2026 Exhibition Program

Albany Town Hall GallerIES

wangee boodja | first nations works in the city of albany art collection
31 July - 29 August | Albany Town Hall 

Wangee Boodja meaning ‘talking Country’ or ‘connection to Country’ forms part of our Bicentenary 2026 exhibition program. This exhibition will focus on the works of First Nations’ artists in the City of Albany Art Collection.

On Saturday 1 August, join local Menang artist Shandell Cummings who will talk about the works she has in the collection.

Exhibition: 31 July - 29 August 
Albany Town Hall 
217 York St, Albany 
Open: Tue- Sat, 10-5pm

rich & RARE | JACQUI MALINS 
4 September - 3 October | Albany Town Hall 

In a submersive experience of light and shadow, growth and collapse, accretion and decay, Rich and Rare explores our history and future with native flat oyster reefs.

The (almost) lost world of Ostrea angasi (native flat oyster) reefs are intrinsic to Albany/Kinjarling’s history, as recorded in the name of Oyster Harbour. Jacqui materialises the angasi’s fragility, sensitivity, delicacy and now-skeletal distribution in the form of a piece of machine-embroidered lace. With this ethereal artefact, through photography and video installation, she examines ecological grief, amnesia and collective memory, and invokes the reef’s return and restoration.

After first encountering old bleached ostrea angasi shells in a deposit near Eden, NSW in 2022, Jacqui began a personal investigation that took her from Yuin country on the south coast of NSW to north-eastern Lutruwita/Tasmania and west to Oyster Harbour in

Kinjarling/Albany, WA. Angasi once formed plentiful reefs around Australia’s southern shoreline, some of them hectares in size. Extraction, overconsumption and environmental change brought them near extinction within a century of European arrival. In recent years, Oyster Harbour was one of the sites chosen by the Nature Conservancy Australia to attempt their restoration.


Artist Talk: Saturday 5th September, 10.30am rsvp  here

Exhibition: 4 September - 3 
Albany Town Hall 
217 York St, Albany 
Open: Tue- Sat, 10-5pm

Dates open to public Exhibition
31 July - 29 August  Wangee Boodja | First Nations works in the City of Albany Art Collection 
4 September - 3 October 
Rich & Rare | Jacqui Malins 

VANCOUVER ARTS CENTRE GALLERIES

OUR PERSONAL CONNECTIONS TO TIME AND PLACE

7 August - 3 September 2026 | Vancouver Arts Centre 

Although we look back into our history, we always travel forward, connecting together with new people of all backgrounds. Wherever we walk, we tread in the footsteps of those who have already walked through this land. In our own mediums we show our personal responses to the environment we live in, in the hope that this will be maintained, appreciated and protected for future generations.

Featuring artists: Dianne Bee, Joyce Hogen- Esch, Margaret Gorman and Margie McIntosh (Bee).

Vancouver Arts Centre
85 Vancouver St
M-F 10-4pm

Woman is vessel | demi skye

13 August - 11 September 2026 | Vancouver Arts Centre 

Woman is vessel is an exhibition exploring the rawness of becoming a mother. Through ceramics, lino print and poetry the vessels navigate the tenderness, joy, exhaustion, resilience and love that co-exist within motherhood.

Let's share this moment to honour the unspoken realities of identity and connection.

Exhibition: 13 August - 11 September 

Vancouver Arts Centre
85 Vancouver St
M-F 10-4pm

SOUTHERN ART + CRAFT TRAIL 

Sat 26 September to Sun 11 October

Running from Saturday 26 September to Sunday 11 October, Western Australia’s premier regional arts event will showcase the talents of over 500 artists across 63 venues throughout the Great Southern and surrounding regions.

Presented by ArtSouthWA, the Trail spans more than 46,000 hectares, offering locals and visitors a vibrant, accessible celebration of the arts during the spring school holidays. Now recognised as a key cultural tourism event in WA, the Trail features a rich variety of artistic mediums—including painting, sculpture, photography, textiles, jewellery, pottery, glasswork, and more.

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As part of this year's Southern Art + Craft Trail, the Vancouver Arts Centre will host five diverse exhibitions:

Breaking Boundaries | Albany Art Group

Our title Breaking Boundaries means that our artists will be challenging themselves and their arts practice to create exciting works. Our artists will explore new ideas, materials and techniques to mount an innovative exhibition.

Transformation | Felters in the Great Southern (FIGS)

Welcome to FIGS stunning display of products created with wool as the main fibre. Come and investigate FIGS versatile use of this amazing fibre. Absorb the colours and textures produced in artworks, sculptures and wearables.

Artist in Residence | Scott Henman

During the VAC residency, Scott will create surreal mirror images of Albany and beyond, transforming everyday scenes into imaginative landscapes, faces and abstract architecture. During the studio trail, Scott will be displaying some of these ‘mirror’ images from around the world. Visitors are invited to sit for a quick, unique portrait using the same technique.

Seasonal Woman | Shannan Nannup

My work examines the space where motherhood meets communal life, exploring how personal identity takes shape through connection with others. Each piece reflects the quiet strength found in belonging, in accepting help, and in the bonds we build with those around us.

What Matters | Quadrant

Helen Fitzhardinge, Pradip Griffiths, Linda Northcott and Rosanna Page present an exhibition of handprinted and mixed media works in which each artist explored themes that arose from the question ‘What matters?’ It was a thought-provoking exercise!

Open times during the Southern Art + Craft Trail:
Mon to Fri: 10am – 4pm
Sat, Sun and the public holiday: 10am – 2pm

Vancouver Arts Centre
85 Vancouver Street, Albany

Dates open to public Exhibition
7 August - 3 September  Our Personal Connections to Time and Place 
13 August - 11 September  Woman is Vessel | Demi Skye 
26 September - 11 October  Southern Art + Craft Trail