New England Regional Art Museum

Opening Night
2026-05-01 18:00 - 20:00 (Australia/Sydney)
Join us for the opening night of two exciting new exhibitions – Habitat: Christine James & A Journey in Miniature.
Habitat
Christine James’ works in Habitat look at aspects of the upland wetland and Ramsar Listed reserve, Little Llangothlin, on Banbai Country. They form a continuance of the concerns outlined in her previous works about other Australian wetlands and their catchments and explore in paint Australia’s rapidly disappearing biodiversity.

A Journey in Miniature
This new exhibition from the Australian Society of Miniature Art will open a window into the world of contemporary miniature art.
While miniature artworks convey all the beauty and power of a larger work, they possess the added advantage of being a particularly personal object that draws the viewer in close, creating a greater sense of intimacy with the work.
Miniature artworks can be no more than 40cm perimeter and the subject matter must also be miniaturised, with the technique in keeping with the spirit of miniaturisation.

Opening Date: Fri 1st May 2026
Time: 6pm
Location: New England Regional Art Museum
Cost: FREE

Image credit: A Journey in Miniature: Australian Society of Miniature Art, 2026

Artist Talk: Australian Society of Miniature Art
2026-05-02 10:30 - 11:30
Join us for an insightful artist talk with members of the Australian Society of Miniature Art, whose works feature in A Journey in Miniature exhibition at NERAM.
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear directly from the artists and gain deeper insight into the world of small-scale art.
Saturday 2 May 10.30am

Sunday Afternoon Concert
2026-05-10 16:30 - 18:30
Wind up the weekend and wind down with classical music in the calm of the Hinton Collection.
Featuring Keith Power (piano piano); James Chen (violin); Caleb Murray (‘cello). Music by Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, and the wonderful Piano Trio no2 of Franz Schubert.
This is the second in a series of classical concerts being held in the Hinton Gallery and is set to be an afternoon of culture, classical music, and community.
Drinks will be available by donation.
DATE: Sunday 10th May
TIME: 4.30pm – 6.30pm
PRICE: General: $45 | Concession: $40

Opening Night
2026-05-29 18:00 - 20:00
Join us at the New England Regional Art Museum for the opening night of two new exhibitions: The Neighbour at the Gate and Pochettes en Fête.

The Neighbour at the Gate
The Neighbour at the Gate is a major group exhibition presented by National Art School and guest curated by Clothilde Bullen, alongside Micheal Do and Zali Morgan. The exhibition brings together newly commissioned artworks that examine the enduring impact of Australian immigration policies and colonial histories on First Nations and Asian Australian communities.
Across photography, installation, moving image and mixed media, the exhibition explores themes of exclusion, identity, resistance and belonging, tracing the complex intersections between personal memory and national narratives. Through diverse artistic perspectives, The Neighbour at the Gate reveals the ongoing ways colonial systems continue to shape relationships, borders and experiences within contemporary Australia.

Pochettes en Fête
Pochettes en Fête celebrates the elegance, glamour and enduring allure of the vintage handbag. Bringing together a selection of beautifully crafted pochettes, clutches and evening bags alongside contemporary artworks, the exhibition explores fashion accessories not simply as objects of style, but as carriers of memory, identity and cultural history. From intricate beadwork and luxurious textiles to sculptural forms and exquisite detailing, these vintage and contemporary pieces speak to changing fashions, social rituals and the artistry of adornment across decades.
Presented as a special fundraising exhibition in support of New England Regional Art Museum, Pochettes en Fête invites visitors to experience a playful and sophisticated dialogue between fashion, art and collecting. The vintage handbag collection of Jane Vallance White, generously donated by her daughter Janet White to raise funds for the gallery, forms the heart of the exhibition.

Event Information
Date: Friday 29th May
Time: 6pm – 8pm
Location: New England Regional Art Museum
Cost: FREE

Credit: Jenna Mayilema Lee, Portal to the Bangarr (billabong) (studio test), 2025. Image courtesy and © the artist.

Artist Talk: Amera Ali & Suad Smo
2026-06-12 17:30 - 18:00
Join us for a powerful artist talk with Amera Ali and Suad Smo about their new exhibition, Drawn from Pain, Written from Truth.
Drawn From Pain, Written from Truth brings together the powerful testimonies of Amera Ali and Suad Smo in an exhibition that speaks to survival, memory and resilience. Captured by ISIS as young girls during the Yezidi genocide, both artists draw on lived experience to share deeply personal accounts of displacement, violence and endurance.
Through text, Amera Ali reflects on trauma, survival and the difficult process of rebuilding a life after unimaginable loss, while Suad Smo’s artworks give visual form to grief, cultural memory and resilience. Together, their practices become acts of witness and resistance, ensuring stories too often silenced are seen and heard.
Note: Amera will be attending the talk in person, while Suad will be appearing via Zoom from Iraq.
Drawn from pain, Written from Truth is proudly supported by Armidale Sanctuary Humanitarian Settlement

⚠️Please note, this exhibition and artist talk will depict and reflect on topics of genocide, assault, and tremendous loss. If these topics could cause you significant distress, please consider talking with our staff to get more information on what is depicted in the works before viewing.
Image credit: Suad Smo, Untitled (detail), 2026. Acrylic on canvas.
For tickets and more information on the opening night event following this talk, please visit our Opening Night event page.

Opening Night
2026-06-12 18:00 - 20:00
Join us at the New England Regional Art Museum for the opening night of two new exhibitions: DistoMorph and Drawn From Pain, Written from Truth.

DistoMorph: Svenja
DistoMorph is an immersive exploration of colour, texture and transformation inspired by the intricate forms of the natural world. Drawing from photographic observations of organic details magnified to a macro scale, the exhibition reimagines nature through vivid distortions and abstracted forms that feel both familiar and otherworldly. Through richly embellished textile works and sculptural forms, pattern, shape and colour expand beyond their original boundaries, creating kaleidoscopic compositions that celebrate beauty, growth and sensory abundance.

Drawn From Pain, Written from Truth: Amera Ali and Suad Smo
Drawn From Pain, Written from Truth brings together the powerful testimonies of Amera Ali and Suad Smo in an exhibition that speaks to survival, memory and resilience. Captured by ISIS as young girls during the Yezidi genocide, both artists draw on lived experience to share deeply personal accounts of displacement, violence and endurance. Through text, Amera Ali reflects on trauma, survival and the difficult process of rebuilding a life after unimaginable loss, while Suad Smo’s artworks give visual form to grief, cultural memory and resilience. Together, their practices become acts of witness and resistance, ensuring stories too often silenced are seen and heard.

Exhibition proudly supported by Armidale Sanctuary Humanitarian Settlement

Event Information
Date: Friday 12th June
Time: 6pm – 8pmArtist Talk with Amera Ali and Suad Smo: 5.30pm
Location: New England Regional Art Museum
Cost: FREE

Credit: Svenja, Expiration, 2023. Felt, wire, fibre-reactive dyes. Needle and wet-felted

UNESAP Let's Hang It! Opening Night
2026-07-24 17:00 - 18:30
Please join us for the opening of the annual UNESAP Let’s Hang It! exhibition.
Discover the talents and artwork of school students from across Northern NSW who have entered into the University of New England Schools Acquisitive Art Prize (UNESAP) and have been selected to be shown in the Let’s Hang It! exhibition.
In 2026, there are 60 finalists selected from more than 700 student entries representing 43 schools in regional NSW.
UNESAP is an annual event which provides New England/North West students, from Kindergarten to Year 12, the opportunity to take part in a large art prize, be part of the wider creative community and to have their work professionally hung in an art museum.

Exhibition opening from 5.00pm Friday 24 July, awards presentation will begin promptly at 5.30pm.
