Giving art: what it really means for regional galleries

Many regional galleries are built on the back of donated collections. But that catalyst to bricks and mortar is just one outcome of giving, which has grown our nation beyond our cities.

4 Sep 2019 12:00

Gina Fairley

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Visual Arts

Penrith Regional Gallery’s Director Sheona White grew up in a town that didn’t have an art gallery or a theatre.

‘I remember this feeling that people didn’t get it – what I got when I looked at art,’ White told ArtsHub. ‘To have grown up with a gallery would have made a big difference.’

Penrith Regional Gallery is home to the Lewers Bequest. This month it celebrates the 40^th anniversary of the gift that initiated the first regional gallery in the Greater Western Sydney area.

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina