Thursday 16 + Friday 17 + Saturday 18 July, 2026
We will be adding plenty of details here soon.
QATACON PROGRAM
The QATACON26 brief program is available now. Early bird ticket holders can use this program to begin session selection. You will be able to update and change your selection if you need to when the full program is released.
The full program will contain all the important details, including artist bios, contact details, workshop descriptions, schedules for each day, venues, what to bring and what you can look forward to.
Would you like your artwork on the cover of the QATACON26 program? Entries open soon and you can win a free conference tickets.
Looking for a past program? All of the QATACON programs can be found in Downloads or scroll down and click on the cover images below.
QATACON26 Program selection guide
Are you registering for other people?
Or is someone else registering for you?
There are quite a few options to select during registration.
Use this handy guide to make sure all attendees’ preferences are sorted before starting the registration process.
Countdown to QATACON26
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Early bird tickets on sale from March 30. Register early to get your favourite choices.
We had a fantastic response to the redeveloped Art Teacher Art Exhibition with over 60 entries in 2025!
Join us in 2026 for the exhibition’s closing event on Friday 17th July at 4:30pm – 6:30pm at Woolloongabba Art Gallery. Don’t miss the announcement of
The Eckersley’s Art Teacher Art prize @ 6:00pm
View the catalogue on the Art Teacher Art page.
QATACON26 Opening event
Our QATACON opening events are a great way to kick start the conference. Enjoy delicious food and drinks, catch up with colleagues and maybe make some new friends.
You can rsvp to this event during QATACON26 registration.
Exciting news soon about our opening event in collaboration with Onespace Gallery for Brian Robinson’s installation at the brand new Glasshouse Theatre, QPAC.
The theme of QATACON26 is Stories We Tell.
At QATACON26, we invite you to
- explore these ideas through the keynote addresses
- participate in the discussion
- challenge yourself in workshops
- create opportunities to tell stories.
See you there.
Any other questions or comments? Send us an email at qata@qata.qld.edu.au
Tickets will be on sale through Humanitix. While we can’t avoid ticketing fees for registration, we are pleased to support Humanitix which sends 100% of registration fees to charities that support disadvantaged kids around the world to access education. (It’s also a bit cheaper for you and your school budgets.)
Featured Artists & Presenters
FRIDAY KEYNOTE
MICHAEL ZAVROS
The Odyssey
SATURDAY KEYNOTE
DR CHRISTIAN THOMPSON AO
Holding the Centre: Art, Alignment and Cultural Presence
Poseidon, 2025
Oil on canvas
Courtesy of Studio Dr Christian Thompson AO and Sarah Scout Presents, Melbourne
Michael Zavros is a leading Australian artist. He has exhibited widely within Australia and internationally and his work is held in the collections of most major museums within Australia.
Zavros won the 2016 Mosman Art Prize , the 2012 Bulgari Art Award through the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the 2010 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, the 2002 Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award, the 2005 Robert Jacks Drawing Prize, the 2004 MCA Primavera/Collex award, and the 2007 Kedumba Drawing Award and has been a multiple Archibald Prize finalist.
Zavros has also been the recipient of several international residencies including the Australia Council Greene Street Studio, New York (2014), Milan studio residency in 2001, and the Barcelona studio in both 2005 and 2010. In 2003 he was awarded a Cite International des Arts Residency in Paris through the Power Institute, University of Sydney. In 2004 he was awarded a studio residency at the Gunnery Studios, Sydney, from the NSW Ministry for the Arts.
Between 2007 and 2011, he served on the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council for the Arts. He served on the board of The National Association for Visual Art (Nava) from 2014 – 2019. He is currently a member of the Griffith University QCA advisory board.
In 2023 Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) staged a solo survey of Zavros’ work The Favourite, and in 2025 Dunedin Public Art Gallery staged a solo survey Meet The Zavros’s. In 2025 Zavros was artistic director of BLEACH* festival on the Gold Coast.
Born 1978, Gawler, South Australia (Bidjara/Irish/Chinese–Australian)
Dr Christian Thompson AO is an Australian contemporary artist whose multidisciplinary practice explores identity, cultural hybridity, gender, sexuality, race, memory and history. Formally trained as a sculptor, Thompson works across photography, video, sculpture, performance and sound, using the body, image and voice as sites of inquiry and presence.
In 2010, Thompson became the first Aboriginal Australian admitted to the University of Oxford in its 900-year history. His work has been exhibited widely in Australia and internationally, including at the Royal Academy of Arts, London; the Pitt Rivers Museum and Modern Art Oxford; the Sharjah Art Museum; the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre; and the 17th Biennale of Sydney. A major survey exhibition, Christian Thompson: Ritual Intimacy, toured nationally from 2017–2019.
In 2024, Thompson’s exhibition House of Gold commenced a national tour across ten venues, continuing until 2028, in collaboration with 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney; Museums & Galleries of NSW; and Create NSW.
Thompson’s work is held in major public and private collections in Australia and internationally. In 2018, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the visual arts and as a role model for young Indigenous artists.
KIM DE HAAN
Author, Illustrator + Artist
KATE DRISCOLL & LEITH ELLIOTT
Visual Art Primary Specialists
HARRIET BODY & LEANNE WATERHOUSE
NGA’s Creative Learning Convener & Education Manager
LIZ RANGER-CRAVEN
Practicing Ceramic Artist
ANDREW PEACHEY
Educator and artist
LISA ZARRI
Photographer and Educator
NILOUFAR LOVEGROVE
Artist
SKY PARRA
Artist and researcher
ZOE PORTER
Artist & educator
DR DANIEL MCKEWEN
Artist & Educator
CHELSEA CARKEET
Emerging Contemporary Visual Artist
EMMA GARDNER
Artist/Lecturer QCAD
VIVIEN BEDWELL
HDR Candidate/ Doctor of Visual Arts
To be confirmed
More coming soon
Watch this space
So many ways to be involved in 2026
Want to be involved?
- Create our hero image! We’re looking for a wonderfully skilled teacher/creator to make an artwork that says, ‘Celebrate creativity’, to feature on the front of our program and across our communications. Featured artists receive a complimentary ticket and feature through our program.
- Nominate to be part of our Educator showcase – an incredible event where we hear from our subject-matter experts (you) about practical teaching techniques and approaches. Showcase teachers receive a discounted ticket. This is also a great opportunity to gather evidence towards Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher certification.
- Submit a middle-years (Years 5-9) student’s artwork to feature on our QATACON26 tote bags (submissions open Term 1, 2026). The artwork must be made in the year of the conference. The student will receive a complimentary tote bag, and the teacher will be invited to present the associated learning activity.
Scroll down for more information and to apply.
The buttons below will open Google forms. Some school accounts block these forms and you may find you need to use a personal account to open and complete the forms.
Submit your student artwork to feature on the QATACON tote bag. If selected you receive free registration and an art pack for your student.
Regional Teacher Bursary
If you teach outside of South East Queensland you can apply for this bursary. Recipients receive complimentary registration, travel and accommodation.
Tertiary student Bursary
Open to a pre-service teacher studying Primary or Secondary Visual Art education.
Complementary QATACON26 registration and travel expenses if you are a regional student.
Design the hero image for QATACON26 in response to the theme
Stories We Tell.
QATACON25 hero image
Cassandra-lyn Palmer
The beginning of winter
Oil, acrylic, and cotton on paper
40x95cm
Educator showcase
So many more stories to tell in Educator showcase!
QATA members are invited to unpack, share and teach their colleagues an innovative and effective practical 90-minute workshop, suitable for a primary, middle years or senior visual art context. You can present individually or in small teaching teams. Workshops should include a practical aspect. We’d like the participants making and doing. We are looking for innovative, practical and relevant experiences. Educator Showcase presenters receive a 30% discount on QATACON registration.
My classroom stories – swap and share
This session is about connecting and sharing ideas for classroom practice. Select one option below to attend. This could be an area of expertise or something you want to learn more about. Bring along a related resource, a story, a strategy or question to share with the rest of the group. We would also love you to bring along a hard copy summary for everyone to take away. Please make 20 copies. QATA exec will also scan and share the collected resources on the QATA website after QATACON.
| 2 day Metropolitan member | $295 |
| 2 day Metropolitan non-member | $345 |
| 2 day Regional member | $235 |
| 2 day Regional non-member | $285 |
| 2 day Tertiary student | $225 |
| 1 day Metropolitan member | $190 |
| 1 day Metropolitan non-member | $240 |
| 1 day Regional member | $130 |
| 1 day Regional non-member | $180 |
| 1 day Tertiary student | $120 |
Ticket types, prices & FAQs
Please note ticket prices are subject to registration fees of 2.5% + $0.50 per paid ticket. We use Humanitix for ticket registration who donate ticketing fees to education charities.
What is included in my ticket?
Your choice of the presentations listed in the program, morning tea and lunch, workshop art materials, membership for the remainder of the year for non-members, downloadable workshop and presenter resources, and our wonderful QATA merchandise.
Can I change my order after registration?
Yes you can. If you change your mind about your session or workshop selections, log back into Humanitix and update your order. You will be able to change into other selections until they reach capacity.
Who can purchase member tickets?
Member tickets are for 2026 financial QATA members Institutional, Institutional sponsored or Individual members.
Who can purchase regional member or non-member tickets?
You can purchase a regional ticket if you live or work more than 70km from the Brisbane CBD. We know you need to travel to get to QATACON and we want to help you out as much as we can.
How can I pay?
Preferred payment method is credit card directly through Humanitix.
Can I pay by invoice for my order?
Yes you can. Select pay by invoice during registration. You will receive an invoice with our direct bank details so you can transfer payment. You won’t need to pay via credit card. Tickets will be confirmed and issued after payment is received. Payment is due within 14 days of invoice.
Please note: registrations with unpaid invoices will be cancelled prior to the event. If circumstances are delaying your payment, please make contact asap via treasurer@qata.qld.edu.au to protect your ticket.
I just bought a ticket. Where is my invoice as receipt of payment?
Please note: QATA is a non-profit association and is not registered for GST.
An invoice will be issued in your confirmation email if you pay by credit card.
What is the refund policy?
Refunds are available up to 14 days before the event.
Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
No, individual conference programs, session allocations and rooms will be provided. Please register on arrival to collect your personalised program, lanyard and QATACON tote bag.
Can I attend the Thursday night event or the drinks and networking event on Friday evening if I am only attending on Saturday?
Yes, you can. We hope you will! Please rsvp for either event during registration. Thursday is a ticketed event and Friday is complimentary.
Why are some of the workshop choices unavailable when I register in Humanitix?
Workshops have capacity of between 15-25 participants depending on the room capicity, material use or presenter preferences. Some workshops have filled and will be unavailable. But don’t worry, all of the remaining choices are just as valuable. Be sure to check both morning and afternoon sessions as most are offered twice and each one may not be full.