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Awabakal | Research | Practice

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What better place to celebrate creativity than @newcastleartgalleryaustralia?

Our recent Hunter alumni event brought together an inspiring panel of creative alumni, including @thatamylovat, @grant.cartwright, @braddonsnape and Shellie Smith @awabagirl, to share their experiences, perspectives and hopes for the future of the arts in Newcastle.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating our talented alumni who boldly pursue a creative life, and a special thanks to @terence.koo for the surprise performance 💙

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Installation view and documentation @izabelapluta__studio 𝘊𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 - international co-commission @thelockupartspace and @trafo_szczecin , Szczecin, Poland - and public art installation 𝘊𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘖𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯, @newannual

25 Sept - 31 Jan 2027 - open now 𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ

Momentous project and effort on all accounts, huge thank you’s to everyone who helped create a space that must be experienced to be understood - congratulations Izabela, Alex, Kar Mun, Neal and team x

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What a joy it has been to watch Jasmine (@jasminechristieart) and Ngaire (@ngaire_pakai) develop their practice whilst sharing the First Nations residency studio over the last 12 months. The evidence is in the remarkable work they have presented in the culminating exhibition 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘞𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯 we opened on Saturday night. Expertly curated, the exhibition includes a stellar lineup of First Nations artists: Nicole Monks, Lizzy Stageman, Val Smith, Renae Lamb, Toby Cedar, Zakari O’Donnell, Jeremy Coward, Gav Kelly, and Tahlia Riley, celebrating both NAIDOC Week and the end of their residency—and what a most beautiful evening it was, beginning with such a thoughtful smoking ceremony by Gavin Kelly.

We also announced Shellie Smith (@awabagirl) as the 2026-2027 First Nations Artist Residency recipient! We’re so excited to welcome Shellie to TCI and support the next chapter of her practice.

Thank you to everyone who came along!
A special thank you to Nicole (@nicole_monks) for her support throughout the year as a mentor to Jasmine and Ngaire ♥︎

This program is made possible through the generous support of private patrons who wish to remain anonymous. We acknowledge their deep commitment to empowering First Nations artists and supporting cultural expression and excellence.

+ thanks @bridiewattartmaking_ for these photos!

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🗣️ PANEL DISCUSSION | Collaborative Futures

When machines learn from us, create with us, and sometimes replace us, what does human collaboration look like now? And what kinds of cultural futures do we actually want to build?

Join us for Collaborative Futures, a human panel conversation exploring collective practice and ways of working together across communities, disciplines and differences.

Panel members: @alysha_fewster @sarahbreenlovett @adam_d_manning_ @_april.p_ @awabagirl @m.zournazi

Supported by University Galleries

🗓️ Friday 1 May
🍷 Bar open from 5.30pm
📍 The Lock‑Up
🎟️ Free | Bookings Essential

⏳ Last chance alert: We’re one week out from closing for the installation of our next exhibition season. This is your final opportunity to experience 'A soft space to stand' before it comes down.

👉 Book your spot now - link in bio

📸: Exhibition view, 'A soft space to stand', featuring Alysha Fewster, 'Doing the Washing – A Ritual', 2025, The Lock-Up, Muloobinba/Newcastle, 13 December 2025 to 3 May 2026. Courtesy the artist. Photography by Wanagi Zable-Andrews.

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It’s the final days of the MAC yapang Art Prize.
𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟯𝗽𝗺 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟳 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿.
A huge shout-out to the incredible artists who made it all possible.
Here are just a few of them 🫶

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What an amazing six months it has been—

This time last year I had a premonition that the year that is would, first—be an upward hill; and second—all be worth it.

I am so proud of myself for where I have landed and how far I have come—finally recognising I am worthy of where I have landed.

The past six months have been a Whole New World—

I am grateful; more-than-content enjoying my current-days; and patiently awaiting whatever my future might bring and carry, with joy and great anticipation.

Allow yourself to be proud of yourself—

Love Grace, ♡ xx

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At the entrance to Newcastle Art Gallery, a striking six-metre-wide suspended fish sculpture, ‘Watawan’ now welcomes visitors. The work features 30 aluminium fish arranged in a spiralling school, visible from both the ground floor and the first-floor corridor. Inspired by traditional weaving techniques from artist @awabagirl Shellie Smiths’s cultural heritage, the sculpture represents a school of woven mullet cast in aluminium, suspended in a way that suggests movement through water. Partridge worked closely with the artist and fabricator Julie Squires to engineer solutions that both protect the integrity of the gallery space and preserve the dynamic, flowing form of the work. The suspended system was carefully designed to securely anchor the sculpture while allowing it to appear as though it moves effortlessly in air. This project highlights how structural engineering can sit quietly behind the scenes, supporting culturally important installations and enabling artists’ visions to interact safely and powerfully in public spaces.

Read more on our website at link in bio.

#NewcastleArtGallery #StructuralEngineering #PartridgeEngineers #FirstNationsArt #ShellieSmith #PublicArt #GalleryExpansion #ArtInstallation #EngineeringDesign #ContemporaryArt #AnotherPartridgeProject

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What’s Happening at Hunter Writers' Centre?

📚 Books at the Bowlo
Books at the Bowlo is the place for bookish friends and book clubs to meet and mingle, catch up on their monthly reading over a meal, as well as meet local writer. October's book of the month is 'An Onslaught of Light' by Natasha Rai.

✍ Learn to Write Good with Dominic Hoey
A program established in 2015, Dominic has been crafted this workshop around accessibility and is designed to help writers at all levels.

🎤 Author Talk: 1985 by Dominic Hoey
Award winning New-Zealand poet, novelist and youth advocate, Dominic Hoey, joins Trisha Pender in conversation to launch his latest work, '1985', an electric coming-of-age adventure set in pre-gentrification Auckland.

🎨 Special Event: Art & Story in Urgent Times
Shellie Smith, Awabakal artist and curator, joins novelists Dominic Hoey (1985, Penguin) and Natalia Figueroa Barroso (Hailstones Fell without Rain, UQP) in conversation with Trisha Pender. Together they explore how truth-telling through art and story confronts the urgencies of our time. In association with The Lock-Up.

🫂 Lament: A Community Gathering
We invite you to join us on Wednesday 29 October for Lament, a gathering to honour and share stories of grief and loss. Presented in collaboration with Newcastle Memorial Park with the support of our principal partner, National Association of Loss and Grief NSW (NALAG NSW).

Check out all the upcoming events and workshops via the link in bio

#HunterWritersCentre #WhatsOn #NewcastleNSW #AuthorTalks #Workshops What's on: October 2025. Hunter Writers' Centre. Overview.

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There are some amazing events coming up this month around Writing For Social Change. Stay tuned for more information and check out the links in our bio to register!! See you there 🤗

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How do artists, writers and storytellers help us understand the multiple catastrophes we are living through?

Join Shellie Smith, Dominic Hoey and Natalia Figueroa Barroso in conversation with Trisha Pender to explore how art and story confront the urgency of our times.

Presented with The Lock-Up.

Thursday 23 October
6 pm – 8 pm
The Lock-Up, Newcastle
Free event. Registrations essential (link in bio)

#HunterWritersCentre #TheLockUp #Art #Story #Storytelling #NewcastleNSW #NewcastleAustralia #InConversation

@ms_figueroa_barroso
@trashpandery
@dominichoey
@awabagirl Art and Story in Urgent Times.

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Mullets and Matriarchy artist talk ~ 28 September 2025

We were honoured to be joined by First Nations artists Renae Lamb and Shellie Smith for a special in-conversation event on Sunday 28 September, hosted by writer and curator Shanysa McConville.

Together they shared insights into their newly commissioned works for Newcastle Art Gallery, the creative journeys that brought them to life and the cultural significance woven into their work.

📷Photos by @angemaloney_photographer

@awabagirl @midnightdreamingaustralia @citynewcastle.au @newannual @visitnewcastleaus

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In the safe waters at dawn, you hold so many stories of your people. THANKYOU for sharing them and allowing me to capture you. @awabagirl

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