In a city where culture is constantly evolving, the Powerhouse Museum has no problem keeping up. Spanning four sites – including Sydney Observatory, Powerhouse Castle Hill, the heritage-listed Powerhouse Ultimo site currently undergoing a $300-million transformation and a brand-new Powerhouse Parramatta location set to open in late 2026 – it’s officially the largest museum group in Australia.
Now, Powerhouse Castle Hill is taking centre stage with its latest instalment Powerhouse Materials – a new series of exhibitions and events that showcase the Powerhouse Collection (home to more than half a million objects!) through the lens of a guest curator and a chosen material. Actor and activist, Chloe Hayden was the first to curate a colourful and quirky exhibition focused on textiles, and now Andy Griffiths is in the hot seat.
The second iteration continues to embody imagination and eccentricity with Powerhouse Materials: Paper. Curated by best-selling children’s author Andy Griffiths (the mind behind the Just! and Treehouse series), this exhibition dives deep into the world of paper.
From November 22 to March 8, this free exhibition features a quirky collection of paper objects from the Powerhouse Collection, ranging from the ordinary to extraordinary. Every visitor will receive a self-guided activity book packed with drawing and story prompts developed in collaboration with Griffiths – perfect for sparking young imaginations, and giving older ones a blast from the past.
For its blockbuster opening weekend (that happens to be free – all you have to do is register), the exhibition is kicking things off with talks, meet-and-greets with Andy himself, book signings and exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of the museum's Collection. Over summer, the fun ramps up with hands-on weekend workshops. From December 20 to January 25, all ages can drop in for free theatre and poster-making sessions inspired by objects from the exhibition. Budding authors can also take part in a two-day summer writing workshop on January 22-23 and January 29-30 (tickets will set you back $20 per person).
Got a storyteller at home? Little ones can enter the Powerhouse Young Writers' Challenge, running now until February 1. Each story must feature one item from the exhibition and every applicant will receive an invitation to a special closing event with Andy Griffiths in March 2026 where he'll read a selection of outstanding stories.
Powerhouse Materials is all about sparking creativity and connecting communities with the museum’s incredible Collection, in fun and unexpected ways.
Powerhouse Materials: Paper is open every weekend at Powerhouse Castle Hill from November 22 to March 8 from 10am-4pm. Check out the full program here.
