Entertainment
10 January, 2026
Gallery prepares for absorbing year
CAIRNS Art Gallery is welcoming the new year with a packed program of exhibitions, workshops and classes running throughout January and into early 2026.
The gallery said it was “slowly blinking our way out of the Christmas/New Year haze” and looking ahead to “another inspiring year of art in the Cairns Art Gallery Precinct”.
School holiday classes will continue next week from 12 to 16 January, alongside an assemblage class on 23 January led by artist Kylie Burke. Limited places are available for those seeking wet-weather activities during the holiday period.
Among the major exhibitions currently on display is Heather Wunjarra Koowootha – ‘Collection in Focus’, running until 15 March 2026. Wik Mungkan and Djabuguy/Yidinji artist Heather Wunjarra Koowootha presents a solo exhibition of drawings and paintings featuring plants and marine life. Each artwork includes handwritten information outlining specific qualities and uses, based on stories and knowledge passed down to her by her mother.
Also on show is the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2025, a National Portrait Gallery exhibition running until 25 January 2026. The annual exhibition showcases photographic portraiture from across Australia, with finalists selected from more than 1400 entries.
The exhibition ‘Queensland to a T – Our Stories Told Through Tea Towels’ will remain on display until 8 March 2026. Drawn from the collection of historian Glenn R Cooke, the exhibition looks back at Queensland history through souvenir tea towels from the 1950s to the early 2000s.
A wide range of after-school and adult classes will begin in term 1 2026, with members receiving priority bookings and discounts. Programs include comic book and manga with Lachlan of JUDD Comics, mixed media for ages 5–9 and drawing and portraiture with Jamie-Lee Simpson.
Bookings and further information are available through the gallery website: www.bit.ly/4sBfpIL
