The New England Regional Art Museum is set for one of its busiest months of the year, with three distinct events lined up across July that promise to draw in seasoned gallery-goers and first-timers alike.
Kicking things off is the Winter Thrift, a free community market held in the NERAM courtyard on Saturday, 11 July from 10 am to 1 pm. Think secondhand clothing, handmade accessories, homewares, and art prints, all sold by NERAM staff and members in a relaxed, social atmosphere.
Communications Officer Kate Fardell said the event grew out of a desire to breathe new life into the gallery’s Culture Club, a membership group for people who want to be part of the local art scene.
“We’d been looking for a way to revitalise our NERAM Culture Club,” said Ms Fardell. “When we had a couple of fabulous fashion-forward exhibitions organised for July, we thought it’d be a great time to run a free community event that would be attractive to a different crowd and help people connect with each other and with the museum in a fun, casual way.”
Around 10 small stalls will be set up for the occasion, with all stallholders drawn from past Culture Club members and current NERAM staff. Ms Fardell said free entry was a deliberate choice, and one that comes with a longer-term goal in mind.
“We love to give back to our community as much as we can,” she said. “It’s also a great way to start talking to people about NERAM’s Culture Club, what it used to be and what they’d like to see it become, and to see who’s keen to be involved once we get the club back into gear.”
Ms Fardell said the event had been kept intentionally modest for its first outing, which also makes it easy to adapt if the weather does not cooperate.
“We’ve organised the Winter Thrift to be quite modest in size as it’s the first time we’ve run something like this at NERAM,” she said. “If the weather does turn, we can easily relocate to the foyer, which is just inside through the Museum Shop.”
A week later, the focus shifts to young artists from across the region, with the opening of the annual UNESAP Let’s Hang It! exhibition on Friday, 24 July from 5pm. This year’s event is one of the largest in the prize’s history, with 60 finalists selected from more than 700 entries representing 43 schools across regional NSW.
NERAM Director Rachael Parsons said the numbers reflected genuine momentum in the region’s arts community.
“This is one of our highest years of participation yet, which shows the growing popularity and awareness of UNESAP, as well as the level of engagement that young people have in the arts at the moment,” said Ms Parsons.
The awards presentation begins promptly at 5.30pm, and Ms Parsons encouraged families to attend rather than wait for a quieter visit later in the exhibition run.
“The evening is such a huge celebration of the students and their creativity,” she said. “It’s so wonderful to see the joy on the young artists’ faces when they see their work in the gallery and when their name gets called out to collect their certificates and prizes.”
Ms Parsons said the prize carried real meaning for students in towns far from major cultural centres.
“UNESAP acknowledges the creative talent that exists in regional NSW and provides a moment to shine a light on those young artists who are working away in regional and remote towns,” she said. “It also highlights the importance of offering arts education across the state.”
The four winning works will be acquired into the University of New England’s art collection. All other exhibited works will be returned to the students after the exhibition closes.
Rounding out the month is what promises to be NERAM’s most glamorous evening of the year. NERAM Nights: Speakeasy takes place on Saturday, 25 July from 6pm to 9pm, inviting guests to dress up in 1920s-inspired attire for an evening of live jazz, drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and a handbag auction.
Ms Parsons said the 1920s theme was a natural fit given the gallery’s permanent collection.
“The Howard Hinton collection covers work from the early 20th century, including the 1920s, and we love to connect to the artworks in our collection in a fun and different way,” she said.
The event ties directly to Pochettes en Fête, a special fundraising exhibition built around a collection of vintage handbags donated by Janet White in memory of her mother, Jane Vallance White.
“It was a surprising and unique offer, and we were so taken with the collection that we built an exhibition and event around it,” said Ms Parsons.
A silent auction for handbags from the collection is currently open online at https://www.32auctions.com/neramsilentauction, with bidding closing at 7.30pm on the night. Ms Parsons said five of the rarest and most valuable pieces had been held back for a live auction from 8 pm, meaning those with their eye on a particular bag will need to be in the room.
Local jazz duo OhMaSoul will provide the music on the night. Ms Parsons said the live performance was central to the atmosphere the gallery was aiming to create.
“We’re hoping to create an authentic 1920s speakeasy vibe for the event, so of course live jazz music is a key part of that,” she said. “We encourage everyone to dress up, enjoy a cocktail and bop along to the tunes.”
Tickets are $63 for general admission and $57 for NERAM members, and include a drink on arrival and entry into a lucky door prize. All proceeds from ticket sales and the auctions will go towards supporting exhibitions and public programs at NERAM.
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