Just because campus is closed for a little while doesn't mean you can't discover Sydney's Art & Design Community! Here's a hot A list of Sydney's Artist Run Initiatives, commercial galleries, design studios, institutions, festivals and parties
Since 1998, Kudos has been home to some of Sydney's most innovative and dynamic artists, designers, curators and writers, creating a bridge between students at UNSW Art & Design and the broader arts community
AD Space is where UNSW Art & Design students create ambitious new work and is Arc @ UNSW Art & Designs on campus Gallery. AD Space is operated by UNSW Art & Design students and staff. Managed by Arc @ UNSW limited in partnership with UNSW Art & Design fac
Kudos Online is a digital program which mentors students to develop and execute a digital arts project.
Three Foot Square is the campus’ most intimate and most accessible exhibition space that continues Sydney’s tradition of “hole-in-the-wall” galleries. It is located outside Gate 1 and is illuminated at night, presenting art to the public 24/7.
Studio One is an intimate black box theatre seating up to 58 people. As well as a teaching space, student groups fill the calendar with a range of performances, comedy evenings, installation works and screenings.
The Mural Project is your opportunity to put a stamp on the UNSW Art & Design campus! In collaboration with UNSW Art & Design, sponsored by The Art Scene on campus, Arc is providing you with the opportunity to create a public artwork to bring our campus t
UNSW Galleries is UNSW's professional art institution. It brings together the work of leading Australian and international practitioners, curators and writers working in contemporary art and design
UNSW Library collaborates with a diverse range of partners across the University and broader community. This program creates a space for discourse in the Library and provides a venue for the Library to showcase and support the kinds of research outputs th
The space within Io Myers Studio was designed to allow for the creative mind to explore and execute works of every type. A fully flexible space, the Studio hosts a wide range of activities, from students working on their first productions to Australia's p
ARI's (Artist Run Initiatives) are developed, organised and operated primarily by artists. There are many different structures for ARI's, eg: not-for-profit organisations. Many ARIs take the form of more traditional exhibition/gallery spaces, while others look to expanded notions of what an ARI can be in different contexts eg: projects that take place in domestic settings.
A repurposed car garage in Redfern that is now a multipurpose creative hub. Focused on providing affordable and flexible facilities, 107 Redfern Street supports exhibition/performance spaces, studios, workshop, event/co-working spaces, & rooftop garden.
AIRspace Projects is a not-for-profit artist-run initiative in Marrickville, Sydney, with a focus on cross-cultural, inter-generational and cross-disciplinary practice. AIRspace is dedicated to exhibition and curatorial ideas from artist at all levels.
is an artist-run initiative formed in 2010 to support experimental contemporary art by providing rental space for projects, exhibitions, events and performance.
Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative's primary goal is to promote Aboriginal Artists whose language groups exist within the NSW state boundaries.
Existing in the wake of Wellington Street Projects, Canteen is a Sydney-based, artist-run initiative established in 2019. It is an exhibition space primarily concerned with showing emerging and experimental art in a centrally located area.
Cement Fondu is an evolving arts space located in Paddington. They present a diverse year-round program of visual arts exhibitions featuring performance, dance and music by local and international artists.
Since 2006 Factory 49 has provided a greatly-valued platform for experimentation and exposure for artists whose practice is materials-based or process-driven, or whose work sits in the reductive, concrete and non-objective traditions.
Firstdraft is Australia’s longest running artist-led organisation. Our sustainable model of governance allows us to champion risk and encourage ambition in a professional gallery context.
A Not-Only-Artist Run Initiative. A pro-active, multi-purpose space where the local arts loving community come together for practical skills-sharing, critical research and survival tips.
Gaffa is a multi levelled Creative Precinct located in the heart of Sydney's CBD next to Town Hall Station: Shops, Gallery, Studios and Jewellery workshop.
Goodspace is a rent and commission free space hosting weekly exhibitions from local and international artists curated by Chris Loutfy and Kim Phan with support from The Lord Gladstone in Chippendale, Sydney.
A non-profit artist co-operative and gallery with over 90 shareholders
LPB Based in Sydney, France and Italy, the collective organize regularly exhibition, projection, art shows, movie premiere and private events. Each event is respecting the values and causes that LPB defends: Ecology, Art and Sharing.
Pari is a new artist-run initiative in Parramatta. Pari is for bringing art and ideas to Western Sydney audiences, and bringing audiences from elsewhere to experience art in Parramatta.
The Red Rattler is a queer-run creative playground that is ethical, sustainable and community owned. the Rat is the realisation of a collective dream of five local queer artists who wanted to create a legal warehouse to showcase alternative Sydney arts.
In 2020 SNO is trialing a new structure where for the first half of the year we only run external projects in a variety of venues and then from July to December run the exhibition program in the SNO galleries in the Sydney inner suburb of Rosebery.
Verge Gallery at the University of Sydney (USyd) is a public art space dedicated to the presentation of Contemporary art practice. Verge Gallery’s key focus is to present interdisciplinary exhibitions from leading and emerging arts practitioners.
Founded in 2015, Vermilion Art is the first independent bilingual gallery of more than 500 galleries in Australia focusing on Chinese contemporary art. Vermilion Art serves as a bridge to introduce outstanding Chinese artists and their works to Australia
UTS ART aims to integrate creative practice into daily life on campus. Our annual exhibition and collection programs are complemented by curated public events, learning programs and publications.
Commercial Galleries are galleries that typically represent a roster of artists who they provide services and representation for. While a commercial gallery's prime function is selling artist's work, so that the practitioner and the gallery can both earn a living through artwork sales, commercial galleries usually include other services such as. These can include commissions, exhibitions, representation at art fairs, cultivating collectors and clients for ongoing sales and marketing of their artists to name a few.
aMBUSH Gallery is much more than a physical exhibition space. It’s an innovative program of site-specific, project-based art activations stemming from a unique fusion of philanthropic and commercial impulses.
For more than 13 years Artereal has been known for showcasing the work of rare, expansive, and illuminating artists at the cutting edge of contemporary art practice.
A gallery exhibition space in William Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney. Large open space with high ceilings, located on street level with double windows to the street. Flexible space easily adapted for group, solo shows or easily divided into two distinct gal
Located in the heart of Double Bay, Sydney, Art2Muse Gallery attracts locals, designers, national and international art lovers who can also view and purchase artworks online.
Art Pharmacy is a hand-curated online gallery supporting some of Australia’s best up and coming artists. We aren’t just about selling artworks, but are here to promote Australian art and design.
ArtSHINE Galleries is an online portal dedicated to emerging and established artists. ArtSHINE works to identify a range of complimentary spaces suitable for artists and Creative Industries Professionals to show and sell their works.
Artsite is an Independent Australian Contemporary Art Gallery located in the Camperdown Arts Precinct of the City of Sydney and Inner West Councils. Artsite is dedicated to promoting exemplary local and Australian artist practices.
Defiance Gallery represents a varied stable of artists from established Australian and international painters and sculptors to talented newcomers in these fields. Defiance represents the estates of several of Australia’s most influential artists.
Galerie Pompom is the baby of partners Ron Adams (a painter) and George Adams. Galerie Pompom's stable of artists runs on the young side and spans sound, video and installation, as well as painting.
Gallery 9 presents a dynamic program of exhibitions by its represented and associated artists. The gallery’s program is unique for its placement of exhibitions by established artists alongside exhibitions by emerging and non-represented artists.
Jerico Contemporary is a contemporary art gallery based in Woolloomooloo. Jerico focus on pairing emerging artists with emerging collectors, Jerico Contemporary cultivates enriching experiences and meaningful relationships through their annual gallery pro
King Street Gallery represent some of Australia's most established prominent artists and provide expert advice in all areas of purchasing, conserving and collection management.
Centrally located on Elizabeth St, Surry Hills, and just minutes from Central Station railway transport m2 gallery creates opportunity for a host of functions and events in a highly visible and accessible environment.
PIERMARQ* is a Sydney contemporary art gallery that connects audiences with contemporary art around. PIERMARQ* provides a hub wherein Australian artists are showcased alongside international talent, reflecting the cross-boarder collecting activity in tod
Rochfort Gallery is an exhibition hall is an exhibition hall who's primary philosophy is to promote Australian artists, both emerging and established.
Saint Cloche is a dynamic gallery with diverse and high-calibre exhibitions changing fortnightly and is at the epicentre of a growing community of like-minded creatives, promoting art, culture and contemporary thinking.
Sheffer Gallery is an exhibition space available for hire for exhibitions, events and performances. Located at 38 Lander Street Darlington, near central Sydney.
Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation is a philanthropic enterprise dedicated to providing an innovative forum for contemporary art and presenting work by internationally renowned visual practitioners primarily from Australia, the Asia-Pacific region and th
SOHO Galleries encourages all aspects of creativity in the art world through promotion, exhibition, and placement. Opportunities abound in what is now an ever-shrinking planet, through improved transport services, tourism, and more particularly communicat
Stanley Street Gallery is a vibrant and exciting gallery in the heart of Sydney's Darlinghurst art precinct. With a focus on Australian artists, we also exhibit the work of overseas artists.
Located in Elizabeth St Zetland Sydney, Sullivan and Strumpf Fine Art exhibits and represents both emerging and recognised contemporary artists
In three decades TAP has become Sydney’s best-known un-curated visual arts space. In that time we’ve helped a diverse spectrum of artists showcase their works, with notable Australian talent.
Thienny Lee Gallery offers a range of innovative contemporary art including contemporary Asian Art.
An artist studio, design studio or workshop is a work space for artists and designers to conceive, design and develop new work. Design studios and workshops have many different organisational structures, business models and ways to use them. Typically they provide access to specialist equipment for a dedicated field (or more than one) of making. Facilities and resources incorporate PPE (Personal protective equipment), furniture, specialist equipment (eg: a textiles studio may have industrial sewing machines, or a 3D fabrication studio may have 3D printers) private working space or co-working space, computers, equipment and facility stores. Some will offer desk space while others will offer rooms. Access to studios vary depending on the type of studio or workshop. Many offer subscription services ie: a monthly fee for access to the space; lease of the space for an extended period of time; or one off access fees for use of their facilities and space for a nominated amount of time.
a supervised workspace, studio and shop front, set up for people interested in sewing and screen printing.
A unique space for making and learning all things jewellery
Kil.N.It provide studios, workshop space, firings and classes to those with an explorative attitude to ceramics. The studio has emerged in response to the increasing popularity of ceramics as an artistic medium and creative practice.
La Crème Creative Inc. is a place where good things happen. Situated on the Northern Beaches, this Not-For-Profit creative space and initiative aims at nurturing innovation, collaboration and productivity in a central shared working environment.
Pine Street Creative Arts operates out of 2 locations with dedicated, fully equipped facilities at the Chippendale facility. Including; Ceramics studio, print making studio, and silver jewellery studio.
Institutions are the museums, galleries and private collections at, state, national and international levels that are considered authorities on contemporary art and design. Broadly, institutions are government funded or privately owned, a combination of the two, or belong to the public. Many institutions today began as ARI's and many are also not for profit organisations.
4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art (4A) is an independent not-for-profit organisation based in Sydney. 4A’s activities facilitate cultural dialogue between Australia and Asia in the belief that Asian cultural thinking significantly shapes the world toda
Artbank’s two core objectives are to provide direct support to Australian contemporary artists through the acquisition of their work and to promote the value of Australian contemporary art to the broader public. Artbank funds its operations through the le
AGNSW aims to be a place of experience and inspiration, through our collection, exhibitions, programs and research. Admission to the Gallery is free, as are our permanent galleries and most exhibitions and events.
Artspace is Australia’s leading interdisciplinary space for the production and presentation of contemporary art. Through exhibitions, performances, artist residencies, and public programs, Artspace is where artists of all generations test new ideas.
Australian Design Centre (ADC) is a major contemporary craft and design organisation igniting creative ideas and building cultural vibrancy. Through our exhibition, festival, touring, retail, publishing and learning platforms.
Carriageworks is the largest multi-arts centre in Australia. They commission Australian and International artists to make new work that intersects with contemporary ideas. Their artist-led program is ambitious, radical and inclusive.
Casula Powerhouse aims to draw on the strengths of its community, and to make work that speaks to people both locally and globally. With over 140 languages spoken in the local area, we aim to represent our city’s culturally diverse stories.
As part of the Society of the Arts, The Delmar Gallery runs a programme of curated exhibitions and public concerts. Concerts are either held in the Gallery or in the Music School’s Orchestra Room.
Our arts and culture program brings a variety of events exploring Japan’s diverse identity to Australian audiences throughout the year, ranging from gallery exhibitions to creative exchange workshops.
the KCC has been introducing the appeal of Korean Culture to all people in Australia with the mission to connect our two countries by deepening our cultural bond.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), is Australia’s leading museum dedicated to exhibiting, collecting and interpreting the work of today’s artists.
Australia’s contemporary museum for excellence and innovation in arts and sciences. Venues include Powerhouse Museum, Sydney Observatory and Museums Discovery Centre. MAAS demonstrate how technology, engineering, science and design impact Australia.
PACT transforms the Arts by championing contemporary performance, artistic rigour and the freedom to explore the unknown. Since 1964 PACT has supported Australia’s most compelling emerging artists to create daring new contemporary performance.
Penrith Regional Gallery is set on the western bank of the Nepean River at the foot of the Blue Mountains in Emu Plains. It was established in 1981 at the former home and property of sculptor Gerald Lewers and painter Margo Lewers. Each year tens of thou
Performance Space is created by artists for artists as a space to explore practice driven by ideas and politics, an exploration of form as well as content.
The S.H. Ervin Gallery is one of Sydney ’s leading public art institutions housed in the historic National Trust Centre on Observatory Hill, The Rocks in Sydney. The Gallery’s exhibition program is designed to explore the richness and diversity of Austral
White Rabbit Gallery was opened in 2009 to showcase what has become one of the world’s most significant collections of Chinese contemporary art. Dedicated to works made in the 21st century, the White Rabbit Collection is owned by Judith Neilson.
What are museums and libraries?
The Aboriginal Heritage Office hosts a museum of Aboriginal artefacts and historical displays covering pre-colonial times to the modern day.
Tucked away in Darlinghurst and just minutes from Sydney CBD and behind the Australian Museum, the Australian Museum of Magical Arts is a museum that stores and exhibits historical, artistic and cultural artefacts of the art of magic.
The Anzac Memorial holds a significant historical collection of approximately 7,000 objects that tell the personal stories of servicemen and servicewomen, and their families. The collection includes the heritage building and its sculptures, as well as obj
We are Australia’s national centre for maritime collections, exhibitions, research and archaeology. We share stories of the sea.
More than a leading Sydney attraction, the Australian Museum is a hub of information, resources and research. The Australian Museum is a dynamic source of reliable scientific information and a touchstone for informed debate about some of the most pressing
he Brett Whiteley Studio was the workplace and home of Australian artist, Brett Whiteley (1939–92). The visitor is offered the unique opportunity to experience the atmosphere of the space – the studio with his unfinished paintings, art equipment and colle
Located in the heart of the University of Sydney, the Chau Chak Wing Museum was designed to share the University of Sydney’s vast collections with the broader community.
The Museum of Human Disease contains over 2,500 disease human tissue specimens. Our comprehensive collection demonstrates hundreds of diseases and their complications including HIV/AIDs, cancer, strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, genetic diseases and the e
The Museums Discovery Centre is a collaboration between the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS), Australian Museum and Sydney Living Museums. It is located via the TAFE gate on Green Road, just off Showground Road at Castle Hill. Permanent exhibit
The State Library of NSW collects and preserves materials and evidence relating to our place in the world and makes them accessible to everyone in New South Wales and beyond. The Library exists in order to support and encourage research, debate, conversat
The Sydney Jewish Museum is a living history museum, where the past is kept alive to continue to speak to future generations in a dynamic way that will always resonate.
Sydney Living Museums cares for a group of 12 of the most important historic houses, gardens and museums in NSW on behalf of the people of NSW, including Vaucluse House, The Museum of Sydney, The Justice and Police Museum, The Mint, and Rose Seidler House
Sydney Observatory is a museum and education centre set in gardens overlooking Sydney Harbour. Today the Observatory is a museum and public observatory with an important role in astronomy education and public telescope viewing.
Housed in a restored 1850s sandstone warehouse, the museum is home to a unique collection of images and archaeological artefacts found in The Rocks – some of which you can even hold.
When simmered down an art or design fair is a trade show for presenting and selling art and craft. While the focus of a fair is on the dealers, buyers and collectors, they are also open to the public and are good place to see innovative work by contemporary artists and designers. Fairs also have an added degree of spectacle often including public programs like performances and talks. Like everything else in the arts there are lots of different models of fairs that exist, from international, to local, to emerging and established practitioners and galleries.
An Art or Design festival is a festival that celebrates contemporary art and design. Festivals can take different formats from one weekend, to one week to one month or more! Festivals can ecompass a wide range of art and design practices from film, dance, literature and poetry to design, textiles and painting to give you some ideas. Some festivals are completeley free admission while others are ticketed and some have a combination of free and ticketed programs.
A Party organised and run by a group of creative people - Do we need to say more?
Art Month Sydney is a city-wide festival that celebrates contemporary art, artists and galleries through a rich and diverse program of exhibitions, workshops, panel discussions, artist studio visits, tours, precinct nights, parties and more.
The Biennale of Sydney presents the most dynamic contemporary art from around the globe in venues across Sydney with exhibitions that ignite and surprise people, sparking dialogue, cultivating connections and inspiring action through meaningful, shared ar
SOUTHEAST showcases the extraordinary cultural traditions and contemporary art of south-east Aboriginal Australia.
Supporting artists for over 38 years, Performance Space was established in the early 1980s as a space for artists to explore contemporary performance practice at the cutting edge. Originally located at 199 Cleveland Street in Redfern, Performance Space wa
Since 2013, a new film festival, the Queer Screen Film Fest, has become a major event that delivers the latest LGBTIQ movies to Sydney’s screens in the month of September. Since 2016 Queer Screen has awarded 16 projects $82,000 in funding to Australian f
Staged on the spectacular Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk, Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi is one of Sydney’s most popular events, with 500,000 visitors viewing over 100 sculptures by artists from around the world. Held since 1997, this free to the public exhi
With a thriving contemporary art scene, Sydney is a dynamic cultural destination with an international reputation for presenting the very best in visual art through its leading commercial galleries, public institutions, private museums, festivals and Bien
Sydney Craft Week is the only festival in Sydney dedicated to making by hand. Led by the Australian Design Centre (ADC) and supported by an advisory group of craft sector professionals, Sydney Craft Week brings together contemporary crafts organisations a
More than any other cultural event, Sydney Festival defines Sydney’s personality, while audacious contemporary programming positions it at the forefront of arts practice in Australia and as one of the most wonderful arts festivals in the world. For over
Sydney Film Festival takes place at our flagship venue the State Theatre, as well as cinemas in the CBD, Newtown, Cremorne, Western Sydney and more, screening more than 200 films you won’t usually find in the multiplex. 12 films are selected for the Offic
The SDW2021 program will actively link-in the design, arts, science and engineering sectors in these dynamic nodes of the Sydney nexus.
The Sydney Fringe Festival is the largest independent arts festival in New South Wales with over 450 events presented in over 70 venues across Greater Sydney each year. Each September culture creators from all over the city join forces with us to shar
Sydney Writers’ Festival is one of the world’s leading and most beloved literary institutions. It is a place for readers, writers and thinkers to share ideas, tell stories and celebrate literature. Each year, more than 400 writers take part in over 300 co
The Other Art Fair, presented by Saatchi Art, gives you the opportunity to meet a curated selection of over 110 independent artists and browse thousands of pieces to suit every budget under one roof. With prices starting from as little as $100, this is an
Each year Vivid Sydney brings together light artists, music makers and brilliant minds to share their creativity with you. The festival celebrates Sydney as the creative hub of the Asia-Pacific with large-scale light installations and projections, free fa
An Art/design journal, magazine or publication is a form of writing that champions contemporary art and design practices. They can be printed, digital or take the form of social media. These platforms typically seek to present and cultivate critical discourse around contemporary art practice and situate perspectives from Australia globally and vice versa. These platforms usually contain reviews, essays, profiles, feature articles, and experimental pieces. Many journals, magazines and publications will also commission written work or hold open callouts for their platform practitioners can submit their work to. If you're keen on contributing to a journal, magazine or publication the best way to go about it so to contact them directly and ask how to be involved!
FBi Radio is an independent youth broadcaster specialising in Sydney music, arts and culture being our specialty. Thier mission is to shape and amplify independent culture in Sydney.
Prototype is an experimental, independent, digital arts and streaming platform. Sign up to their mailing list for Art direct to your inbox.
Running Dog is an online arts platform based in Sydney, Australia. They publish weekly articles about exhibitions and events taking place in Sydney and regional New South Wales.
Runway Journal cultivates and preserves experimental practice on their digital platform. They commission and publish critical works that respond to thematic callouts engaging with current threads of contemporary art.
With a focus on artists, writers and independent practice, un Projects publishes essays, artists’ work and reviews, in print and online.
We're here to help when the going gets tough. Arc Wellness and Arc Legal & Advocacy provide resources for everything from stressing less to paying a parking fine. Our legal eagles are available for advice at Kensington 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday.
The Australian Copyright Council is an independent, non-profit organisation representing peak bodies for professional artists and content creators working in Australia's creative industries and Australia's major copyright collecting societies.
Australian Museums and Galleries Association Incorporated (AMaGA) is the national association and peak advocacy body representing museums and galleries.
Art Shuttle is a discreet, efficient and affordable art transport service, based in Sydney.
Diversity Arts Australia (DARTS) is Australia’s national voice for ethno-cultural and migrant racial equity in the arts, cultural and creative industries. Our work is underpinned by a human-rights ethic, social justice principles, and the belief that a t
Established in 1984, I.C.E. is a community-based contemporary arts organisation working with emerging and under-represented Western Sydney communities, artists and creative producers. We engage artists of various disciplines to work with communities to ad
Museums & Galleries of NSW helps small-medium museums, galleries and Aboriginal cultural centres create exciting experiences for visitors and, through this, thriving local NSW communities.
The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) leads advocacy, policy and action for a contemporary Australian arts sector that's ambitious and fair.
The energetic home for creative production in the centre of Western Sydney, Parramatta Artists’ Studios (PAS) has supported hundreds of artists since opening in 2006. PAS provides a supportive studio environment for artists to develop their practices, whi
Studio A is a supported studio based in Sydney Australia that tackles the barriers that artists living with intellectual disability face in accessing conventional education, professional development pathways and opportunities needed to be successful and r
Formerly Arc @ UNSW A&D's off campus gallery, Kudos now offers a diverse program of dynamic satellite projects both on campus, off campus and online. Kudos was established in 1998.
Arc @ UNSW Art & Design: Supporting the next generation of emerging artists & designers. Head back to find out more about the hot goss, opportunities and offerings we have to support your creative practice
P:(02) 9065 0981
H:10am to 5pm
A:Ground Floor D Block, Greens Rd, Paddington
