Re-assemble Art Education Conference 2026

Art Education Victoria Presents:

Re-assemble Art Education Conference 2026

Welcome to Art Education Victoria's flagship event of the year!

Re-assemble Art Education Conference is an annual professional development conference hosted by Art Education Victoria in partnership with RMIT University.

This conference seeks to bridge the gap between theory and practice, offering a platform for educators, artists and aligned sector workers to explore innovative approaches to teaching and art-making.

This will be our only full-day professional learning event for 2026, so make sure to save the date!

Full program includes artist keynote, discussion sessions, partner trade tables, curriculum updates, networking lunch and a curated lineup of workshops.

Information

Date of Conference: Friday 10 July, 2026

Location: Storey Hall (RMIT University) - Building 16, 336/348 Swanston St, Melbourne.

Conference theme: Sanctuary.

Click here for the 2026 Re-assemble Conference Program!

Theme: Sanctuary

sanctuary, n. – a sacred place of refuge and protection; a space where the vulnerable are sheltered and life is allowed to flourish.

In an increasingly busy world, often marked by uncertainty and rapid change, we find ourselves asking, “Where can we go to reflect, to explore, and to play?” For many of us, the answer has always been, “The art room.” Through keynote presentations, workshops and discussion sessions, participants will explore the following themes:

1. Sanctuary as a physical and emotional space: the art room as a site of refuge, belonging, and safe self-expression.

2. Educator and student wellbeing: educator and student wellbeing are deeply interconnected, to sustain one is to invest in the other.

3. Art and the natural world: creativity as a means of nurturing connection to conservation and biodiversity.

4. Inclusion and cultural diversity: art rooms as critically engaged spaces for diverse cultural narratives, identities and histories.

5. Slowness and attention as a form of resistance: in a busy, changing landscape, lingering and dwelling with beauty is an act of care.

Keynote Guests: Gracia & Louise

Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison have been collaborating for more than twenty five years, addressing themes of conservation and biodiversity through artists' books, zines, collages, prints, drawings, and installations.

In their keynote, Tiny but Wild, Gracia & Louise invite us to slow down and look closely at the natural world, at the connections we share with it, and at the role each of us can play in its care. They seek to shine a light on the detail of all things, revealing in that light, that all things are connected in an active, brimming, thrumming sanctuary. 

Gracia & Louise's work as both artists and wildlife carers is deeply intertwined and collaborative, and endeavours to start a conversation. Drawing on recent projects including Specimen 1963, A Fleeting Sense Of, Restoring Corridors, and The Remaking of Things, they ask how creativity and conservation might inform and sustain one another.

Through their work, they look to open a window, to guide you along. To give you a moment to pause and reflect, "What part can I play in all of this?"

We look forward to welcoming Gracia & Louise to Re-assemble 2026.

Hands-on Workshop Sessions: Here

Workshop registration will open two weeks prior to the event. Attendees will receive a link in their inbox to register for their preferred session.