Muscle: Simon Reece
5 June to 1 August 2026
Simon Reece’s exhibition ‘Muscle’ responds to the landscapes and histories of Muswellbrook. Developed during an artist residency with Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, the exhibition brings together ceramics, photography and found industrial materials to explore the relationship between industry, environment and place. References to freshwater mussels, believed to have inspired the early name “Muscle Brook”, connect the works to the area’s waterways and histories of habitation. Using clay sourced from local mine sites and mining imagery, Reece reflects on the ways the land continues to carry traces of ecological, industrial and cultural change.
Simon Reece, ‘wall I’ 2026, ceramic, glaze and fluoro acrylic, 16 x 9 x 5cm.
Visuaural: Death Cycle of a Found Piano
5 June to 1 August 2026
What happens when a piano reaches the end of its life?
Does it fall silent, or does it begin again?
‘Visuaural: Death Cycle of a Found Piano’ invites participants to take part in the transformation of an abandoned instrument — dismantling, reimagining and re-creating its internal mechanisms into new objects, artworks and sound works.
This is not just an ending, it is a process of listening, making, and imagining.
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.
Piano key from the found piano featured in Visuaural: Death Cycle of a Found Piano.
When the Ground Shifts: Jaimie Turner
19 March to 1 August 2026
‘When the Ground Shifts’ brings together a body of work by Wonnarua woman Jaimie Turner, shaped by connection and evolving relationships with Wonnarua Country, Ancestors and lived change. These works emerge from moments of movement, pressure, and transformation, where identity and culture form on shifting ground.
Working across painting, weaving, textiles and sculpture, Turner bridges traditional knowledge with contemporary expression. Her practice honours cultural foundations while embracing personal experience, creative exploration and a deep respect for natural materials.
Connection and Country remain constant shaping forces in Turner’s practice, acknowledging inherited and learned knowledge while allowing space for growth, adaptation and change. Through this balance, the works invite reflection on what holds, what endures, and what can be respectfully reshaped over time. They encourage deeper connection with, and renewed appreciation of, Aboriginal culture as living, dynamic and ongoing.
Jaimie Turner, ‘Cultural and Ceremonial Wear: Traditional and Contemporary Expressions’ 2026, mixed media—contemporary and traditional elements including raffia, Lomandra, jute, cotton, linen, emu feathers, bees wax, quandong seeds, kangaroo and possum fur and leather, Photography © Kimberly Starr Guringai, Wonnarua and Worimi woman Miikal Photography.
2026 NAIDOC Week Art Exhibition
4 July to 1 August 2026
Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre invites Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists of all ages who live on, or are connected to, Wonnarua Culture and/or Country to take part in the 2026 NAIDOC Week Art Exhibition.
Presented in collaboration with Wonnarua artist Jaimie Turner, whose exhibition When the Ground Shifts is currently on display at the Gallery, this community exhibition celebrates culture, creativity, connection and Country.
The 2026 NAIDOC theme, 50 Years of Deadly, honours five decades of NAIDOC as a powerful celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander strength, resilience, culture and achievement. Artists are invited to submit original two-dimensional artworks that meaningfully respond to this theme.
The 2026 NAIDOC Week Art Exhibition will open with a community event on Saturday 4 July 2026, featuring a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony, cultural dance performance, light refreshments and prizes for community entrants.
Key details
- Submissions close: 20 June 2026
- Entry fee: Free
- Exhibition dates: 4 July – 1 August 2026
- Opening event: 4pm – 6pm, Saturday 4 July 2026
- Location: Muswellbrook Regional Gallery, 1–3 Bridge Street, Muswellbrook
- Who can enter: Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people of all ages who live on, or are connected to, Wonnarua Culture and/or Country.
Please deliver the entry form with your work on or before 20 June to the Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre.
Jaimie Turner ‘Cultural and Ceremonial Wear: Traditional and Contemporary Expressions’ 2026, mixed media—contemporary and traditional elements including raffia, Lomandra, jute, cotton, linen, emu feathers, bees wax, quandong seeds, kangaroo and possum fur and leather, including photography by Kimberly Starr, Guringai, Wonnarua and Worimi woman.
Hold Still: from the Muswellbrook Collections
19 March to 1 August 2026
Ceramic vessels are among the oldest and most enduring forms of human expression. While historically created for function, contemporary artists continue to use the vessel as a powerful medium for storytelling, memory and cultural connection. In this exhibition, each work reflects the personal experiences, histories and influences of its maker. For some artists, the vessel becomes a way to hold memories of place or moments in time; for others, it carries cultural knowledge, tradition or childhood nostalgia. Through form, surface and imagery, these works reveal how the seemingly simple vessel can contain complex narratives and personal meaning.
Casey Chen, ‘Big Robot 5’ 2022, glazed porcelain, china paint and gold lustre, 37 x 21 x 21cm, Muswellbrook Shire Art Collection, Winner, Muswellbrook Art Prize 2023, Ceramics.
