Central Belonging Art Award And Exhibition Launches

IMAGE: Linda Chant, tethering (after Bacchus and Ariadne by Titian) (detail), 2024 pencil and paint on Fabriano paper.

Cowra Regional Art Gallery has launched its inaugural Central Belonging Art Award and Exibition with an event on Friday 9 May.

Central Belonging is an art prize exhibition that represents the rich diversity of the artistic communities around and within the Central West region of New South Wales. It showcases established and emerging artists that are local to Cowra Shire and the surrounding areas of Bathurst, Blayney, Cabonne, Cowra, Forbes, Hilltops, Lachlan, Lithgow, Oberon, Orange, Parkes, Upper Lachlan and Weddin.

The exhibition is an opportunity to explore the passions, imagination and inspiration of the Central West creatives. It presents a range of disciplines and media, including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and printmaking.

The exhibition is supported by the Cowra Regional Art Gallery

Advisory Committee. Artworks in the exhibition are for sale and the public can vote for a favourite work. The artist behind the winning artwork will be awarded $1,000 from a private donor.

Funded by the Art Gallery Trust, the winner of the People’s Choice Award will receive $500.

Central Belonging celebrates what it means to be part of the vibrant ‘Cowra and beyond’ artistic cohort.

The exhibition will be on at the Gallery until 1 June 2025.

Meanwhile, the Gallery is calling out for entries for this year’s Calleen Art award.

The Calleen Art Award is an annual acquisitive painting prize and exhibition.

It presents the best of contemporary Australian painting in any style, theme or subject.

The Award was established in 1977 as an acquisitive art prize by Mrs Patricia Fagan OAM to encourage originality, creativity and excellence in the visual arts, and is made possible by the generous support of the Calleen Trust.

The Calleen Art Award 2025 is open to artists across Australia and this year’s award prize is $30,000. The winning artwork will join the Calleen Collection at Cowra Regional Art Gallery.

Entries close on 6 July 2025. To enter complete the entry form available at https://www.cowraartgallery.com.au/Calleen-Art-Award/Calleen-Art-Award-2025/Calleen-Art-Award-2025-Entry-Form