Arts & Culture

Painting, says John R. Walker, comes from the soul - it's just what he does. But every so often he is treated to a glimpse of how it affects other people, a moment that inspires him to stay the course in a lonely profession. Over the past 30 years, the works of this Braidwood artist have been collected and exhibited...

Bega Valley artists have hit the road to celebrate 25 years of creativity at the Spiral Gallery Co-operative. The 25+ exhibition showcases the works of 57 of the 90 members who have been part of the regional arts co-operative since it was established in January 1997. Now open at the Basil Sellers Exhibition Centre in Moruya, 25+ features works by past...

Wagga Wagga comedian Dane Simpson has lost his voice, but not his sense of humour. "It's not COVID, I swear!" he says through a scratchy throat. "I did 44 gigs in Adelaide and then going to Melbourne and doing 75 gigs was crazy." Though going from a hectic month performing his award-winning show 'Didgeridoozy' at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival to...

Personal tragedy inspired Wiradjuri sisters Rosie Powell and Angela Galluzzo to launch their latest business venture, Prickly Lizard Events. The Narrandera pair had previously operated Kito's Catering with their younger brother, Michael Galluzzo. When Micheal suddenly passed away in 2020, Rosie says the heartbroken sisters resolved to honour his memory with a new venture. "He was a contractor for cultural consultancy...

Do you remember the scratchy feature brick walls? The glasses wrapped in paper and the strip across the toilet? What about the brocade polyester bedspreads or the hutch through which a "Continental" breakfast magically appeared, more or less when you'd ordered it? In the optimistic postwar period when everything shiny and bright came from California, motels with names like the...

Kate Boesen had been working at the National Library of Australia for almost 20 years when the call came for skilled knitters to participate in a new project. The Library trove contained stacks of vintage magazines from the early 20th century – back when knitters had their pick of patterns published regularly in magazines and newspapers. The publication team had decided...

Wagga Wagga Showground has set the stage for a weekend of bibliophile heaven in the Riverina. Booklovers and collectors can leaf through more than 40,000 titles for sale at the annual Wagga Rotary Book Fair. "After we took over the book fair from Lifeline, we got bigger and bigger and moved here (showground)," organiser Graham Russell said. "We are proud of...

Elizabeth Doherty describes the moment she came face to face with a wild cassowary while on her honeymoon in Cairns as "a moment of joy mixed with a slight bit of terror". The Wiradjuri artist has captured the encounter in the signature painting of her first exhibition My Secret Garden, showing at the Curious Rabbit Cafe in Wagga Wagga through May....

Steel from Batemans Bay’s iconic old bridge has been given a new lease on life as part of the changing face of the NSW South Coast town. Artist Joel Adler has salvaged and repurposed about five tonnes of the bridge steel to create a two-storey high sculpture, which was lifted into place this month. It is the latest part of...

Hannah-Grace Spreitzer's pure, gentle voice casts a spell across the room. Alone on stage with her guitar in the small community hall, the folk singer-songwriter weaves a lyrical tapestry of stories and reflections that bring a tear to the eye of more than one in the audience. Around 40 people have gathered at the North Wagga Community Hall to enjoy...

Renowned Melbourne-based street, silo and water tower artist Heesco Khosnaran will return to Harden-Murrumburrah later this year to continue his work on the Murrumburrah Flour Mill. The artist told Region Media he is looking forward to catching up with the South West Slopes locals in a town that felt like home for the six weeks he visited and painted last year....

The main street of Yass is undergoing something of a rural renaissance with the first stage of the historic Commercial Hotel restoration underway and plans afoot to bring the town's Liberty Theatre back to centre stage. The recent removal of the Commercial Hotel's derelict verandah has given a new face to the old pub which locals and visitors had been...

From weatherworn infrastructure to eye-popping art, a pair of wastewater pump stations in Wagga have been given a creative overhaul over the school holidays. The Simmons Street park mural celebrates local animals, plants and activities, while the second pump station near the skate park off Bolton Park features a more urban ‘Mosaic of Selfies’. "Both of those pump station sites...

Four days of celebration will launch the highly-anticipated Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail in May, comprising more than 20 sculptures in and around Adelong, Batlow, Tumbarumba, Tooma and Tumbarumba. The significant artworks were created by Australian and international artists, some of whom will stay in the Snowy Valleys for the official public opening from 5 to 8 May. Funded by the...

When young Yass Valley musicians play their hearts out for a chance at fame this Saturday (23 April), Max McGrath hopes it will change some lives -  including his. The Murrumbateman musician, 20, is one of the minds behind Howl at the Moon, a live music event at Yass' Thyme to Taste. The hybrid deli, bottleshop and cafe on the main street...

Up to $12,000 in prizes are up for grabs in Queanbeyan next month as the annual art awards return. Every year since 2008, council has called on artists from Queanbeyan, Braidwood, Bungendore and everywhere in between to pick up their paint brushes or carving tools and take part. Not only does the major prize winner pocket $5000 in cash, the...