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EOI: NAIDOC Exhibition 2026 - Cultural Liaison Expression of Interest 

EOI: NAIDOC Exhibition 2026 - Elders Expression of Interest

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EOI: Community Gallery 2026 / 27

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CLOSED Friday 3rd April 2026

OPEN Saturday 4th April 2026OPEN Sunday 5th April 2026OPEN Monday 6th April 2026 



We look forward to seeing you soon!

GALLERY UPDATE

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Join the Ipswich Art Gallery Visitor Services team for a unique guided tour of our current exhibitions.

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Slow Looking Tours — Last Sunday of every month

Join artist Dhana Merritt in this gentle participatory workshop during Slow Art Day.

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Let’s Take It Slow: Practising Slowness Through Tea and Art

Painting the Celestial is a retrospective exhibition by Ipswich based painter, Leonard Brown.

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Leonard Brown — Painting the Celestial

Enter the dazzling world of LightPlay, where curiosity sparks and ideas really come to light!

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IAG Kids: LightPlay

Join us at Ipswich Art Gallery on Friday mornings for play-based explorations of our current IAG Kids exhibition, LightPlay

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Friday Morning Toddler Time: LightPlay

Slow Looking is a technique for thoughtfully and intentionally engaging with artworks. Move beyond first impressions and take the time to deeply observe and connect with selected works in this experiential Slow Looking Tour.























Explore key artworks through guided prompts for both adults and children. No art knowledge is necessary, simply come along and enjoy. 





















<ul><li>45 min tours are hosted on the last Sunday of the month </li><li>Sunday 29 March, Sunday 26 April, Sunday 31 May 2026 | 10.30am - 11:15am</li><li>With a focus on works in <a href="https://ipswichartgallery.qld.gov.au/exhibitions/leonard-brown-painting-the-celestial" sop="true">Leonard Brown &mdash; Painting the Celestial</a></li></ul>

















































No bookings required, recommended for ages 12 and up. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.

Guided by artist and naturopath Dhana Merritt, this workshop blends unhurried practices of gentle observation with the preparation and tasting of herbal teas. You are invited to linger with the colours and textures of work in our current exhibitions. Then, slow right down and reflect on subtle shifts within as you sip warming herbs and spices that support a conscious transition from autumn into winter. &nbsp;Slow looking can be a form of nourishment, just as herbal teas bring comfort and joy. This workshop celebrates rest and contemplation as a form of care.&nbsp;Participants will be invited to blend a small personal tea sachet to take home.&nbsp;Slow Art Day is a global event each year, celebrating different ways of engaging with and looking slowly at art. &nbsp;



















What to wear:&nbsp;Please wear closed-in shoes and workshop-friendly clothing.





















Materials:&nbsp;All Materials are provided.





Please meet us at the front reception of the Ipswich Art Gallery from 12:50pm. We look forward to seeing you there.

The art of Leonard Brown is a unique phenomenon in Australian art. He is highly regarded as a painter of sublime, minimal abstract canvases and these paintings are held in major public art collections throughout Australia, including the National Gallery of Australia, Queensland Art Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of South Australia and Art Gallery of New South Wales. At the same time, Leonard Brown is an accomplished icon painter following the ancient conventions and methods of Byzantine and Medieval Russian icon painting. Many of his icons are consecrated and are in liturgical use in churches throughout the world as well as finding homes in domestic environments and are held in private and public art collections. He is also a figurative artist of repute and was the winner of the Brisbane Portrait Prize (2019) and has been awarded numerous other art prizes including, The Blake Prize for Religious Art (2010).



Painting the Celestial is the first comprehensive retrospective exhibition of Leonard Brown’s work to have been presented anywhere in Australia and traces the artist’s development for more than five decades. The Ipswich Art Gallery is being transformed for this exhibition to include a gold-radiating sanctuary where Leonard Brown’s icons can be sympathetically displayed. His abstract paintings are being shown in greater numbers and in more depth than ever before. To enter the world of Leonard Brown’s art is to embark on a transformative experience. Both his painted icons and abstract works have the ability to transport the viewer to a different and more spiritual plane of existence. 

 







Leonard Brown was born in Brisbane in 1949 and he has lived in Ipswich for the past twenty years. This spectacular and beautiful exhibition celebrates the work of one of Australia’s most significant living artists. 

 







Sasha Grishin AM, FAHA Emeritus Professor, Australian National University Curator: Painting the Celestial: A retrospective exhibition by Leonard Brown 

<h5>An Ipswich Art Gallery exhibition</h5>

Step into a world where light becomes an element of creativity, curiosity, and discovery.Immerse yourself in an environment filled with glowing possibilities. Using light boxes, overhead projectors, torches, and translucent materials, investigate how light behaves, and experiment with kaleidoscopic patterns that shift and change with every movement. Build, arrange, and transform your surroundings, revealing the surprising ways light interacts with shapes and textures.

Use your body to paint with light, watching colours mix and shadows stretch in unexpected ways. These playful interactions encourage curiosity, problem‑solving, and a deeper understanding of cause and effect.

LightPlay&nbsp;embraces the educational philosophies of Reggio Emilia and REmida to provide a creative environment for children which encourages collaborative play, experimentation and discovery-based learning. The environment is intentionally designed to support open-ended discovery of ideas through hands‑on interaction.Let your imagination shine and experience the wonder of illuminated discovery at LightPlay!

Toddler Time includes hands-on activities, song and sensory play designed to engage and nurture artistic expression and build connection.





















Friday mornings, 1 hr session from 10:00am – 11:00am between&nbsp;these dates:&nbsp;





Friday, 24 April 2026 - Friday, 26 June 2026

































































<ul><li>no Toddler Time sessions during school holidays</li></ul>







































Bookings are not required for families and individuals, just drop in!

The Ipswich Art Gallery is located in d’Arcy Doyle Place, a pedestrian mall section of Nicholas Street between Brisbane and Limestone Streets in the Ipswich CBD.

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Planning a visit? Here's what you need to know

Ipswich Art Gallery takes play seriously. Our goal is to create
dynamic pathways for lifelong relationships with art.

Structured around our guiding principles, our kids programs celebrate
the spontaneous creativity within each child.

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Looking for our kids programs?

Contribute to a legacy that preserves Ipswich’s cultural heritage for future generations. Every gift helps foster a vibrant, creative community and supports the acquisition of significant artworks and treasures for our city.

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Support the gallery

Find the Ipswich Art Gallery in d’Arcy Doyle Place in the Ipswich CBD adjacent to the Nicholas St precinct.
The Ipswich Art Gallery is a visual arts and social history museum presenting a dynamic program of exhibitions, heritage displays and an extensive program for children and families.

Ipswich Art Gallery