To celebrate the Centenary of Canberra in 2013, the National Portrait Gallery created Portrait of a Nation: Australian Schools Portrait Project.

The online project explores a selection of portraits from the National Portrait Gallery collection of individuals commemorated in the naming of a Canberra suburb or street.

The portraits represent a diverse range of people who have contributed to the shaping of Australia as a nation through a broad field of endeavours including politics, exploration, social reform and the arts.

The selection of portraits includes paintings, photographs and sculpture. Each portrait provides an insight to the life of the individual represented and reflects the historical and social context of its creation.

The online resources provide a biography of each subject, interpretation of the portraits and a range of projects that encourage creative responses through portraiture, writing, performance and map-making.

The Portrait of a Nation: Australian Schools Portrait Project website will be updated with projects from schools across Australia, contributing to a showcase of student work from every state and territory.

Visit the projects page to find out how your school can participate in Portrait of a Nation: Australian Schools Portrait Project.