History

Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery

Located in the heart of the Granite Belt Queensland, the Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery tempts you to experience quality exhibitions of both national and local importance. An epicentre for all visual arts, the art gallery fosters a program of regional artist exhibitions and displays that are relevant to the history and character of the region.

The gallery, home to a permanent collection of almost 900 pieces, hosts specially curated exhibitions of traditional and contemporary paintings, works on paper, ceramics, sculpture, and fibre/ textile artworks.

This strong collection of noted artists’ works, is sourced from acquisitions made during the biennial Stanthorpe Art Prize.

Quality national touring exhibitions encompass displays varying from contemporary textiles, ceramics, and painting to mixed media installations, on a wide range of contemporary subjects, including works by noted emerging and established Australian artists.

A program of exhibitions from the wider local arts community plays an integral part in the gallery’s professional development program and exposure of the visiting public to regional creative endeavours.

ORIGINS

In 1972, locals organized an art prize during the Apple and Grape Festival to attract visitors and demonstrate support for the arts in the region. This endeavour was a tremendous success and marked the prize's inception. Artworks were acquired and donated to the council for a Shire Art Collection. In time this collection grew and became the basis for the community to seek a Shire Gallery space.  

In 1976 a small Gallery was set up and housed in council buildings, sharing the space with meeting rooms and council chambers, then moving to a basement space later.  Visitors could ask for a key to the Gallery space, but there was no security or supervision of visitors. Over the next few years, there was a concern that the council might repurpose the space. The then-president believed that if the Gallery were temporarily removed, it might never return. Art lovers advocated for a standalone Gallery for several years. In 1986 the council developed a new Gallery and Library building.