Ms JENNY AITCHISON (Maitland): 'Free Art Sunday' is a flagship community arts program run by Maitland Regional Art Gallery (MRAG), generously supported by locally based arts and craft education partner CleverPatch. It is just one of the great art programs that the Gallery provides to the young people of Maitland and their families, all year round.

This school holidays in addition to 'Free Art Sunday', the gallery will be providing school age children with a range of workshops and free art making activities. These include 'Painting Landscapes by Memory' with Art Tutor Ileana, 'Animating Collages' with Art Tutor Leslie, 'Portrait Painting' with Archibald prize finalist, Abdul Abdullah and 'Making Murals' with Hunter Indigenous artist Jakeob Watson. The workshops and activities cater for young people aged 8 to 18 years and are based on the Gallery's recently launched Winter Season exhibitions.

There a range of benefits young people can gain from participating in school holiday art workshops including the opportunity to explore and enhance their creative skills, receive guidance from skilled artists and connect with other young people outside of their normal social circles.