2026 Exhibition Program

Albany Town Hall GallerIES

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 October
Albany Town Hall 
217 York St, Albany 
Open: Tue- Sat, 10-5pm

ECHOES & vOICES 
9 October - 7 November | Albany Town Hall 

This exhibition portrays images of Kinjarling /Albany over two centuries from early colonial interpretations mapping the landscape to contemporary artists working today in the region.

Through the course of the exhibition and generations, the landscape gradually shifts from being an object of observation to becoming a space loaded with emotion.


Curator's Talk: Saturday 10 October, 10.30am rsvp  here

Exhibition: 9 October - 7 November
Albany Town Hall 
217 York St, Albany 
Open: Tue- Sat, 10-5pm

BRAG MEETS ALBANY 
13 November 2026 - 9 January 2027 | Albany Town Hall 

This exhibition is the presentation exhibition from the studio artists who worked in the main Gallery of the Vancouver Arts Centre in mid-2026.

Presenting ceramic, textiles, paintings and prints, these works build a strong relationship to our sense of belonging and our engagement with the natural world.

Exhibiting artists are:

Elisa Markes-Young, Marcia Leonard, Margaret Sanders, Melissa Boughey, Rachel Falls-Williams, Ruth Halbert and Samantha Dennison.

Artists Talk #1- Saturday 14 November, 10.30am RSVP here

Artists Talk #2 - Saturday 12 December, 10.30am RSVP here
Exhibition: 9 October - 7 November
Albany Town Hall 
217 York St, Albany 
Open: Tue- Sat, 10-5pm

Dates open to public Exhibition
4 September - 3 October  Rich & Rare | Jacqui Malins 
9 October - 7 November Echoes & Voices 
13 November - 9 January  BRAG Meets Albany 

VANCOUVER ARTS CENTRE GALLERIES

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

CARMINE 

14 October- 5 November 

Carmine brings together a collection of works by women artists held within the City of Albany Art Collection, offering a glimpse into the varied ways artists have observed, interpreted and responded to the world around them.

Spanning different generations and artistic practices, the exhibition brings together works that speak to place, identity, memory, nature and lived experience. Some offer intimate or personal perspectives, while others look outward, capturing the landscapes, people and environments that shape our sense of place.

Presented together, these works create a conversation between artists, artworks and generations. They invite us to look beyond individual works and consider the stories that emerge when they are brought into dialogue.

Carmine is a celebration of the women artists represented in the Collection, and an invitation to discover, reconsider and connect with their work.

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

Dates open to public Exhibition
26 September - 11 October  Southern Art + Craft Trail 
14 October - 5 November  Carmine | Women Artists from the COA Art Collection