Penny organised a 6 week exhibition for local artists as part of a ‘Pop Up’ Gallery in a vacant shop front on Adelaide St Blayney in December 2015. Based on the ‘Renew Newcastle’ and ‘Pop Up Parramatta’ projects which have been very successful in ‘cleaning up buildings and getting the city active and used again’, and ‘renew city spaces, promote the region, build and promote the creative community and to stimulate and support creative enterprise’ respectively.
The owner Vince Barbagallo gave the space above the National Australia Bank at 69 Adelaide St Blayney for free for the community event. Penny put a call out to local artists, and the result being a diverse exhibition that is visually exciting. With over 38 artists represented from the age of 8 & up plus 139 artworks to display, it was a great opportunity for the artists to showcase their work in the beautiful setting of the restored c.1975 bank and a wonderful opportunity for regional audiences to access art and culture. The next P.U.G may happen in Millthorpe, Mandurama or coincide with another local event, keep your eyes open.
For the PopUpGallery to be successful, Blayney Arts need to lease a property for minimal rent or for free, and in return, will clean up the building with internal paint and new lighting, giving the building a new lease of life. This project is in line with council’s beautification of Blayney project, and will help maintain the building until it becomes commercially viable or sold and redeveloped.
Once Penny has found a suitable location, she will put a call out to local artists to submit artworks in order to curate an exhibition that is emotive and imaginative. A Call out will be through Arts Out West and through the Exhibitions page on this website.
The overall aim of the P.U.G is to establish a strong artistic community and create a permanent space where creativity can be unleashed.
If you have a space or ideas, Penny would love to hear about them, send an email.
