New England Regional Art Museum

Artist Talk: Lee Bethel and Michael Simms
2025-08-15 17:30 - 18:00 (Australia/Sydney)
Join us at NERAM as we speak to and learn from exhibiting artists Michael Simms: Stages and Lee Bethel: A Way with Words. Hear about the creative, emotive and intellectual journey’s taken by the artists in producing these body of works.
We’ll talk to Michael Simms about his exhibition Stages, an ongoing series of portraits, honouring performers whose work spans music, theatre, dance and performance art. A series that explores how presence is expressed — both onstage and off.
Learn from Lee Bethel about her exhibition A Way With Words, works that explore the material and symbolic potential of paper, cutting and shaping it into intricate forms that cast shadows of memory, history, and meaning. A Way With Words is a powerful reflection on feminism, language, and domesticity.
This is an opportunity to connect with the artists and gain a deeper understanding of their work, their influences and their processes. Please book your ticket below.

Image: Michael Simms, The Celebutante (detail), 2023, oil on canvas.
Image: Lee Bethel, Counting The Dead (detail), 2022, watercolour and hand cut paper.

Opening Night
2025-08-15 18:00 - 20:00
Join us for the opening of four new exhibitions.

Stages: Michael Simms

A Way with Words: Lee Bethel

Personal Cinema: Cosima Scales

ARTEXPRESS

Artist Talk: Cosima Scales
2025-08-16 10:30 - 11:30
Join Cosima Scales and NERAM Director Rachael Parson’s in conversation as they discuss Scales’ exhibition Personal Cinema.
Cosima Scales’ paintings capture fleeting moments of domestic life — sunlight on floorboards, fruit on a table — transforming everyday scenes into quiet dramas. Balancing realism and painterliness, her works explore the rhythms of natural light and the subtle narratives of home. Scales’ exhibition Personal Cinema invites viewers to find beauty and meaning in the ordinary.
This is an opportunity to hear and learn from the artist directly and gain a deeper understanding of their work, influences and processes. Please book below.
Image: Cosima Scales, Full sun, studio window (II), 2025, oil on board

Image: Cosima Scales, Full sun, studio window (II), 2025, oil on board

Creating Art With Paper
2025-08-16 10:30 - 16:00
Spend the day with exhibiting artist Lee Bethel, learning a variety of techniques including cutting, folding and piercing to create your own unique paper works. For Lee Bethel, elegant constraint is the foundation of her work, in her hands paper reveals its capacity for resilience and malleability.

The workshop will begin with Lee taking participants through her exhibition A Way with Words to discuss her work.
Students will then spend time planning and discussing their own works under the guidance of Lee.
Lee will demonstrate a variety of techniques that can be used in the process of creating the artworks.
After a lunch break participants will spend the rest of the workshop bringing their creations to life.

DATE | Saturday 16th August
TIME | 10:30am – 4.00pm
VENUE | Mazda Gallery NERAM
COST | General Price $175.00 – FoN/Culture Club member Price $160.00
All materials included.
Min 8, Max 12

Image credit: Lee Bethel, After Mary Delany

Culture Club open studio
2025-09-10 18:00 - 20:30, 2025-10-08 18:00 - 20:30
Culture Club is proud to present OPEN STUDIO.

This month we are meeting at Get Framed Armidale and taking walk with photographer Simon Scott and he is going to teach you some photography tricks and tips as well as some basic editing using Snap Seed. All you need to bring is your phone. The arty times kick off at 6pm.

Venue: Meet at at Get Framed Armidale Shop 45/195-197 Beardy Street, Armidale Plaza SC. Entrance on Dangar Street.

INFO:

Can I bring wine? YES YOU CAN
If it’s cold will you put the heaters on? YES WE WILL
Do I need to be good at art to come? NOPE
How much does it cost? NADA
Will there be snacks? MAYBE. Each month is hosted by a different Culture Club Committee member, so it’s up to them how the evening goes. They’re in charge of the music, the still life set up and the good feels.
Do I need to be a member of Culture Club to come? NO. But we’re kind of hoping that you really dig it and decide you want to support us by becoming a member.
Is there an age restriction? NO… BUT… if you are under 18, you’ll need to show up with a responsible adult… and if you are a responsible adult who shows up with a little person you’ll need to make sure they don’t climb the walls.

Open Studio - Adrienne Kenafake
2025-09-19 14:30 - 15:30
Join us in NERAM’s Packsaddle Studio, for an informal open studio visit with artist in residence Adrienne Kenafake.
Adrienne Kenafake is a multi-disciplinary Australian artist from the lands of the Widjabul Wia-bul people, Lismore, Northern New South Wales. With a focus on sculpture and performance her practice investigates the potential of objects as physical, psychological and extrasensory archives of emotion, story and place. During her residency at NERAM she will be conducting research into contaminated Xagricultural and Xindustrial land, exploring ideas of subsurface hauntings, protection and remediation through the lens of the suburban spiritist.
Location: Packsaddle Studio NERAM

For more information:
Website
Instagram

Winter Blooming Ball 2025
2025-09-19 19:00 - 22:00
It’s time to dance at the 2025 Winter Blooming Ball!
The prom you always dreamed of — the event of the season and a night to remember. Dress to impress as your true self, come with your partner, friends, or slay it solo. Everyone is welcome!
Tropical Fruits will light up the night with an unforgettable mix of DJs and drag performances. Enjoy delicious nibbles, cocktails from our pop-up bar, and a celebration full of sparkle.
Get ready to shine brighter than the disco ball!
Pre order your hot food when you purchase your tickets.

Winter Blooming has been Produced in collaboration with the University of New England, Australian GLBTIQ Multicultural Council, and ACON.

Opening Night & Artist Talk
2025-10-03 17:30 - 20:00
Join us for the opening of Anna Johnson’s first solo museum exhibition, NYMPHAEA NYMPHAEA.
Artist talk – 5.30pm
Opening event – 6.00pm
Please book a ticket (below)

Image credit: Anna Johnson, Persephone (detail), 2025, Acrylic on linen.

Opening Night: Packsaddle Exhibition 2025
2025-10-24 17:00 - 20:00
Join us for the ringing of the bell to open the 2025 Packsaddle Exhibition!
Be among the first to view—and purchase—original artworks by leading and emerging Australian artists. Now in its 40th year, Packsaddle is a beloved fundraising exhibition that brings together a curated selection of contemporary paintings, prints, and sculptures in support of NERAM.
Every artwork sold directly supports both the artist and the future of the New England Regional Art Museum. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to collect something special and celebrate four decades of community, creativity, and generosity.
Viewing from 5.00pm. The bell will ring at 6pm (no artworks will be sold prior), when the selling and celebration will commence.

Portraiture in Charcoal with Michael Simms
2025-11-01 10:00 - 2025-11-02 16:00
Due to popular demand, Michael Simms is back with his charcoal portraiture workshop. Excitingly the workshop has been extended to two days, giving students more time to develop, practice and hone their skills under the guidance of Michael.
In this workshop, students will learn how to draw the human face with charcoal – one of the most versatile and expressive mediums. Michael will provide his unique tips and tricks on how to simplify the face into basic shapes to make portraiture fun and accessible.
Michael will conduct demonstrations and provide individual feedback to students throughout both days.
Students will also have the opportunity to visit Michael Simms Stages exhibition in the Mazda Gallery of NERAM.
Topics covered include:

Overview of materials: the different types of charcoal and how to use it
The proportions of the human face
How to simplify the human face into basic planes and tonal shapes
How to break down individual facial features
How to build structure into your portrait
Capturing a ‘likeness’
Understanding tonal values
How to achieve a sense of volume and form in your drawings
Drawing from a live model
The impact of lighting

DATE | Saturday and Sunday, 1st & 2nd of November
TIME | 10am – 4.00pm both days
VENUE | Packsaddle Studio
COST | General Price $221.00 – FoN/Culture Club member Price $245.00
All materials are included
Min 10, Max 14

Image: Courtesy of Michael Simms

In Conversation: Behind the Scenes with Packsaddle
2025-11-01 10:30 - 11:30
Join us at NERAM for a special In Conversation between NERAM Director Rachael Parsons and members of the current Packsaddle Committee.
Together, they’ll pull back the curtain on all things Packsaddle — how this beloved annual exhibition is imagined, planned, and brought to life each year. Discover the stories behind the art, the community connections that make it possible, and why this remarkable group of women continues to dedicate their time, creativity, and passion to supporting NERAM after 40 years.
An inspiring and insightful look at one of the most enduring and generous supporter groups in regional Australia.

The Community Weathering Station at Black Gully Festival
2025-11-08 10:00 - 16:00
The Community Weathering Station is a market stall about climate change. This black gully festival we have a program of visiting artist-researcher facilitated workshops that link up with the themes of weathering: a concept that explores climate change from a grounded, localised and embodied perspective.
Throughout the day we will also offer Tea/Tarot readings when the readers are in, and there will be other little things in the stall to look at and discuss. For the workshops: We will endeavour to have all the materials you need on hand, but please read below for any specific instructions and to register to help us plan for numbers.
All Workshops begin at the CoWS Stall

Stall opens 10am

Mixed Weathering Workshops 10-11am
Drop into the CoWS Stall and participate in a selection of activities “Lucky Dip”, “Close Meteorology”, “Speed Zining” and “Weathering With and Without”. These games are connected to How to weather together exhibition in the gallery and book of the same name. Participants can take home their contributions or they can add it to the exhibition upstairs. These activities are all designed to engage with yourself and each other differently and carefully in relation to everyday weather, but also as a method for connecting to the large scale catastrophe of climate change. If you miss the early workshop options to participate will be available throughout the day.
We believe weathering well requires the proliferation of feminist, queer and anticolonial environmentalisms and the global redistribution of shelter and vulnerability. To assist in grass-roots revolutionary mobilisation, we offer up simple practices as part of a larger historical movement: to change the climate of climate change and be ourselves changed in the process.
Facilitator Bio/s: The weathering workshops are facilated by Tessa Zettel (Sydney), Astrida Neimanis (Canada) and Jennifer Hamilton (Armidale). These three have been collaborating for a decade as The Weathering Collective.
FREE REGISTRATION

Rest your identity: 11-12
With Ju Bavyka
This workshop leans on meditation practices to examine our relationships to aspects of our identity, including habits or social roles, that get overworked in everyday life. This overwork can be a response to social injustice, patriarchy, gendered roles, being disabled, or to the self-exploitation of one’s ethnic and cultural background in order to exist and survive. After a short introduction, participants are invited to follow a guided meditation and to identify parts of themself that require a little rest, revision, and kind reintegration on better terms. A space for encounter and possible connection is created during the discussion afterwards. This workshop is included in the CoWS program as a practice that allows for new openings to the weather world.
Cushions provided.
Facilitator Bio: Ju is a visual artist, writer and community organiser. They create from a queer, forager perspective and are interested in practices of hospitality and generosity. Ju lives, works and rests on unceded Gadigal Wangal lands in so-called Sydney, Australia, and sometimes in Berlin. They have ties to Kazakhstan and Germany through their birth, education, community connections and family history.
FREE REGISTRATION (Please RSVP to help with numbers, but please also show up on the day either way)
15 Max

12pm Welcome to Country (Mainstage)

DAY FOR IT! why we love good weather 12.30-1.30pm
With Blanche Verlie
Most of our efforts to communicate the importance of global heating focus on how scary and bad changing the climate is. But a lot of people find it too scary to think about, and so they disengage from the topic. What if we celebrated all the benefits that a safe climate affords us? This walkshop riffs on the Australian idiom “Day for It!” that celebrates all the great, fun things we can do in good weather and who those activities allow us to be, to help us clarify the cultural and personal value of our Holocene climate.
What you’ll need to participate: a phone with a camera and internet connection OR a pen and paper. We’ll be walking around the Festival and chatting to people about what their favourite weather is, and why they love it.
Facilitator Bio: Blanche is a multidisciplinary social scientist whose work focuses on climate change working. Her research investigates how people understand, experience, and respond to climate change, and how we might do this differently and better. Her book Learning to live-with climate change: From anxiety to transformation is available as a free e-book. At the University of Sydney, she is a Sydney Horizon Fellow in Gender and Cultural Studies, and one of the leaders of the Environmental Justice theme at the Sydney Environment Institute.
FREE REGISTRATION (Please RSVP to help with numbers, but please also show up on the day either way)

1.30-2.30 Lunch break (& Rocky Bottom Girls playing on mainstage!)

Learn to Scry with the Sky: how to prophesize through gazing, 2.30-3.30pm
With Nina Vroeman
This workshop will explore exercises from Horizon Factory’s publication Deep Gazing.
The book is a guide, a tool, an atlas and a companion for individual and communal attunement to the environment. Opening to the expansiveness of the sky, learning to read its signs and traces, and allowing for messages and meanings to arise beyond the art of forecasting.
Facilitator Bio: Nina makes interdisciplinary work about ecology that is speculative and embodied. They live in Tiohtiá:ke (Montreal), on the traditional territory of the Kanien’kehà:ka and are a recent MFA graduate from Sculpture and Ceramics at Concordia University. For more information about their work visit ninavroemen.com/
FREE REGISTRATION (Please RSVP to help with numbers, but please also show up on the day either way)
15 Max

Stall closes 4pm

Black Gully Festival 2025
2025-11-08 10:00 - 19:30
The always highly-anticipated Black Gully Festival is set to kick off on Saturday, November 8th, 2025, in the scenic Black Gully Reserve (behind NERAM on the south side of the creek). This free, family-friendly event celebrates the vibrant spirit of Armidale as the weather warms up, offering a day filled with music, art, environmental and community engagement. The festival promises an entertaining experience for attendees of all ages.
Festival Program

9.00am – 7.30pm – Festival Livestream and broadcast 2ARMFM Community Radio
10.00am – 4.00pm – NERAM Art Gallery & feature exhibition How to Weather Together
10.00am – 2.00pm – Aboriginal Cultural Centre & Keeping Place – Music jam w/ Des Ahoy, Peter Georkas & Bob Blair (10-12)
10.00am – 2.00pm – Museum of Printing
10.00am – 4.00pm – Makers, Community and Environment Markets

Caring for Koala Country, Clothes Swap and Slow Living, Community Garden tours, Community Weathering Station, Electrify Armidale, Growing Sustainable Landscapes, Healthy Headwaters and Creek bug collecting, Highlands End of Life Project, NERAM Family Art Making, Platypus Play and Clay, River Weaving and Rising Tide, Save our Styx, Talking Soil, The Highlands Poet, Weeding for Weaving w/ Andrew Parker, Face painting and more…..

10.00am – 7.30pm – Food Vans
12.00pm – Official Opening – Welcome to Country + Thanks to Sponsors + announcements
7.00pm – 8.45pm – Astronomy night with the Stars & UNE & NT Astronomical Society@NERAM cafe

Music, Dance & Theatre Program

Main Stages
10.00am to 7.30pm

10.30am The Holy Horns
11.15am Alejandro & Armidale Salsa
11.30am JazzLab
12.00pm Welcome to Country + Thanks to Sponsors + announcements
12.30pm Tandav School of Dance
12.50pm Blakk Dynasty
1.20pm The Rocky Bottom Girls
2.10pm OhMaSoul
3.00pm MC & The Squares
3.50pm Dusky Buzz
4.40pm The Cham Cham
5.30pm PartyLine
6.30pm The Chads

Acoustic Stage (NERAM Café)
9.00am to 4.00pm

9.00am Judith Betts
9.45am Bruce’s Country
10.30am Pete Stanley
11.15am Barney St Band
12.00pm The Miggy Man
12.45pm Dallas Muirhead
1.30pm Ian Russell
2.15pm Khaleel Jundi
3.00pm Firebirds Choir
3.30pm Saturday Magic Theatre Troupe presents Pandora and the Dragon

Talks, Activities & Workshops Program

Clothes Swap@ Slow Living Tent

10.00 to 11.00am Clothes drop
12.00 to 2.00pm Clothes swap

The Community Weathering Station (CoWS) at Black Gully Festival (North Village)
The Community Weathering Station is a market stall about climate change. This Black Gully Festival we have a program of visiting artist-researcher facilitated workshops that link up with the themes of weathering: a concept that explores climate change from a grounded, localised and embodied perspective.
Throughout the day we will also offer Tea/Tarot readings when the readers are not off enjoying the festival, and there will be other little things in the stall to look at and discuss.
For the workshops: We will endeavour to have all the materials you need on hand, but please go to the link below form more details, any specific instructions and to register (FREE REGISTRATION).
CoWS workshops are for people aged 16+

10.00 -11.00am: Mixed Weathering Workshops – w/ Tessa Zettel, Astrida Neimanis and Jennifer Hamilton.
11.00am – 12.00pm: Rest your identity – w/ Ju Bavyka
12.00 – 12.30pm : Welcome to Country (MainStage)
12.30 – 1.30pm: Day for it! why we love good weather – w/ Blanche Verlie
1.30 – 2.30pm : Lunch Break
2.30 – 3.30pm : Learn to Scry with the Sky: how to prophesize through gazing – w/ Nina Vroeman

All Day:

By sign-up sheet on the day: Tea & Tarot by Donation (with Piers Kelly & Ju Bavyka)
How to weather together exhibition (Mazda Gallery inside NERAM)

Full program and registration details available at: https://communityweatheringstation.net/2025/10/13/2025-black-gully-festival-stall/

Community Garden

10.30/12.30/2.30 – Composting with Joi (@ the Community Garden
Community Garden Tours – Come for a visit! Tours running from 10.00am to 4.00pm -as needed

Sustainable Living Armidale (SLA) and Friends @ North Gully Village (NERAM Side)

10.30/3.30 – Rhizomatic Somatic Meditation (1-hour sessions) for 16+ – w/Pip Ryan @ Rhizomatic Chorus tent
11.00 to 1:30 – Magpie print making @ Museum of Printing
10.30/1.00 – How healthy is my soil? – why not soil some undies! @Talking Soil tent
11:00/1:30 – Digging Together: Where Soil Science Meets Community @Talking Soil

SLA and Friends @ the Packsaddle room (Below NERAM)

11.00am – SPECIAL Presentation – Healthy Headwaters of New England and what our creek invertebrates tell us (30mins) – with Dr. Sara Mika, UNE Aquatic Ecology Lab
12.30pm – SPECIAL Presentation – The Bell’s Turtle: A Turtle of Our Own – with Dr. Lou Streeting, UNE Lazer Lab

SLA and Friends @ South Gully Village (Stage Side)
• 10.30/11.30/12.30/1.30/2.30/3.30– The Magic of Science Show @UNE Discovery
• 10.30/1.30 – Cozy Story Time – The Platypus – w/Sue Eliot @SLA and NE Rakali and Platypus tent
• 10.30/11.15/2.45- Native Rodents – who are they anyway and why should we care? @Threatened Species Tent
• 10.45/2.00 – Chatting about Energy-Efficiency – for beginners 101@Electrify Armidale tent
• 11.00 to 12.00 – Weeding for Weaving w/Andrew Parker @the Big Weave
• 11.00 to 12.00 – Making Seedballs @Armidale Tree Group
• 11.30 – Cozy Story Time- Where are all the baby Turtles? – w/Lou Streeting – @SLA and NE Rakali and Platypus tent
• 11.30 & 1.30 – Creek Bug Collecting – meet @UNE Aquatic Ecology Lab
• 12.30/2.00- Bat’s in the Backyard and Insect-eating bats @Threatened Species Tent
• 1.00 – Black Gully Walk and Talk with Funky Dave and Friends of BG – meet@the Black Gully Central Tent
• 2.00 – Chatting about Energy-Efficiency –bring your really tricky questions @Electrify Armidale tent

The Black Gully Festival program is subject to changes at any time. Please refer to website for any updates or amendments.

The Black Gully Festival – Partners and Sponsors
The Black Gully Festival would not be possible and nor would it be able to provide a free community event without the contribution of over 70 volunteers and our Partners and Sponsors. The Black Gully Festival organisers would like to extend a huge thank you to our volunteers and to the following:
Partners
Musicians of Armidale (MOA)/Sustainable Living Armidale (SLA)/New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM)/2ARMFM Community Radio/Southern New England Landcare (SNEL)/Armidale Tree Group (ATG)/Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place (ACCKP)
Supermega sponsors, Very special sponsors, and Festival friends
Sustainable Living Armidale (SLA)/Origin Energy (Renewable energy and the New England Community Investment Program)/Armidale Regional Council (ARC)/BlackDot/Gallery 126/The Welders Dog/StringyBark Ecological/Back Track/Creative Streets Festival

New England Friends of NERAM Artisan Trail
2025-11-08 10:00 - 2025-11-09 16:00
Step inside the studios of six talented New England artists and see where creativity comes to life. Across one inspiring weekend, the New England Friends of NERAM Artisan Trail invites you to visit artists in their working environments, watch live demonstrations, and gain unique insights into their craft.

From delicate watercolours and expressive landscape paintings to fine ceramics and reclaimed metal sculpture, this is a rare opportunity to meet the makers shaping our region’s vibrant arts scene.

Tickets are available for individual studio visits or as a weekend pass giving access to all six studios. All proceeds support the work of the Friends of NERAM in raising funds for the New England Regional Art Museum.

Tickets:
$40 Friends of NERAM members
$45 Non-members
$12 per individual studio

Book now via TryBooking

COSMOGRAPHIES : A speculative documentary film
2025-11-09 15:00 - 17:15
The struggle for environmental justice against ongoing forms of extractivism and ecological ruin in the Atacama Desert is an allegory against ongoing plans to colonise the Moon and Mars, where Māori astrobiologist Xuê Noon finds solace in 2051.
Cosmographies is a hybrid film that draws from speculative fiction, observational and poetic documentary, Indigenous futurism and Indigiqueer perspectives. It interweaves stories of resistance and environmental justice against extractivism in the Atacama Desert, Chile, as an allegory for contemporary plans to colonise the Moon and Mars. Set across 2023 and 2051, it weaves parallel stories of Lickan Antay land and water defenders, engaged scientists and fishing communities in Atacama, with the story of Māori astrobiologist Xuě Noon who finds solace in Mars and slipstreams across spacetime with an urgent message.
Screening at Belgrave as part of How to weather together exhibition
Film is 95 minutes
Q&A is 30 minutes. Finish by 5.15pm.
Credits
Director, Cinematographer & Writer (BIO): Juan Francisco Salazar (attending the screening for Q&A)
Writer & Performer (BIO): Victoria Hunt

Book Launch: A Portrait of Howard Hinton
2025-11-11 17:00 - 18:00
To mark Howard Hinton’s 159th Birthday we invite you to the launch of A Portrait of Howard Hinton by Margaret Bain.
Who was Howard Hinton — the man behind one of Australia’s greatest art collections? A Portrait of Howard Hinton uncovers the life of this enigmatic philanthropist, moving beyond the familiar image of a shy bachelor who gave away his fortune for art. Drawing on Hinton’s long-lost diary and years of meticulous research, Margaret reveals a vibrant, generous, and deeply connected figure at the heart of Sydney’s cultural scene in the early 20th century.
Join us at NERAM to celebrate the launch of this remarkable new publication that sheds fresh light on the man whose vision helped shape the very foundations of the New England Regional Art Museum. There will be champagne and cake.

Artist Talk: Lae Oldmeadow
2025-11-14 17:30 - 18:00
Join us before the official opening to hear exhibiting artist Lae Oldmeadow in conversation with curator Professor Pedram Khosronejad as they discuss The Garden — Oldmeadow’s debut solo exhibition at NERAM.
In The Garden, outsider artist Lae Oldmeadow creates a contemplative and tactile installation where nature and culture intertwine. A series of Totems of Contemplation leads visitors towards the central sculptural work, The Garden, evoking the sensation of stepping into a magical forest. Crafted from palm fibre, sisal, organic cotton and ultramarine paint, Oldmeadow’s totems and wall sculptures explore themes of reverence, resilience and renewal.

Image: Lae Oldmeadow, Totem of Contemplation # 11 Leaf, 2022. Palm fibre and sisal twine sewn to canvas, acrylic paint

Opening Night
2025-11-14 18:00 - 20:00
Join us for the opening of five new exhibitions
Echoes of the Earth: Tribal and Desert Art
WATER: Rowen Matthews
Providore: Kim Bizo
How to Weather Together
The Garden: Lae Oldmeadow

Opening Weekend Program
Friday 14th November
5.30pm – Artist Talk: Lae Oldmeadow
6.00pm – Opening Night
6.30pm – Official opening presentation
7.00pm – Performance: The Sign of the Times Henri van Noordenburg and Paul Smith

Saturday 15th November
10.30am – Packsaddle Lecture: Sundeep Bhandari, The Gondwana Art Project

Credit: Suresh Dhurve, Ann Dai, 2020, acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of the artist and the Craft and Community Development Foundation

Echoes of the Earth: Tribal and Desert Art has been produced in partnership with the Craft and Community Development Foundation, Utopia Art Sydney and Papunya Tula Artists. Sponsored by Origin Energy (Renewable energy and the New England Community Investment Program) the Friends of NERAM

Performance: The Sign of the Times
2025-11-14 19:00 - 19:30
To coincide with the opening of How to Weather Together, exhibiting artist Henri van Noordenburg and composure Paul Smith will present a live performance in the gallery.
The Sign of the Times project takes outcomes and processes from Henri’s visual art practice and Smith’s composition and practice, and presents them in a performance. Integral to the structure of the work is collaborative improvisation. Each artist responds to the other’s input, and this in turn affects the performance and finished work.
Born in The Netherlands and based in Brisbane, Henri van Noordenburg is a visual artist whose practice merges photography, drawing and performance to explore memory, landscape and belonging. Using a distinctive hand-carved technique inspired by sgraffito, his works have been exhibited internationally, including the Manila Biennale and Scope Basel. He has received multiple awards, and his work is held in major public and private collections including LACMA and NERAM.
Paul Smith (he/they) is a composer and researcher based in Sydney who specialises in writing opera and music for the toy piano. He is Associate Professor of Music at the University of New England. Paul has held composer/performer residencies in Armenia (2018), Italy (2019) and Japan (2024), and he was a featured composer of the inaugural Korean toy piano festival in Seoul. In 2022 he received the ABC Composer Commission Fund to compose three new works for toy piano and recorder which were released by ABC Classics. Paul’s traditional research focuses on the politics of singing and the voice and recent publications explore multilingualism in opera.

Image: Henri van Noordenburg, Composition XCI Arvo Pärt deck, 2024. Hand carved ink on Hahnemühle

Packsaddle Lecture: Sundeep Bhandari, The Gondwana Art Project
2025-11-15 10:30 - 11:30
Join us for the final Packsaddle Lecture of 2025 as Sundeep Bhandari, founder-trustee of Craft and Community Development Foundation (CCDF), presents his work on the Gondwana Art Project—a dedicated initiative supporting tribal artists from the Gondwana region of central India (Madhya Pradesh & Maharashtra), working in Gond, Warli and Bhil traditions. In partnership with NERAM’s exhibition Echoes of the Earth: Tribal and Desert Art, the Foundation has collaborated directly with the museum to bring these artists’ voices and works to an Australian audience.
Under the Gondwana Art project, CCDF’s mission is to create a platform for tribal artists to present their work and their perspectives demonstrating their craftsmanship and creativity, introducing new methods and techniques that express both traditional and contemporary imagery and values. In this initiative, CCDF promotes artists and their art form that evolves from the dynamic living traditions. This project offers an invitation to the viewer to discover Gondwana region and artists that epitomise the incomparable diversity of contemporary tribal and popular Indian art.

Sundeep Bhandari, is a New Delhi–based business strategist with over three decades of experience in India’s energy and infrastructure sectors, and is the founder trustee of Craft and Community Development Foundation. He has undertaken several philanthropic projects and was heading the CSR board of Cairn India Ltd. In this role, he was instrumental in establishing community support and development projects across the country including the Centre of Excellence for vocational training in Jodhpur and The Enterprise Centre at Barmer ITI. He established Craft and Community Development Foundation with the aim of up-skilling artisans in different fields across India.
Established in 2008, the Craft and Community Development Foundation (CCDF) is a registered not-for-profit organisation created to support and fund projects that enhance livelihoods for communities in the arts and crafts sector. CCDF’s vision is to undertake initiatives that upskill artisans through the introduction of new concepts and designs while preserving the authenticity of traditional practices and connecting them to new markets. The foundation creates an empowering space that supports specialised crafts by providing training, introducing innovative design elements, and developing market linkages. Through workshops and skill development programs, CCDF works to strengthen artisan communities and improve their overall quality of life.

The Packsaddle Lecture Series invites guest speakers to expound on aspects of Australian and international artistic practices and history, providing the community with an opportunity to explore themes and ideas related to some of the museum’s key collection areas.

Echoes of the Earth: Tribal and Desert Art has been produced in partnership with the Craft and Community Development Foundation, Utopia Art Sydney and Papunya Tula Artists. Sponsored by Origin Energy (Renewable energy and the New England Community Investment Program) the Friends of NERAM

Museum Store Sunday
2025-11-30 10:00 - 16:00
On Sunday, November 30 2025, more than 2100 Museum Stores representing 25 countries, and five continents will offer relaxing, inspired shopping inside your favorite museums and cultural institutions…showcasing broad assortments of highly curated, unique, mission-specific gifts. From books to jewellery to children’s products to home accessories and gourmet food, there is something for everyone. Shop knowing you are supporting the missions and programs of each participating museum and cultural institution.
NERAM will be joining other museum and gallery shops around the world for Museum Store Sunday
With Christmas around the corner, we invite you to “shop with purpose” at your local art museum shop. Your custom will help us sustain the programs and services we provide to our community.
All day 20% shop discount (except alcohol)
50% Discount Table
Spend over $30 to go into the draw for a hamper valued at $100 or voucher for $100
Lucky Door Prize
Free Gift Wrapping
Christmas Craft activity for Kids
We look forward to seeing you between 10am – 4pm to enjoy a little Christmas shopping!

NADIGA (at the Armidale Showground)
2025-12-05 11:00 - 17:00
NADIGA means walk in Anaiwan. It is also the title of a day-long exhibition by Anaiwan artist Gabi Briggs at the Armidale Showground. The notion that walking Country is a form of knowledge-regeneration underpins three works: GEDYURA, TENYA, and ARKAN & IRBELA. These have only ever been shown in Melbourne on Wurundjeri Country and as such, their journey to Armidale can be understood as a return home. This exhibition forms a key component of her PhD research.
In Gabi’s research, walking and the artworks that emerge from it are inseparable. The works grow from the movement, listening, and remembering that happen while walking on Country. This approach is grounded in her grandmother Patsy Cohen’s book, Ingelba and the Five Black Matriarchs (1990), where walking emerges as a cultural practice and research methodology. Gabi extends this lineage in her own practice– through walking, rearticulating and continuing her nan’s work in embodied, relational ways.
The Armidale showground is entwined with this history of movement. Ingelba was once positioned in relation to the broader world through the walk to the Armidale Show. Under colonial control their movement became restricted, with authorities able to order the removal of Aboriginal people from towns. Now the Showground is being returned to Ingelba’s relational frame through the artworks, the gathering, and the planned walk that will culminate here.
NADIGA forms part of a longer project – to eventually walk Country with kin, particularly the 100km path from the former Ingelba Aboriginal Reserve to the Armidale showground. As such, NADIGA brings family together to prepare for the journey, to deepen a shared understanding that movement across Country is an ongoing cultural practice, and a mode of knowledge-making that persists despite colonial interruption.

Image: Poster designed by Marilena Hewitt

New Horizons - Emerging Voices in Landscape
2025-12-12 08:00 - 2026-02-02 17:00
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED: New Horizons – Emerging Voices in Landscape
NERAM is calling for Expressions of Interest from emerging regional NSW artists to take part in New Horizons: Emerging Voices in Landscape, a ten-month mentorship and exhibition program designed to support the next generation of regional creative practitioners.
Developed by the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM), this unique professional development opportunity will pair up to five emerging artists with acclaimed Australian painter Angus Nivison for an immersive creative mentorship, culminating in a public exhibition presented alongside Nivison’s major retrospective at NERAM in 2026.

About the Program
Over ten months, selected artists will engage in:

A five-day intensive at NERAM and Nivison’s Walcha studio, including a masterclass, guided discussion, and one-on-one mentoring
Ongoing remote mentorship and creative feedback sessions
Curatorial and professional development support from NERAM’s staff—including artist statements, writing, exhibition preparation, and career planning
Opportunities to participate in public programs, an artist panel, education activities, and digital storytelling
A group exhibition of new work at NERAM presented in dialogue with a major Angus Nivison retrospective

Artists will receive:

Residency Stipend
Exhibition Fee
Travel assistance
Professional documentation of the program
Project catalogue
Mentored support from industry-leading practitioners

Who Can Apply
This EOI is open to:
• Emerging artists (first 10 years of practice)
• Living and working in regional NSW
• Working in any visual arts medium who’s subject or inspiration is the landscape (can be non-representational)
• Seeking to expand skills, networks, and professional experience
NERAM strongly encourages applications from First Nations artists and artists from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds, with at least one program place prioritised for these communities.

Key Dates

EOI Open: 12 December 2025
EOI Close: Extended to 2 February 2026
Artist Selection Announced: February 2026
On-site intensive: 23 – 27 March (artists must be available to attend the on-site intensive)
Ongoing remote mentorship: April – September 2026
Angus Nivison Retrospective: 31 July – 18 October
New Horizons Exhibition: 2 October – 8 November (Opening night Friday 2 October)

How to Apply
Applicants are asked to provide:
• A short artist statement
• A brief CV
• Up to 10 examples of recent work
• A brief description of how the mentorship will support their practice (max 300 words)
Applications are to be sent to gallery@neram.dev.nucleoserver.com by COB 2nd February 2026
Applications will be reviewed by a panel including NERAM representatives and project partners.

Angus Nivison is an Australian contemporary painter, renowned for his evocative, atmospheric explorations of landscape and memory. Based near Walcha in the New England region of NSW, Nivison has developed a distinguished career spanning more than five decades, with work held in major public and private collections across the country, including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Newcastle art Gallery, the Australia Club and New England Regional Art Museum.
Nivison’s large-scale paintings capture the emotional and elemental forces of place. He is celebrated for his ability to translate his experience of the landscape into abstract, gestural, and deeply expressive visual language.
Nivison is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Wynne Prize (2002), and has exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally. His long-standing commitment to regional arts practice make him an exceptional mentor for emerging regional artists.
His upcoming major retrospective at NERAM in 2026 will highlight the breadth and impact of his contribution to Australian art, offering a unique opportunity for mentees to learn from an artist of remarkable depth and experience.

The New Horizons Program is supported by the Australian Government through the Regional Arts Fund, and the Country Arts Support Program administered by Arts North West.

Image: Angus Nivison, Yalgoolygum, 2003, acrylic & charcoal on canvas.

Paper Mâché | Summer Holiday Workshop
2026-01-15 10:30 - 12:00
Workshop activity:
Children will create their own paper mâché fish sculpture, using recycled materials, paper and paste to build a 3D form. They’ll explore shape, texture and pattern while designing a unique sea creature. The focus will be on hands-on making and creative process rather than a finished painted piece, as sculptures will need time to dry before painting. Visual examples and creative prompts will be provided for this activity, however children are welcome to come with an idea in mind if they already have something they’d like to make.
All materials will be supplied
DATES: Thursday 15th January 2026
TIME: 10.30 – 12.00pm
VENUE: Packsaddle Studio at NERAM
AGES: 6+
COST: General Price $28, FoN/CC member Price $25
Min 8 – Max 12 students

Terms and Conditions

All bookings for events, art classes and workshops require payment in full at the time of booking
A minimum number of 8 students required for workshop to proceed, please book before 9am Tuesday January 13 2026
Please be aware that once bookings close, we are unable to offer a refund
If the workshop does not proceed, you will be refunded any cash amount
NERAM events have a limited capacity and use a ticketing system. Bookings are essential
Student contact details may be passed on to facilitators for communication purposes

Artist Talk: Rowen Matthews
2026-01-17 10:30 - 11:30
Join us for an in-conversation between exhibiting artist Rowen Matthews and NERAM Director Rachael Parsons as they discuss Matthews stunning exhibition Water.
Through his luminous and meditative paintings, Rowen Matthews explores the distinctive landscapes of the New England highlands through the elemental theme of water. Focusing on the region’s many dams—iconic features that shape both ecology and imagination—Matthews reflects on how these bodies of water hold memory, sustain life, and mirror shifting skies. His work captures the delicate interplay between environment, identity and belonging, shaped by more than three decades of living and working in Armidale. Water is both an artistic and personal journey, offering a contemplative view of landscape as a site of renewal, reflection and deep connection.

Image: Rowen Matthews, Water (exhibition view), 2025.

Open Clay Days | Summer Holiday Workshop
2026-01-20 14:00 - 2026-01-22 15:15
This is a ‘creator led’ workshop, where kids will learn the basics of hand building clay, and be able to create their very own clay creation to take home. From planning the design and building it with the clay, to painting and finally varnishing it, they will learn everything they need to sculpt their masterpiece!
This is a very fun open play class led by Kate from Three Pees Creative, that not only engages but challenges their skills for a rewarding outcome. Run over three consecutive afternoons with all materials included!
DATES: Three afternoon sessions included, Tuesday 20, Wednesday 21 & Thursday 22 January 2026
TIME: 2.00 – 3.15pm
VENUE: Packsaddle Studio at NERAM
AGES: 6+
COST: General Price $75, FoN/CC member Price $68
Min 8 – Max 14 students
Book before Thursday January 15 to ensure the workshop goes ahead.

Terms and Conditions

All bookings for events, art classes and workshops require payment in full at the time of booking
A minimum number of 8 students required for workshop to proceed, please book before 9am Thursday January 15 2026
Please be aware that once bookings close, we are unable to offer a refund
If the workshop does not proceed, you will be refunded any cash amount
NERAM events have a limited capacity and use a ticketing system. Bookings are essential
Student contact details may be passed on to facilitators for communication purposes

Art in Black Gully | Summer Holiday Workshop
2026-01-21 09:00 - 22:15
Immerse yourself in the landscape of the Black Gully reserve near NERAM these school holidays. Explore the wonderful world of en plein air – painting or drawing in the natural light – to capture the colours, light, shapes and special features found in nature.
Kate from Three Pees Creations will lead kids of all ages in this fun workshop. Materials will be supplied but you are welcome to bring your favourite art materials along if you prefer!
Make sure to wear a hat, bring a water bottle and your curiosity!
DATE: Wednesday 21 January 2026
TIME: 9.00am – 10.15am
VENUE: The Black Gully, outside Packsaddle Studio NERAM
AGES: 6+
COST: General Price $33, FoN/CC member Price $30

Terms and Conditions

All bookings for events, art classes and workshops require payment in full at the time of booking
A minimum number of 8 students required for classes to proceed
Please be aware that once bookings close, we are unable to offer a refund
If the class does not proceed, you will be refunded any cash amount
NERAM events have a limited capacity and use a ticketing system. Bookings are essential
Student contact details may be passed on to facilitators for communication purposes

Closing weekend of How to weather together
2026-01-31 10:30 - 13:00
Saturday 31st January from 10.30am-1pm
MAZDA Gallery
Spend Saturday morning in the gallery reading, discuss and maybe even write some poetry around the topic of weathering. As part of the closing weekend of How to weather together, the curator Jennifer Hamilton is hosting a poetry gathering for poetry readers and writers. The general topic for the gathering is “weathering” broadly understood. Weathering can be literal, very metaphorical or a combination of the two.
Bring a poem or two to read and discuss. You also might want to branch out to think about climate/climate change and environmental crisis. Poems can be from any time in history; authored by yourself or another. Even if the connection to weather/weathering is extremely tangential the poem is welcome. Being able to read the poem and share the connection with the theme in discussion is the purpose.
If we run out of things to talk about we will practice “Close Meteorology” together and generate some found poetry out of our observations.

FREE EVENT
REGISTRATION ESSENTIAL

Workshop: Stitching Signs for Future Living
2026-01-31 14:00 - 16:00
Join artist Rae Haynes at NERAM for a hands-on creative session inspired by their series Signs for Future Living on show as part of the exhibition How To Weather Together. 10 Signs for Future Living draws together 10 feminist protest slogans, interweaving demands for climate, gender and social justice – all fundamental to the state of future living.

In this workshop, you’ll transform threads, fabric scraps and leftover materials through embroidery, cross-stitch and applique techniques into bold Feminist Badges and Banners, complete with text to make your message loud and proud. DIY badges and banners have long been a powerful tool in feminist activism as portable statements of identity, solidarity, and protest. Wear yours as a personal declaration or share it with someone who needs encouragement or empowerment.

No experience is needed and all materials are provided— just bring your curiosity and love for making. Let’s stitch, subvert, and celebrate feminist voices together.

Workshop is free but spaces are limited and bookings essential.
