Exhibition proposals

Installation view, Peter Faulkner
Installation view, Peter Faulkner. Photo by Cherie Winter

Gallery space dedicated to creatives working in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales

We are now inviting exhibition proposals for the Jenny Dowell Gallery, a small but prominent space near the main Gallery entrance dedicated to showcasing artists from our region. Five artists or collectives will be selected to exhibit in 2027.

With a large floor-to-ceiling, public-facing window, sited on the ground floor, the Jenny Dowell Gallery is highly visible to passers-by and audiences engaging in activities in the Lismore Quadrangle. 

Selected artists/collectives receive an artwork loan fee of $800 for their exhibition. High-level curatorial and installation support will also be provided, in addition to marketing and promotion by the Gallery. Artists are invited to sell their work with a gallery commission of 30%.

Eligibility to apply

  • Applicants must live and work on Bundjalung Country, including the following Local Government Areas: Lismore City, Ballina Shire, Byron Shire, Richmond Valley, Kyogle, Clarence Valley and Tweed Shire
  • Proposed artworks should not have been exhibited in the Northern Rivers in the previous or forthcoming 12 months, however proposals may include artworks that have been exhibited outside this region or timeframe

Gallery Specifications

  • Floorplan
  • Dimensions: 9.8 (l) x 3.6 (w) x 3.4 (h) m
  • Several floor to ceiling windows punctuate the lineal metres of the gallery

Proposal requirements

  • One page resume listing past exhibitions, residencies and education
  • 100 word artist biography
  • 300 word exhibition description
  • Up to 10 images (max file size 1MB)
  • 2027 date preference
  • Links to website and/or Instagram (if available)

To increase accessibility, video or audio submissions outlining your resume and artist statement are welcome. Ensure the video is no longer than five minutes, then upload the video to YouTube (as a private video) and share the link. 

Submit your proposal by email to art.gallery@lismore.nsw.gov.au with the subject line: Exhibition proposal submission – Your Name 

Key dates

We are now accepting Jenny Dowell Gallery exhibition proposals for 2027. 

  • Exhibition proposals close on 28 August 2026
  • All applicants will be notified by 9 October 2026

Exhibitions

An orange, yellow and grey painting of two figure hunched over exchanging flames, by Clare Milledge
Clare Milledge
complex notophyll vine forest: ground-proof
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Marian Tubbs 'lotus eaters (wellness)' (detail) 2025, lenticular photograph. Courtesy the artist and STATION.
Marian Tubbs
I don’t sleep I just dream: unrefined in high definition
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Club Ate, Ex Nilalang (video still) 2017. Courtesy the artists and Art Gallery of New South Wales Club Ate
Club Ate
Ex Nilalang, episodes 1 - 4
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A room of people looking at a large projection
Marian Tubbs
And then plants are confused with stones. Rocks look like brains, stalactites like breasts, veins of iron like tapestries adorned with figures
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A white ceramic sculpture of two doll heads and a mollusc shape in between
Belinda Smith
Headstands and other feats of normal life
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A colour photo of a silouetted figure standing next to a gate in a tunnel with the sea behind them
Isaac Julien
Western Union: small boats (The leopard)
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Guy Fredericks, Bleeding hearts and Morning glory (installation). Image courtesy Studio A
Guy Fredericks with Studio A
Bleeding hearts and Morning glory
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Damian Showyin, Suede blue (installation view), Mosman Art Gallery. Photo by Jacquie Manning
Damian Showyin with Studio A
Suede blue
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Sandra Kaji O’Grady 'Mixed gods' (detail) 2025, acrylic on cardboard box. Courtesy the artist
Sandra Kaji O’Grady
Boding
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Narmada Smith 'Shut Up and Paint' (detail) 2023, oil on canvas. Courtesy the artist
Narmada Smith
Colour : gentle awareness
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Sarah Ujmaia 'And thank you to my baba for laying the timber floor' 2024. Photo by Christian Capurro.
Sarah Ujmaia
Marmoreum (28°48’34.4”S 153°16’45.6”E)
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Babette Robertson 'When we were in a forest, but the forest was called Paris’ (detail) 2025, oil and water-based pigment on canvas. Courtesy the artist.
Babette Robertson
And her hallway moves like the ocean
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Lindy Lee ‘The topography of rain’ 2022, fire, Chinese ink and rain on archival paper. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Lindy Lee.
Lismore Regional Gallery Permanent Collection
Recent acquisitions and restored works
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Lismore Regional Gallery

Open Wednesday to Sunday 10am - 4pm
Thursdays until 6pm

Closed 24 - 26 December
31 December - 2 January

11 Rural Street, Lismore NSW 2480

02 6627 4600
art.gallery@lismore.nsw.gov.au
PO Box 23A, Lismore NSW 2480

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Lismore Regional Gallery acknowledges the Widjabul Wia-bal people of the Bundjalung Nation as the traditional owners of the land upon which the gallery stands. We pay respects to elders past, present and emerging and extend that respect to all First Nations cultures and their contributing connection to land, waters, community and the arts.

Lismore Regional Gallery is a creative initiative of Lismore City Council supported by the New South Wales Government through Create NSW and the Friends of the Gallery.

 

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Banner image attribution: Clare Milledge, sruth 2021. Courtesy the artist and STATION Gallery.

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Lismore Regional Gallery acknowledges the Widjabul Wia-bal people of the Bundjalung Nation as the traditional owners of the land upon which the gallery stands. We pay respects to elders past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations peoples and their continuing connection to land, waters, community and the arts.