2025 Exhibition Program

Albany Town Hall GallerIES

Mother | Cim Sears  

7 Nov - 6 Dec 2025 | Albany Town Hall 

‘MOTHER’ contemporises a journey of reclaiming my mother’s stolen identity, her lost family, and how our lifelong relationship became a complexity of dreamlike scenarios, of startling historical discoveries and an extraordinary life together. Utilizing her unbridled passion for growing flowers and her love of nature, I use images of her birth place in the Western Desert and of her flower farm to create a stark contrast to her grim childhood in State institutions during the policies of ‘child removal’. From the ashes of an abject beginning my mother’s spirit prevailed and she miraculously made a life for herself against all odds. This is a witnessing, a kaleidoscope of her experiences, of the deep silences - and an honouring of lives in the face of erasure.

Albany Town Hall, 217 York St
Tuesday - Saturday 10 - 5pm

RADICAL FUTURES: FERTILE GROUND   

12 Dec - 17 Jan 2025 | Albany Town Hall 

In partnership with the Regional Arts Triennial and Denmark Arts, City of Albany is proud to announce the upcoming exhibition Radical Futures: Fertile Ground.

The exhibition will invite Great Southern residents and visitors to imagine a future where fire is no longer associated with devastating loss and is instead bravely accepted as a generative presence in rural and regional life.

Curated by Kwoorabup-based emerging Curator Saira Spencer, Radical Futures: Fertile Ground will feature 5 Great Southern and 3 South West artists and creative teams working in a variety of mediums:

• Carly Le Cerf & Jean-Michel Maujean

• CYCAD

• Rachel Falls Williams

• Peter Hill

• Freya Joy Parre

• Ruth Maddren

• Helen Seiver

• Jo Wassell & Samala Ghosh

The WA Regional Arts Triennial 3: Radical Futures is proudly supported by the Government of Western Australia through CITS. It is coordinated by Southern Forest Arts with support from ART ON THE MOVE through the Regional Exhibition Touring Boost. Project partners include John Curtin Gallery, Regional Arts WA, GalleriesWest and Kimberley Arts Network.

Artworks: After Fire Still Standing, Great Western Woodlands - Carly Le Cerf. Encaustic and oil on board, 90x60cm, 2025. Photo credit: Jean-michel Maujean.

Albany Town Hall
217 York Street, Albany
Open: Tue-Sat 10-5pm
Open Mondays, during the school holidays.

Dates open to public Exhibition
7 Nov - 6 Dec  Mother | Cim Sears 
12 Dec - 17 Jan  Radical Futures: Fertile Ground 

VANCOUVER ARTS CENTRE GALLERIES

ALBANY REGIONAL PRISON ART EXHIBITION

14 Nov - 9 Dec 2025 | Vancouver Arts Centre 

Albany Regional Prison (ARP) are launching their annual art exhibition opening at Vancouver Art Centre. The exhibition will run from 14 Nov – 9 Dec.

This is a unique opportunity to view artworks produced by prisoners who are part of the Art Program at ARP. The paintings on display present a compelling blend of creativity, cultural identity, and personal journey, with many Indigenous works expressing a deep connection to Country (the Great Southern region).

Creative practice within the prison system offers a wide spectrum of meaningful benefits—from educational and recreational engagement to providing incarcerated individuals with powerful avenues for self-expression. Through artmaking, prisoners can explore their identities, cultures, hopes, dreams, and concerns in ways that are often not accessible through traditional rehabilitative models.


Art serves as a vital mode of cultural expression and plays a transformative role in the rehabilitation process. It allows individuals to reframe their identities, develop new ways of thinking, and engage with their lived experiences from a place of agency and reflection. Within the prison context, the arts represent one of the most profound opportunities for cultural participation—enabling individuals to sustain connections to family, community, and country. Art also offers a rare space to safely express emotion, cultivate self-worth, and foster a sense of autonomy and belonging.


Participation in prison-based art programs spans from informal creative workshops to accredited courses, such as the Certificate II in Visual Arts, as well as tertiary-level study through Justice and Equity Through Art (JETA), a program offered by Curtin University since 1995. Over the past three decades, JETA has become a recognised model of best practice in prison education, fostering both academic achievement and creative empowerment.


In this way, artmaking within prisons not only contributes to individual transformation but also supports broader goals of justice, social reintegration, and the preservation of cultural.


The exhibition serves as a connection between the prison and the local community, showcasing the rehabilitative commitment and talents of the gifted people in the Department’s care. Join VAC and ARP in celebrating a diverse collection of artworks by artists, endeavouring to make sense of their situation, and create a better future for themselves.

Vancouver Arts Centre - 85 Vancouver St
Mon - Fri 10-4pm 
Sat 10-2pm 

Dates open to public Exhibition
14 Nov - 9 Dec  Albany Regional Prison Art Exhibition