A BRIEF HISTORY

Bathurst Regional Art Gallery (BRAG) is one of the oldest regional galleries in NSW.  It is a well-equipped and professionally staffed facility owned and operated by Bathurst Regional Council. 

The collection began in May 1955 when Jean Bellette was awarded the inaugural Carillon City Festival Prize of 100 guineas for her oil painting entitled Still Life. Over 6,000 people viewed the competition. 

The Festival Arts Committee eventually built on this community support for the visual arts in Bathurst and established an Art Gallery where small exhibitions could be held and where winning works from the Carillon City Festival Prize could be hung. In 1959 an Art Gallery within the Council Chambers was opened, where it continued to thrive until moving into a new purpose built building in 1990.

Since then, the gallery has continued to enjoy widespread community support and to develop a reputation as one of the leading regional galleries in New South Wales. A diverse exhibition program, a focus on community access and a commitment to the provision of innovative educational and public programs underpin the gallery’s operations.

The gallery averages a visitation of 30,000 people a year, well above the national average for a regional gallery.

Image:Jean Bellette, Still Life, 1955, oil on composition board, 90.0 x 120.0cm, collection of Bathurst Regional Art Gallery