Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery

Following the Queensland State Government's vaccination mandate, patrons must be vaccinated to access our facility, unless you have a medical exemption, in which case you will need to provide evidence. As part of the State Government mandate, you'll need to share your vaccination status and check-in when entering the facility.

Please do not visit if in the previous 14 days you have:

• returned to Australia from overseas (other than a safe travel zone country)
• been in close contact with an active COVID-19 case
• been in a declared COVID-19 hotspot, place of concern or exposure venue, as defined by the Chief Health Officer
• had a fever, cough, sore throat, headache, distorted sense of taste, shortness of breath, chills, vomiting or any cold/flu like symptoms in the last 72 hours.

Your gallery experience may be different from what you are used to, but your safety is our main priority. Before visiting please be aware of the following points:

• Please consider what you bring with you to the gallery, as cloaking facilities will not be available.
• Bags or objects over 40cm x 40cm are not permitted in galleries in the Toowoomba Region.
• Group visits to the Gallery are available on a restricted basis. Bookings are essential.
• Sales of artworks will not be conducted 'on premises'. Artist details for sales will be available on request.

Safety measures

To ensure the health and well-being of our visitors and our team, we have put in place additional safety measures.

These safety measures include:

• Sanitiser stations are positioned at entries to each facility. Please sanitize your hands on entry.
• Additional cleaning of the gallery including high-traffic areas and high-touch items is in place.

Protect our community

Please help us protect our community by:

• providing accurate contact information so you can be contacted quickly if you are affected
• complying with current physical distancing guidelines of 1.5 metres
• washing your hands frequently with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based hand rub
• cover mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue when coughing and sneezing
• disposing of used tissues in the covered pedal bins provided
• downloading the COVIDSafe app.

Thank you for your continued support for galleries in the Toowoomba Region and for helping to keep everyone in our community safe and well.

Gallery opening hours:

• Closed until further notice.

Phone: 07 4688 6652 (during gallery opening hours)

Email: art@tr.qld.gov.au 

Instagram: @trartgalleries

Post:

Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery
PO Box 3021
Toowoomba QLD 4350

Bolton Reading Room (housing the Lionel Lindsay Library) - closed until further notice 

Research enquiries via email art@tr.qld.gov.au or telephone 07 4688 6693 during gallery open hours, otherwise Contact us.

Location: 531 Ruthven Street, Toowoomba, beside City Hall. Open in Google Maps.

Access: Parking is available on Ruthven Street and in nearby off-street car parks. Access for disabled persons is available at street level, with a lift leading to the upper floor. Toilet facilities cater for visitors using wheelchairs and guardians tending babies and young children.

We have four different mailing lists you may like to subscribe to:

1. The TRAG mailing list updates subscribers about upcoming Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery events, exhibitions and opportunities. Emails are usually sent monthly along with occasional additional updates.
2. The Cam Robertson Gallery exhibitions mailing list updates subscribers about the exhibition application round/s.
3. The Contemporary Wearables Biennial Jewellery Award & Exhibition mailing list updates subscribers about the exhibition application round/s.
4. The Opportunities for artists mailing list updates subscribers about opportunities, awards and residencies that may be of interest to artists.

View exhibitions and events on the Toowoomba Region Events Register 

Follow us on Instagram @trartgalleries

The gallery houses three permanent collections - The Fred and Lucy Gould Art Collection, the Toowoomba City Collection and The Lionel Lindsay Gallery and Library.

The Fred and Lucy Gould Art Collection

The Fred and Lucy Gould Art Collection is an eclectic collection of approximately 350 works. The collection was donated to the people of Toowoomba in 1950 by Mr Fred Gould, in memory of his wife Lucy. Lucy enjoyed drawing and painting, while Fred Gould served for some years as a trustee of the Queensland Art Gallery. 

The result of their interests can be seen in this collection which includes:

• antique furniture
• fine porcelain and glassware
• gold and silverware
• bronzes
• drawings and paintings
• and many other items.

Mostly from Europe, Asia and Australia, the pieces date from the early 1700s to the 1930s, and some of Lucy Gould's own works are included. The importance of this community asset is well realised by Toowoomba City Council which, since the late 1980s, has carried out a program of conservation to ensure that The Fred and Lucy Gould Art Collection will be preserved for future generations, as an important element of the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery.

Lionel Lindsay Gallery and Library

Named in honour of Sir Lionel Lindsay, this unique collection was opened by the then Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, in 1959. It was originally assembled by Toowoomba couple, W.R.F (Bill) Bolton MBE and Marion Bolton, whose dedication has left the city with a remarkable legacy.

The art collection features over 400 artworks by members of the Lindsay family and many other significant Australian painters, including Frederick McCubbin, Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts and Rupert Bunny.

The collection of print materials is of national importance and comprises:

• rare, unique and out-of-print materials relating to Australia's First Nations peoples
• manuscripts, printed maps and first-edition accounts of maritime and overland journeys of discovery dating from the early 1600s
• Australian literature and art books from the mid-1800s to mid-1900s. 

The manuscripts include important documents such as letters written by explorer Ludwig Leichhardt, navigator La Perouse and writer Henry Lawson, as well as Lionel Lindsay's own papers.

The Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery – Toowoomba City Collection

The Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery – Toowoomba City Collection imparts another dimension to the other permanent collections in the gallery by focusing principally on 20th century Australian art. 

Paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, ceramics, small-scale sculpture and jewellery are all represented, with an emphasis on works by artists of significance, consistent with the perceived developments in Australian contemporary art, Queensland artists and artists who have an important connection to the Toowoomba Region and its history. The Dr Irene Amos OAM Collection - Amos Bequest is a major acquisition and forms an important part of the overall catalogue of works.

Image: Installation view Multiple Originals: Prints from the Collection, 2020.

Group visits to the Gallery have resumed on a restricted basis. Free guided tours for groups can be arranged Monday to Friday between 8.30am – 10.30am and 3.30pm – 5pm. Bookings are essential for all group visits and organisers are encouraged to book at least two weeks ahead. Please contact the Gallery via email art@tr.qld.gov.au or phone (07) 4688 6652 to discuss your visit.

Cam Robertson Gallery

The Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery offers a space dedicated to the exhibition of new work by local artists. The Cam Robertson Gallery, named in honour of long-serving Gallery Trustee A. C. (Cam) Robertson OAM, gives local artists as well as curators, arts workers and arts organisations a space where they can develop and exhibit their creative projects in the heart of the city.

We encourage applications from local artists, curators, arts workers and arts organisations in the Toowoomba Regional Council area. To be eligible for this space, applicants must reside in the Toowoomba Regional Council area or have studied an accredited course at a recognised local educational institution in the Toowoomba Regional Council area within the last 12 months. Exhibition proposals must be made for the exhibition of new work which has not been exhibited previously. 

The Gallery is not currently calling for applications. To receive information on future exhibition rounds and the call for applications, subscribe to the Cam Robertson Gallery mailing list.

Other options if not eligible for the local artist space

Other gallery spaces at Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery are dedicated to the display of our permanent collections, touring exhibitions and gallery projects. At this stage, we are not seeking applications or proposals from artists for our other Gallery spaces.

Contemporary Wearables Biennial Jewellery Award and Exhibition is the focus of Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery's contribution to promoting excellence in contemporary adornment. The award was established in 1989, with the aid of the Toowoomba Gallery Society Inc., and is a forum for experimental and innovative contemporary jewellery and object practice.

Juried and judged by leading industry professionals, the Award showcases the work of Australia’s prominent and emerging contemporary makers. In addition, exhibited pieces are eligible for acquisition for the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery - Toowoomba City Collection. Acquisitions from the Award have made a significant contribution to building one Australia’s leading contemporary jewellery collections housed at Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery.

Contemporary Wearables is proudly supported by Toowoomba Regional Council.

2021 award winners

The 2021 award winners were selected by Barbara Heath, one of Australia’s leading contemporary jewellers and the appointed judge for 2021.

Toowoomba Regional Council and Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery extend congratulations to the following award winners:

Award winner: Sarah Rayner & Sophie Carnell / Florilegium… traversing the poetry of plants 2020 (42 brooches - detail shown below) - Acquired

Sarah RAYNER and Sophie CARNELL / Florilegium… traversing the poetry of plants 2020 / 42 brooches: hand carved porcelain with terra sigillata, sterling and fine silver / 26 x 375 x 8cm / Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery - Toowoomba City Collection 2387 / Purchased from Contemporary Wearables ’21 with funds donated by Toowoomba Gallery Society 2018 / © Sarah Rayner and Sophie Carnell

Runner-up: Kyoko Hashimoto / Coal necklace 2020 (neckpiece) - Acquired

Kyoko HASHIMOTO / Coal necklace 2020 / coal, oxidised sterling silver / 2 x 15 x 20cm / Toowoomba Regional  Art Gallery - Toowoomba City Collection 2388 / Photograph: Fred Kroh / © Kyoko Hashimoto

Student award: Kierra-Jay Power / Museum drawer series (Meloys rubicola) 2020

Kierra-Jay POWER / Museum drawer series (Meloys rubicola) 2020 / 1 ring: brass and recycled sterling silver / 5.5 x 2.8 x 3.5cm / © Kierra-Jay Power

2021 acquisitions

Two awarded works have been acquired for the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery - Toowoomba City Collection.

The following works were also acquired for the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery - Toowoomba City Collection:

• Maddison Bygrave - Ngarra brooch 1 and Ngarra brooch 2
• Gretal Ferguson - Long Stitch (1 brooch)
• Mari Hirata - Tidal (series of 3 brooches)
• Anke Kindle - Order of the Kratzbürste (1 brooch)
• Elfrun Lach - Superspreaders series (6 brooches)

Awards and acquisitions for 2021 were announced Friday 3 September at 5.30pm via a live-stream. View the announcement on the Toowoomba Region Youtube channel or on our IGTV @trartgalleries.

2021 awards:

• Award winner $6,000
• Runner-up $3,500
• Student award $1,500

The 2021 Award exhibition was juried by:

Dr Elizabeth Shaw, Contemporary Jeweller and Senior Lecturer, Head of Jewellery and Small Objects Department, Queensland College of Art, Griffith University
Marian Hosking, Contemporary Jeweller and former Head of Gold and Silversmithing Departments at both RMIT and Monash University
Dr Nicholas Bastin, Contemporary Jeweller and Lecturer Gold and Silversmithing, School of Art, RMIT University

Selected works for Contemporary Wearables ’21 Biennial Jewellery Award & Exhibition

• Luke Abbot - Bogong Brooch
• Maddison Bygrave - Ngarra brooch 1 and Ngarra brooch 2
• Elizabeth Curry - Untitled neck & shoulder piece
• Laura Deakin - Mygration #14
• Bin Dixon-Ward - I Dissent 3
• Polly Dymond - This Mess Pendant #4 White/Green
• Jennifer Fahey - Tread Lightly
• Gretal Ferguson - Long Stitch
• Eli Giannini - Infinity #1
• Melissa Gillespie - Babushka Doll Pendant
• Penny Gillespie - Be grateful you were not shot
• Katherine Grocott - Counting dead women 2020
• Minqi Gu - Ink on Cotton 1 and Ink on Cotton 2
• Kyoko Hashimoto - Coal Necklace
• Kirsten Haydon - Ice barrier
• Mari Hirata - Tidal (Series of three brooches)
• Linda Hughes - All Clear, Pendant
• Kath Inglis - Orange Epiphyte neckpiece
• Cara Johnson - Unravelling
• Anke Kindle - Order of the Kratzbürste (series)
• Inari Kiuru - New Spring, Old Gods (series)
• Elfrun Lach - Superspreaders series
• Alicia Lane - Land Locked – Locked Land
• Catherine Large - Gleanings, a trio of brooches
• Phill Mason - Contact cluster: a five-ring stack
• Alison McDonald - Shared Connections
• Sharon McEntee - ASH
• Anna-Maria Plescia - Familiar Traces 1
• Kierra-Jay Power - Museum Drawer series (Melomys rubicola)
• Sophie Carnell & Sarah Rayner - Florilegium…traversing the poetry of plants
• Sultana Shamshi - Lest We Forget 1
• Bridgette Shepherd - Reminiscence series 2019 and Reminiscence series 2020
• SUPERPLEASED - Fly me to the Moon
• Bic Tieu - Thresholds
• Sarra Tzijan - Lowlight 1
• Katrina Tyler - Altered plane brooches
• Melinda Young - Pennyweight Neckpiece

Contemporary Wearables '21 Biennial Jewellery Award and Exhibition is on display from 4 September to 31 October 2021 at Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery.

An exhibition catalogue is available from Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery. 

To view the entry details, download the Contemporary wearables 2021 entry form.

How to stay up to date

Follow us on Instagram @trartgalleries

Subscribe to the Contemporary Wearables Biennial Jewellery Award and Exhibition Mailing List. 

Past awards

Contemporary Wearables '19

The 2019 award exhibition was juried by:

• Simon Cottrell - Lecturer / Researcher, Gold and Silversmithing Workshop, ANU School of Art & Design
• Claire Sourgnes - CEO Artisan
• Chloë Powell - Curator and Exhibitions Manager, Craft Victoria, Co-founder and Director, Radiant Pavilion: Melbourne Contemporary Jewellery and Object Biennial

The appointed judge for 2019 was Marian Hosking, Silversmith.

Award winners:

• Award winner: Melissa Cameron Corporate entity / corporeal entity  2017 (neckpiece)
• Runner-up: Jennifer Fahey Uncanny encounters 2017 (26 pins)
• Student award: Kristina Neuman Sill in Cylinder 2019 (neckpiece)

Two awarded works have been acquired for the Toowoomba City Collection.

The following works were also acquired for the Toowoomba City Collection:

• Sue Buchanan Urban Garland (neckpiece)
• Kayannie Denigan Ngathu Bubu (2 x brooch)
• Pennie Jagiello The crown-of-thorns has nothing over the Anthropocene  (neckpiece)
• Cara Johnson Unearth (neckpiece)
• Sultana Shamshi The Phoenix Tree (brooch)
• Bic Tieu Kangaroo Paws (brooches)
• Nina van Duijnhoven A Collaboration (neckpieces)
• Leonie Westbrook Yellow Rectangle Pendant (neckpiece)
• Melinda Young Future Relic Neckpiece (neckpiece)

Image: 2019 award winner Melissa CAMERON / Corporate entity / corporeal entity 2017 / Neckpiece: stainless steel, vitreous enamel titanium / 10.5 x 10.5 x 1.0cm; 76.0cm chain / Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery - City Collection 2339 / Acquired from Contemporary Wearables 2019 Biennial Jewellery Award & Exhibition / © Melissa Cameron

Contemporary Wearables '17

Contemporary Wearables '17 was juried by:

• Dr Sabine Pagan - contemporary jeweller and interdisciplinary practitioner
• Mr Kevin Murray - independent writer, curator and managing editor for Garland Magazine. 

The appointed judge for 2017 was Mr Phill Mason, Gem-Cutter, Goldsmith and Studio-Jeweller.

Award winners:

• Award winner: Luke Abbot Mandible Setting 2017 (articulated ring)
• Runner-up: Anja Jagsch Symbiosis 2017 (four rings)
• Student award: Michaela Pegum Quale II 2016 (neckpiece)

The three awarded works were acquired for the Toowoomba City Collection.

The following works were also acquired for the Toowoomba City Collection:

• Leonie Westbrook Yellow Rectangle (bangle)
• Inari Kiuru Night falls over Brunswick (two brooches)
• Sandie Lee For Love (two neckpieces)
• Sophie Carnell Papers for thoughtful girls (neckpiece)
• Bin Dixon-Ward Red Squares #1 (neckpiece)
• Katheryn Leopoldseder Household Idols (three rings)
• Tatjana Panyockzi In the picture (neckpiece)
• Bic Tieu Connected Landscapes (brooch)
• Blanche Tilden Flow 03 (neckpiece)
• Nina Van Duynhoven "What is to give light must endure burning." - Viktor Frankl (five brooches)

Image: 2017 Award Winner Luke ABBOT / Mandible setting 2017 / articulated ring: titanium, 925 silver, gem / 2.8 x 2.1 x 0.7cm / Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery - Toowoomba City Collection 2207 / Acquired from Contemporary Wearables 2017 Biennial Jewellery Award & Exhibition / Reproduced by kind permission.

Contemporary Wearables '15

Contemporary Wearables '15 was juried by:

• Dr Dorothy Erickson - historian and artist-jeweller
• Melanie Pitkin - Assistant Curator, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences
• 48 jewellers were selected from Australia and New Zealand.

Sabine Pagan, contemporary jeweller and former Head of BA (Jewellery) at Charles Sturt University judged the award.

Award winners:

• Award winner: Christel Van Der Laan Eureka 2014 (brooch)
• Runner-up: Kate Wischusen Manhole #1 2014 (brooch)

The following works were acquired for the Gallery’s Collection:

• Catrine Berlatier Double Link (necklace)
• Susan Buchanan The new jewels – Safety Pin, I See You #1 & #2 (three brooches)
• Michelle Cangiano The Healer (neckpiece)
• Elfrun Lach  Frangia (necklace)
• Carly Lay Oppression | Suppression (two neckpieces)
• Larah Nott Flight #10 (brooch)
• Christel Van Der Laan Eureka (brooch)
• Janice Vitkovsky Frequency & Transparent threads (two brooches)
• Kate Wischusen Manhole #1 (brooch)
• Alister Yiap Fault-Line (ring)

No student award was presented. 

Image: 2015 Award Winner Christel VAN DER LAAN / Eureka 2014 / brooch – ceramic honeycomb, oxidised silver, gold, onyx, mirror, paint / 9.0 x 10.0 x 2.5cm / Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery - Toowoomba City Collection 2121 / Acquired from Contemporary Wearables 2015 Biennial Jewellery Award & Exhibition / Reproduced by kind permission.

Guided tours

The Gallery offers free guided tours to schools and educators Monday to Friday between 8.30am – 10.30am and 3.30pm – 5pm. Bookings are essential and educators are encouraged to book at least two weeks ahead. We cater for students from kindergarten to tertiary level, home-schooled and school groups of any year level with a range of interests.

We encourage enquiries from educators who would like a tailored visit to suit their program. Delivery can be flexible, so if you have an idea or wish to book a tour, contact the Gallery to discuss your needs.

Viewing artwork

The Gallery offers special access to artworks not currently on display for research and educational purposes. Schools wishing to view Collection items that are not on display as part of their Gallery visit should contact the Gallery with at least 48 hours notice to make a request. Access to items is not guaranteed but will be provided if possible.

The Bolton Reading Room

Providing access to The Bolton Reading Room for educational purposes is a key aspect of our Gallery service. 

The holdings include rare, unique and out-of-print materials relating to:

• Australia’s First Nations peoples
• manuscripts, printed maps and first-edition accounts of maritime and overland journeys of discovery dating from the early 1600s
• Australian literature and art books from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s.

Physical access to browse and read items is by appointment only.

To make an appointment or enquiry, email art@tr.qld.gov.au or phone (07) 4688 6693 during the Gallery’s open hours.