Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre

03/09/2026

VISUAURAL: Death Cycle of a Found Piano

At Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, an abandoned piano is being dismantled, reimagined and given new life through 'Visuaural: Death Cycle of a Found Piano'.

Over the coming weeks, the project continues with a series of free hands-on workshops, music-making and creative activities for the community. From a musical wake for the STRAD Pianola to percussion made from its parts and school holiday workshops for young creators, there are plenty of ways to get involved.

All activities are free, with bookings required.
Follow the link to see more details:
https://artgallery.muswellbrook.nsw.gov.au/upcoming-programs/

The 'Visuaural' program is made possible by Arts Upper Hunter in partnership with Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre and the Hunter Regional Conservatorium, with the assistance of the Australian Government Regional Arts Fund, which supports the arts in regional and remote Australia.
Regional Arts NSW Regional Arts Australia

Arts Upper Hunter

20/08/2026

Create a Collaborative Artwork Through Printmaking

Saturday 12 September | 10.30am–3.30pm

Join lead artist and printmaker Amanda Donohue to create a collaborative artwork for See + Hear: Listen to Art — an exhibition programmed for 2027 featuring new work developed through a series of residencies and workshops.

Participants will explore a range of printmaking techniques to create a collaborative artwork on a pianola roll, responding to the theme The Wizard of Oz.

Blurring the boundaries between printmaking, collage and textile arts, the workshop invites participants to experiment with mark-making, layering and image-making.

This workshop is part of Arts Upper Hunter’s 'Death Cycle of a Found Piano' project, presented through its 'Visuaural' program.

Expressions of interest:
Email Haylee Knight at [email protected]

Find out more:
https://artsupperhunter.com/workshops-events-dragon-battles-for-deathly-piano-in-muswellbrook/

The 'Visuaural' program is made possible by Arts Upper Hunter in partnership with Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre and the Hunter Regional Conservatorium, with the assistance of the Australian Government Regional Arts Fund, which supports the arts in regional and remote Australia.
Regional Arts NSW Regional Arts Australia

15/08/2026

WINNER ANNOUNCED 🎉
We’re thrilled to congratulate Troy Ruffels, winner of the $30,000 acquisitive Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize 2026, for ‘Architechures of Connection’ 2026.

👏 Congratulations also to our Highly Commended artists:
• Jenny Pollak, ‘A line in the sand’ 2026.
• Aidan Gageler, ‘Into the Sun’ 2025.

Special thanks to our 2026 adjudicators Sally McInerney and Lisa Sharkey.

The 2026 Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize is made possible by the Australian Photographic Society in partnership with the Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, and with the support of Bengalla Mining Company, Malabar Resources, and Australian Photography magazine.

📅 On exhibition 13 August – 10 October 2026.

Images: Troy Ruffels, ‘Architechures of Connection’ 2026, digital print on composite aluminium, 70 x 120cm, Winner, Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize 2026; Jenny Pollak, ‘A line in the sand’ 2026, pigment ink-jet print, matchboxes, shelf, 10 x 90 x 24cm, Highly Commended, Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize 2026; Aidan Gageler, ‘Into the Sun’ 2025, ANSCO colour film that expired in November 1953, dye sublimation on aluminium, 120 x 96cm, Highly Commended, Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize 2026.

15/08/2026

Exhibition Opening and Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize Announcement

13/08/2026

📸 This weekend at the Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre!

Join us for the Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize Exhibition launch this Saturday, showcasing the work of this year's finalists.

🗓️ 15 August | 4 to 6pm
🎟️ Free entry + refreshments provided

More details 👉 muswellbrook.nsw.gov.au/mullins-prize-2026

13/08/2026

Exhibition Launch!
4pm Saturday 15 August 2026
Free Entry

Join us to celebrate the opening of our new exhibitions, kindly sponsored by Two Rivers Wines.

Exhibitions Opening:
2026 Mullins Cenceptual Photography Prize
Water: Peter Gill
Home is where the Learning Starts: Upper Hunter Home School

Read more about the exhibitions here:
https://artgallery.muswellbrook.nsw.gov.au/see

Dane Beesley, ‘STRUT’ 2025, archival pigment print, 100 x 80cm, Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize Finalist 2026; Sandra Banard, ‘That Might Look Good in My Enlarger II – Cruets CMYKRGB’ 2025, hand-printed chromogenic photograph, 87 x 76cm, Conceptual Photography Prize Finalist 2026; Peter Gill, 'Muscle Creek' 1987, oil on canvas, 62 x 77cm.

31/07/2026

Upcoming Exhibitions!

2026 Mullins Cenceptual Photography Prize
Water: Peter Gill
Home is where the Learning Starts: Upper Hunter Home School

Exhibition Launch: 4pm Saturday 15 August 2026
Entry is Free! Exhibition Launch Kindly Sponsored by Two Rivers Wines.

Please note the gallery will be closed for install from Monday, 3 August to Wednesday, 12 August.

Images: Lilli Waters, 'Nāga’s Lanterns โคมไฟของนาค' 2025, archival pigment print on fibre rag, 82.5 x 69.2cm, 2026 Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize Finalist; Tamara Voninski 'Chemo-graphy: The Feeling of Flying Through Clouds' 2025, C-type photograph, 100 x 90.5cm 2026 Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize Finalist; Peter Gill, 'Rocks and Sea' 1976, acrylic on canvas, 63 x 88cm.

28/07/2026

Final days to visit!

Don’t miss your last chance to see Muscle: Simon Reece, When the Ground Shifts: Jaimie Turner and 50 Years of Deadly: NAIDOC Week 2026 before they close this Saturday, 1 August.

Images: Installation views of 'Muscle: Simon Reece' and 'When the Ground Shifts: Jaimie Turner.'

10/07/2026

Muscle: Simon Reece
Essay by Natalie Wilson

Now published online, this exhibition essay explores the ideas and stories behind 'Muscle'. Through ceramics, photography and found objects, Simon Reece reflects on Muswellbrook's layered histories, where geology, industry and ecology converge.

'Muscle: Simon Reece' exhibiting from 5 June to 1 August 2026.

Explore stories and ideas from Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, from interviews with exhibiting artists to our Art Matters article series.

01/07/2026

Art Station – School Holiday Workshops
Join us for a series of free school holiday workshops inspired by the exhibitions 'Visuaural: Death Cycle of a Found Piano' and 'Muscle: Simon Reece'.

Children and their caregivers are invited to explore creativity, storytelling, and self-expression through hands-on, process-led art-making activities. Each session responds to themes of transformation, material, place, and memory, encouraging experimentation, play, and discovery.

Session Times
Wednesday 8 July | 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Inspired by 'Muscle: Simon Reece'

This tactile workshop explores land, material, and place through clay and natural materials. Participants will experiment with making processes that respond to textures, environments, and the idea that landscapes leave traces that can be translated into artworks

Wednesday 15 July | 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Inspired by 'Visuaural: Death Cycle of a Found Piano'

Participants will explore creative reuse through repurposed piano components and other materials, responding to ideas of transformation, sound, and memory. Through open-ended making, children will create imaginative works inspired by the hidden life of objects.

Free: Bookings Essential | Preschool & Primary-aged children

Join us for a series of free school holiday workshops inspired by the exhibitions Visuaural: Death Cycle of a Found Piano and Muscle: Simon Reece.