Headspace showcases portrait art produced by secondary students from Year 7 to Year 12 in Government, Catholic and Independent schools in Canberra and its surrounding regions extending to Wollongong, Deniliquin, Leeton, Crookwell, Bombala, Narooma and Albury. It is the first student exhibition to be held at the National Portrait Gallery. Embracing all learning levels of secondary education Headspace documents aesthetic, technical and conceptual developmental stages of art production appropriate to these learning levels.

The National Portrait Gallery is committed to the support and promotion of art making practices in the formal school sector by providing a context for its exhibition. Through Headspace we hope to bridge art produced in the secondary school environment and the wider community. Part of making art a more meaningful pursuit, and connecting it to a wider world, consists of making the world of art itself wider.

For complete development in art education, students need opportunities to exhibit their work. Headspace gives young artists a chance to reflect on their work, to see their progress, and to be stimulated to develop in new ways. It is a testament to the effectiveness of the National Portrait Gallery's educational programs created by a team led by Pamela Clelland Gray and Maria Gravias that so many students produced work for Headspace.

I congratulate the schools, the students and their teachers on the huge range of excellent work in the exhibition.

Andrew Sayers
Director
National Portrait Gallery