Gunning's newest gallery makes splash and casts net for artists

The gallery, opened in the restored Gunning railway station in October, 2023, has already hosted the town's arts festival, exhibitions, live puppeteers and workshops.

Southern Tablelands Arts (STA) has licensed the restored Gunning Station main building from the NSW Transport Asset Holding Entity and transformed it into a tourist destination and hub for the region's artist.

Now the call is out for artists and creatives to exhibit or run workshops at Connect@Gunnning Station.

STA chief executive Rose Marin said the call for expressions of interest was aimed at bringing "as much activity as possible" to the gallery.

"We are really looking to develop more and have a stake in the ground for seasonal exhibitions but have capacity to be a venue for other funded projects," she said.

A $100,000 Stronger Country Communities grant is enabling the gallery to award several exhibitions free of charge in 2024 and 2025 from submitted proposals.

STA is extending the opportunity to all artists, at any stage of their career, working in any media and community based cultural organisations. They must be STA members or be eligible for membership and come from one of the seven council areas covered by the organisation.

The successful exhibitions or workshops will be held on two consecutive weekends roughly aligned into seasonal allocations. There are four exhibition periods a year, with up to three per period.

Ms Marin said successful submitters might also be eligible for financial support for curatorial development and installation costs.

Community creative workshops can be proposed as part of a public program in support of an exhibition or as a stand-alone activity. Workshop facilitators will need to hold PL insurance and have an ABN.

Connect@Gunning has three dedicated gallery spaces for exhibitions and workshops with an additional dedicated area for meetings and workshops. Proposals can be for one or more of the spaces.

More information on the offer and details of the galleries can be found on the STA website https://www.southerntablelandsarts.com.au/connect-eoi/

Meantime, Ms Marin said artist Jodie Munday's weaving circles over two January weekends had proved popular. In March, the gallery will host the exhibition 'Fibre to Garment,' which also includes workshops in spinning and carding.

"The funding has been an extraordinary boon," she said.

"We are aiming to professionally develop our sector because arts and culture is a massive contributor to gross GDP in Australia but a lot of people also want to develop (their craft).

"This is about treating artists as the professionals they are and it's wonderful to be in a position to support them."