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Established in 1937, Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery contributes to the Region’s history of inclusion and diversity through an engaging annual program of exhibitions and events. It is owned and operated by Toowoomba Regional Council.
Admission is free.
531 Ruthven Street, Toowoomba, beside City Hall. Open in Google Maps.
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 to babies and young children.
Phone: (07) 4688 6652
Email: art@tr.qld.gov.au
Instagram: @trartgalleries
Post:
Toowoomba Regional Art GalleryPO Box 3021Toowoomba QLD 4350
Research enquiries via email art@tr.qld.gov.au or phone (07) 4688 6652
We welcome visits by groups wishing to enjoy our exhibitions.
Booked groups may self-guide or enquire about a free 30 to 40 minute guided group tour with one of our knowledgeable team members. Guided tours are subject to capacity and availability.
Bookings can be made by completing our online art gallery booking request.
Thinking of visiting? We offer free guided or self-guided general Gallery tours for school groups and educators Monday to Friday 8:30am – 5pm. Bookings are essential and educators are encouraged to book at least two weeks ahead.
We cater for students from pre-prep to tertiary level, home-schooled and school groups of any year level with a range of interests, providing opportunities to engage with our exhibitions and diverse collection holdings.
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, please let us know your excursion requirements.
Complete our online art gallery booking request and a Gallery team member will be in touch to discuss your visit.
The Gallery offers special access to artworks not currently on display for research and educational purposes. If you wish to view Collection items that are not on display as part of your visit should contact the Gallery at art@tr.qld.gov.au with at least 48 hours notice to make a request. Access to items is not guaranteed but will be provided if possible.
In addition to the exhibitions on display, groups and researchers can explore The Bolton Reading Room.
The holdings include rare, unique and out-of-print materials relating to:
Physical access to browse and read items is by appointment, Tuesday - Thursday and Sunday.
To make an appointment to see this unique collection, please complete our online art gallery booking request.
Missed seeing some of our recent exhibitions? You can view the following exhibitions via an interactive virtual tour:
Subscribe to receive updates on upcoming Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery events, exhibitions and opportunities. We have four different mailing lists you may like to subscribe to:
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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. Please contact the gallery via email or phone if you have a project proposal you would like to discuss.
On tour from the National Portrait Gallery’s collection, Mīal is a fractured self-portrait by Archie Moore (Kamilaroi/Bigambul). Comprising 34 pieces relating to colours of the artist's body parts, it continues Moore’s practice exploring the politics of identity, racism and languages systems.
5:30pm Thursday 19 June
Free event | All welcome | Bookings essential | Phone 131 872 or email info@tr.qld.gov.au to book your place.RSVP Thursday 17 June.
Image: Archie Moore Mīal, 2022/23 (detail). Purchased 2023 © Archie Moore
Create your own connections with and between eye-catching artworks in this exhibition of contemporary and historical holdings selected from the gallery’s collections. Featured artists include Tony Albert, Gordon Bennett, Rew Hanks, Norman Lindsay, Margaret Preston, Christian Thompson and Judy Watson.
Image: Tony ALBERT / Girramay, Yidinji and Kuku Yalanji / You wreck me #9 2020 / printed photographs and vintage Captain Cook ephemera on archive paper / 24.5 x 24.5cm / Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery – Toowoomba City Collection 2371 / Image Courtesy of the Artist and Sullivan+Strumpf
until 3 August
International Art Textile Biennale showcases innovative practices within contemporary textile art and celebrates a diverse range of works that explore and push the boundaries of the textile medium.
2pm – 3pm Saturday 28 June
Free event | All welcome | Bookings essential | Phone 131 872 or email info@tr.qld.gov.au to book your place.RSVP Thursday 26 June.
IATB25 is proudly produced and managed by Fibre Arts Australia.
Image: Eszter BORNEMISZA / Interplay 2024 / cotton, synthetic organza, non-woven fabric, newsprint / 160 x 72cm / Photograph: Paul Starr / © Eszter Bornemisza
Inspired by Norman Lindsay’s thorny relationship with England, this exhibition explores how Australian culture has transplanted, pruned or uprooted its English heritage. Besides Lindsay, featured artists include Graham Burstow, Sophie Carnell, Deborah Klein, George Lambert, Lionel Lindsay and Zoja Trofimiuk.
Image: Norman LINDSAY / Margaret Catchpole c. 1910 / watercolour and pen drawing / 30.8 x 23.5cm sheet / original drawing for Morgan McMahon, “The Truth about Margaret Catchpole,” The Lone Hand 2 May 1910 / Lionel Lindsay Gallery and Library Collection 432 / © Norman Lindsay Estate
On the 75th Anniversary of the gifting of The Fred and Lucy Gould Art Collection to the people of Toowoomba, the Gallery celebrates the artistic talent of the woman behind the collection – Lucy.
Image: Lucy Emily WILCOX (1875 - 1948) / Miniature landscape 1904 / oil on board / 10.2 x 13.6cm / Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery - The Fred and Lucy Gould Collection 230
until 17 August
This exhibition regards the empire of dust and the dust of empire. It features works about how imperial processes turned the ancient lands of Australia into dust country.
Image: Ivor HELE / Through ranges, where at racing speed, old Kiley used to wheel the lead 1958 / after Banjo Paterson, “On Kiley’s Run” 1895 / oil on board / 106 x 126cm (frame) / Lionel Lindsay Gallery and Library Collection 009 / © Estate of Ivor Hele
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SIXTY: The Journal of Australian Ceramics 60th Anniversary 1962–2022 is a special Australian Design Centre On Tour exhibition project presented in partnership with The Australian Ceramics Association to acknowledge this significant anniversary.This major exhibition will showcase the work of twenty-two acclaimed ceramic artists from across Australia, including Toowoomba’s own Dan Elborne, and other previous exhibitors such as Pippin Drysdale, Vipoo Srivilasa and Greg Daly.
SIXTY: The Journal of Australian Ceramics 60th Anniversary 1962-2022 is an Australian Design Centre (ADC On Tour) national touring exhibition, presented with assistance from the Australian Government Visions of Australia program. The Visions of Australia regional exhibition touring program supports audience access to Australian arts and cultural material, with a particular focus on tours to regional and remote Australia.
Image: Susan FROST / Rise 2022 (detail) / Photo: Grant Hancock / © Susan Frost
Showcasing some of Australia’s most prominent and emerging contemporary makers, this exhibition is the focus of Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery's contribution to promoting excellence in contemporary adornment. The award is a forum for innovative contemporary jewellery and object practice.
Contemporary Wearables Biennial Jewellery Award and Exhibition is proudly supported by Toowoomba Regional Council, Haymans Electrical and Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art
Image: Contemporary Wearables 2023 Award Winner Zoë VENESS / Wreath 2023 / Neckpiece: archival paper, stainless-steel cable, sterling-silver tubing / 42 x 42 x 4cm / Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery – Toowoomba City Collection 2417 / Purchased 2023 with funds donated by Toowoomba Gallery Society Inc., 2018. / © Zoë Veness
The Gallery is home to three permanent collections containing a unique mix of gallery and print materials, Our Collections offer diverse views, stories and ideas about the region and its connection to national and international contexts.
The Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery – Toowoomba City Collection focuses principally on 20th-century Australian art, Queensland artists and artists who have an important connection to the Toowoomba Region and its history.
The collection includes works by significant artists across painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, ceramics, small-scale sculpture and jewellery, including:
Image: Installation view Multiple Originals: Prints from the Collection, 2020.
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:
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 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 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:
Mostly from Europe, Asia and Australia, the pieces date from the early 1700s to the 1930s, and some of Lucy Gould's artworks 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.
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.
Awards in 2025 are:
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 of Australia’s leading contemporary jewellery collections housed at Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery.
To apply, please read the information below and complete the exhibition entry form no later than 5pm Friday 2 May 2025.
To apply, please complete the exhibition entry form no later than 5pm Friday 2 May 2025.
If you have any questions, please contact the Gallery team on 07 4688 6652 or email ContemporaryWearables@tr.qld.gov.au
The 2023 Award exhibition was juried by:
The appointed judge for 2023 was Chloë Powell, Co-Founder and Director of Radiant Pavilion, Melbourne Contemporary Jewellery and Object Biennial.
Award winners:
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:
Image: 2023 Award Winner / Zoë VENESS / Wreath 2023 / Neckpiece: archival paper, stainless-steel cable, sterling-silver tubing / 42 x 42 x 4cm / © Zoe Veness
The 2021 Award exhibition was juried by:
The appointed judge for 2021 was Barbara Heath, one of Australia’s leading contemporary jewellers.
Award winner: Sarah Rayner & Sophie Carnell / Florilegium… traversing the poetry of plants 2020 (42 brooches - details shown above and right) - Acquired
Runner-up: Kyoko Hashimoto / Coal necklace 2020 (neckpiece) - Acquired
Images: 2021 Award Winner Sarah RAYNER and Sophie CARNELL / Florilegium… traversing the poetry of plants 2020 (detail) / 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
The 2019 award exhibition was juried by:
The appointed judge for 2019 was Marian Hosking, Silversmith.
Two awarded works have been acquired for the Toowoomba City Collection.
The following works were also acquired for the Toowoomba City Collection:
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 was juried by:
The appointed judge for 2017 was Mr Phill Mason, Gem-Cutter, Goldsmith and Studio-Jeweller.
The three awarded works were acquired for the Toowoomba City Collection.
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 was juried by:
Sabine Pagan, contemporary jeweller and former Head of BA (Jewellery) at Charles Sturt University judged the award.
The following works were acquired for the Gallery’s Collection:
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.
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