations artwork are valuable because they help students learn in a real and meaningful way. Seeing culture, stories and history through art allows students to understand that these are living traditions that continue today, not just something written in a book. It encourages respect for all First Nations people of Australia and deepens students sense of connection to Country.

Being in the gallery space also supports curiosity, discussion and reflective thinking, while giving students the chance to respond to art work emotionally, creatively and personally.

Anita Spencer | Teacher

Elizabeth Vale Primary School | Years 5 & 6

It was fantastic to participate in the Studio session where students learnt about a young Aboriginal artist - and the doors that have opened for him doing something he loves was extremely valuable.

Cassie Brown | Coordinator

Hackham East Primary School | Year 5 and 6

The students were able to see First Nations artists work and learn about their stories. They were intrigued that some of the large artwork pieces were done as a community with many hands working together. This gives the students a greater connection to the culture and an understanding of the art process.

As a category 3 school, buses are very expensive and it limits the number of excursions we can do. To be able to take 2 classes to the Art Gallery without the cost of a bus was amazing and the students were able to gain a greater understanding of both culture and Aboriginal art in person. Students from one of our classes asked their teacher if they could have a quick lunch break and go back into the galleries. Seeing the art in person makes a greater impact than pictures on a laptop.

Sue Dunn | Aboriginal Education Teacher

John Hartley Primary School | F- year 4

We had a fantastic morning at Tarnanthi. The guides Michelle and Di informed us about well-chosen artworks and then engaged students to respond in a brilliant way, encouraging our year 2 and 3 students to think deeply and contribute. The students also really enjoyed participating in the studio workshop with Lauren.

In our past three visits to Tarnanthi we have only taken our Aboriginal students from the school. However, this year we brought our year 2 and 3 students and we also invited one of our year 3 classes which includes children from various cultural backgrounds. This has proven to be a powerful act of interest, inspiration and Reconciliation for these students and their families. Students were particularly fascinated by the two artworks inspired by the Maralinga atomic bomb testing - Kulata Tjuta and the Thunder Raining Poison and we've had many questions and comments since. It has given students an understanding and insight into these sad events in South Australian history.

For our Aboriginal students, attending Tarnanthi forges an immeasurable sense of connection to identity and sense of pride in these extraordinary artists and works of art.

Thank you to AGSA and BHP - we would not have been able to attend Tarnanthi without it. The transport subsidy made it possible, as our budget could not have covered the bus hire.

Keith Area School | Year 9 - 11

Our students had an amazing time at Tarnanthi this year. We were lucky to have two workshops, the first with Jessie where students created their own superhero taking inspiration from Layne Dhu-Dickie's work. The students were able to explore personal themes and use their creativity to tell stories.  Our second workshop with Elizabeth Close allowed us to explore her work and get to know her as an artist. Students were given the opportunity to design a mural that told their story. This was a fantastic opportunity to interact with a local artist and experiment with design. 

We would not have been able to attend the art gallery for an excursion without the transport subsidy. Our students had a wonderful time and it has inspired them.

Emily Lepley | Teacher

Keller Road Primary | Years 3-6

It was a valuable experience to support our Aboriginal Education as well as showing students that art comes in many mediums.

Celine Barr | Teacher

Mark Oliphant College | Years 7 - 10

Visiting Tarnanthi with students from 7-12 was inspiring. The connections the students made to their work was truly inspiring. The level of engagement was brilliant. I only had 50 spots to take students, I could have filled another bus with students who would have loved the chance to come. A week later and the students are still talking about the day.

Trudy Brown | Art Teacher

Munno Para Primary School | Years 3-6

As the Aboriginal Education Teacher, being able to take my First Nations students to see their culture represented in art was an invaluable experience. Working with Elizabeth Close and seeing the impact that she has had with her art, further inspired my students and helped them to see the value in art as a form of story telling. Some of the art work displayed in Tarnanthi was breathtaking, and encouraged the students to see art beyond just pencils on paper.

Kari Shields | Aboriginal Education Teacher

Myponga Primary School | Year 5 & 6

Very simple, no subsidy-no trip. Bus rental is too much of a drain on our very limited budgets. The whole thing was amazing, the kids loved it, it provided many of them with a chance to do something they had never done. It also inspired a few of them to look into some new ways to be creative.

James Baylum | Teacher

Northfield Primary School | F-2

The reception students made deep and valuable connections to the learning we have been doing in the classroom within our HASS curriculum. On top of that, they experienced how to be respectful members of the wider community.

"I learnt that yams are bush tucker native to Australia. There are lots of different ways to make art. Aboriginal people use stories to teach lessons, like how to be safe. Yarning means chatting together. Spears were used to show an explosion. Kaurna Land is the land of the red kangaroo. Symbols can be used to tell stories. Aboriginal land is worth infinity dollars." - student feedback 

Our favourite work was by Bob Burruwal and Lena Yarinkura, of the monsters taking the boy and being scared away by the wise man. The students really engaged with the lesson being taught to be safe, which is something we talked about a lot before going on the excursion. The boy nearly going into the fire was like the protagonist in Julia Donaldson's Stick Man, expect this time he was saved by the wise man and not Santa. We found the artwork mesmerising!

Kelly Bria | Reception Teacher

Northern Adelaide Senior College | Year 11 & 12

All of the students who came did so because of interest, not because it was a class excursion. They are also Aboriginal. Unfortunately, they feel disconnection from their Aboriginality. Visiting Tarnanthi gave students the chance to connect with voices of Aboriginal people from many different groups. On the ride home they expressed how powerful the glass and spear sculptures of Maralinga were.

Renee Howell | Aboriginal Education Teacher

Nairne School | Years 3 - 6

To be able to visit Tarnanthi was a truly valuable opportunity for our student to make connections between learning languages in Global Connections and visual arts, seeing artwork and language displayed and explored in such a wide variety of ways. It expanded students views of what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art is- so much further than and beyond the stereotype of dot painting. So many of our students had never been to an art gallery before and the entire experience was such an immense cultural learning experience. Students were amazed at what lay beyond the walls of an art gallery. Excursions such as these are so important for expanding students views of the world, cultures and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and artforms.

Brooke Goyne | Teacher

Nuriootpa High School | Year 7 - 10

Wonderful. An opportunity to involve as many art students as well as our First Nations cohort in this shared activity - FREE. The students couldn't believe that they didn't have to pay anything!

Natalie Axo | Aboriginal Education Teacher

Penola High School | Year 9 and 10

As 8 out of 10 students had not visited the gallery before, it was a wonderful experience for both the students and me to watch the reactions of students seeing the artworks. The generosity of the transport subsidy meant the difference of us being able to participate. Not only are we four hours away, but the costs can be prohibitive for many of our families.

Cate (Bell) Cracknell | Art Teacher

Port Elliot Primary School | Year 5 & 6

For a school that lives over an hour away from the Art Gallery our opportunities to visit are very rare. I had a few students ask if we can visit again just to look at the gallery in more detail and with more time. The value is in the links that can be made to students lives and experiences and to open conversations about art and interpretation.

The transport subsidy allowed the excursion to go ahead otherwise we would not have been able to attend. Providing a free excursion for students meant that all were able to attend and parents didn't feel pressure to pay more money.

Rachael Norde | Student Well-being teacher

Port Wakefield Primary School | Years 2-6

Visiting Tarnanthi at the Art Gallery of South Australia was an engaging and valuable experience. It provided a meaningful opportunity to explore and celebrate contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, helping to deepen my understanding of First Nations perspectives, stories, and cultural expression. The artworks were powerful and diverse, encouraging reflection and discussion around identity, history, and connection to Country.

Excursions like Tarnanthi are incredibly valuable within teaching and learning programs as they provide students with authentic, real-world learning experiences. Without this support, excursions of this kind would often be out of reach due to travel costs and distance.

Nikki Trewin | Educator

Salisbury East High School | Year 9 - 12

Visiting Tarnanthi with students was an inspiring and immersive experience. The guided tour provided deep insight into the stories, techniques, and cultural perspectives behind each artwork, particularly highlighting the significance of contemporary Aboriginal voices. Students were especially engaged with Reko Rennie’s work, exploring his use of symbolism, colour, and identity. In the practical making session, they synthesised these ideas by creating collages — experimenting with pattern, repetition, and personal symbolism to express connection to place and self. The experience encouraged thoughtful reflection, creativity, and cultural appreciation through hands-on learning.

Having a travel subsidy for our students ensures that all learners can access valuable cultural and educational experiences, regardless of financial circumstances. Many families may not be able to afford transport costs, which can limit participation in excursions like Tarnanthi. Providing a subsidy promotes equity and inclusion by giving every student the opportunity to engage with Aboriginal art, culture, and history firsthand. These experiences enrich learning, build cultural understanding, and inspire creative and critical thinking — key outcomes that align with the Arts curriculum and the school’s commitment to inclusive education.

Tiffany Prouse | Teacher

Salisbury Kindergarten | F-2

This experience has shown our children a different way of creating art and participating in art experiences. A focus for Salisbury Kindergarten this year has been to connect children to Country and have them participate in creating a contextual Acknowledgement of Country. Visiting the exhibition has deepened this understanding.

Thank you so much for making our visit possible. Many of our children would never have the opportunity to experience this with their families and I am so happy that we were able to expose them to this enriching and thought-provoking experience.

Libby Jones | Director

Solomontown Primary School | Years 3-4

Visiting Tarnanthi provided our Year 3/4 students with a rich and engaging learning experience that deepened their understanding of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. The exhibition allowed students to connect with stories, symbols and artistic techniques in a meaningful and age-appropriate way, supporting their visual literacy, creativity and intercultural understanding. Experiences like this strengthen our teaching and learning programs by linking classroom concepts to real-world examples, encouraging curiosity, empathy and respectful awareness of Australia's First Nations peoples.

Access to the transport subsidy has had a significant positive impact on our excursion program by making opportunities like Tarnanthi more accessible and financially manageable for our school community. The subsidy reduced overall costs, allowing more students to participate and ensuring that no child was excluded due to financial barriers. This support enabled us to prioritise culturally rich learning experiences and strengthened our ability to provide equitable, curriculum-aligned excursions that enrich student learning and engagement.

Tash Blad | Teacher

Tanunda Primary School | Year 5 & 6

Visiting Tarnanthi at the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) was an enriching and inspiring experience. The exhibition showcased the depth and diversity of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art through a range of mediums, including painting, sculpture, and interactive installations. The opportunity to engage directly with artists‚ stories and the cultural significance of their work fostered a greater understanding and respect for First Nations perspectives.

Excursions such as Tarnanthi are extremely valuable within teaching and learning programs for several reasons:

Authentic Learning: Students experience Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history first-hand, complementing classroom content with real-world engagement.

Cultural Awareness: These excursions deepen students’ cultural competency, building respect and understanding for Australia, First Nations peoples and their diverse voices.

Creativity and Critical Thinking: Students are inspired to think creatively and reflect on social, historical, and cultural contexts. They develop skills in observation, interpretation, and discussion.

Curriculum Connections: Tarnanthi supports learning across The Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Aboriginal Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum priority.

Student Engagement: Such visits often spark enthusiasm and curiosity, encouraging students to explore new ideas and perspectives.

Having access to the transport subsidy has had a significant positive impact. The subsidy helps to remove barriers related to cost, making educational and cultural experiences accessible to a greater number of students.

Kylie Bussenschutt | Year 6 Teacher

Victor Harbor Primary School | Year 5 & 6

Tarnanthi offered our students a complete immersion into Aboriginal Art, culture and stories. We have been learning about Aboriginal artists at school, but being able to visit the Art Gallery meant students could be amongst real life art in a range of mediums, and not just looking at it in a book or on a screen. Our guide was able to share the stories behind the creation of some of the pieces, which really helped students understand how important art is to culture.

Mel Cronje | Year 5/6 Class Teacher

Victor Harbor High School | Years 9 -12

Twenty-seven students from Victor Harbor High School attended the Tarnanthi Exhibition this year thanks to the Transport Subsidy. Eleven of those students identified as Nunga students. Our First Nations SSO, Tani, organised and supported the Nunga Group. Tani remembered the Tarnanthi Exhibition she attended when she was a student a VHHS and she was excited and keen to be part of offering this experience to our current Senior Nunga Students.

Rosie is one of our First People's/Nunga students was excited to recognise one of the names in the exhibition as a friend of her aunty.

Maggie Savage | Teacher

Virginia Primary School | Year 3 and 4

About 3/4 of my students had never visited the art Gallery before. They had never thought deeply about artwork or considered what message artwork may be trying to tell. The opportunity to explore and learn about this artwork has been incredibly important to my students. They listed the artwork as their favourite part of the day. They asked me to explain the artwork that they saw or what events it describes.

Rachael Pitt | Educator

Yankalilla Area School | Years 7-10

Visiting Tarnanthi was a rich and engaging experience for our students. They explored powerful contemporary Aboriginal artworks and took part in a hands-on collage workshop led by Kate, who did a fantastic job guiding them through the creative process. Our students at Yankalilla Area School rarely get to experience art of this caliber, and they were in awe not only of the artworks but also of the incredible colonial building that houses the gallery.

Excursions like Tarnanthi add strong value to our teaching programs by connecting classroom learning to real-world art experiences. They support the Australian Curriculum through intercultural understanding, critical and creative thinking, and exposure to First Nations perspectives. These experiences inspire students’ own artmaking and broaden their understanding of how art expresses identity, culture, and community.

Students also enjoyed revisiting some of their favourite artworks from past Tarnanthi exhibitions, recognising pieces they remembered and discovering new details they hadn’t noticed before. Re-encountering these works allowed them to reflect on how their own perspectives have grown, and how the artworks continue to resonate across time. Seeing these familiar pieces alongside new commissions highlighted the ongoing evolution of First Nations art and reinforced the strength of Tarnanthi’s ten-year legacy.

Heidi Williams | Art Teacher