Coolamon

10/06/2025

Come down and check out the beautiful artwork display from the children at Dalaigur & Scribbly Gum Dalai, to celebrate their 60 year legacy! 💛

⏰Open 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday
📍 2/33 Smith Street, Kempsey, NSW, Dunghutti country

As part of our 60 years celebrations coming up - we have an art display in at Kempsey!

Make sure you drop in and see our childrens artwork!

They will be displayed for two weeks to celebrate our 60 year legacy!

15/04/2025

📣 Meet all the artists currently exhibiting at Coolamon!

We have four incredibly talented local artists from the Mid North Coast of New South Wales exhibiting their deadly paintings and weavings at our gallery. The artists are:

👉 Russell Brown (.art.culture.education)
👉 G*i Southwell
👉 Michelle Dundas
👉 Leah Brown

🔗 You can read their artist profiles and browse their new artworks at www.coolamon.org.au/artist.

Make sure you visit us online or drop in to 2/33 Smith Street, Kempsey, NSW before the end of May 2025 to check it out!

13/04/2025

🎨 Are you looking for something to do this school holidays?

Check out our latest art exhibition! We have new artwork now on display at our gallery in Kempsey, New South Wales.

Our current exhibition features and celebrates deadly original artworks by the following local artists from the Mid North Coast of New South Wales:

🖌️ Russell Brown (.art.culture.education)
🖌️ G*i Southwell
🖌️ Michelle Dundas
🖌️ Leah Brown

Visit the gallery or jump online before the end of May 2025 to check it out!

📍 2/33 Smith Street, Kempsey, NSW, Dunghutti country
🔗 www.coolamon.org.au

Artwork credits from top to bottom: ‘Sea Turtle’ by Leah Brown, ‘Ancestors Dreaming’ by Russell Brown, ‘Rainbow Serpent’ by Michelle Dundas and ‘Lomandra Coil (small)’ by G*i Southwell.

*iSouthwell

08/04/2025

🎨 Meet a new artist working with us: Russell Brown, Garawa and Mara country

Russell is a proud Garawa and Mara man from the Roper River region in the Northern Territory. He is a passionate advocate for the self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the preservation of cultural integrity. Russell's artistic journey is deeply rooted in his connection to his country and his respect for ancestral wisdom.

Russell's artistic style beautifully blends traditional elements with contemporary interpretations, offering a unique perspective that resonates with diverse audiences.

Russell is also the co-founder and principal artist at Songlines Art, Culture, Education, an online family-run small business. Their goal is to empower educators, children and communities by embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into learning practices.

👉 To read Russell Brown's full artist profile go to www.coolamon.org.au/artist or visit our gallery at 2/33 Smith Street, Kempsey to check out his impressive artwork.

🔗 Can't make it in person? Explore artwork and more online at www.coolamon.org.au

Artwork credit: 'Ancestor Spirits’ by Russell Brown

21/03/2025

📣 We're excited to announce the opening of a new Coolamon art exhibition to coincide with National Close the Gap Day.

Running from Thursday 20 March to the end of May 2025, this exhibition will feature and celebrate deadly original artworks by local artists on the Mid-North Coast of NSW.

The exhibition will feature artwork and stories from the following artists:

🖌️ Russell Brown, Co-founder and principal artist from .art.culture.education
🖌️ G*i Southwell
🖌️ Michelle Dundas
🖌️ Leah Brown

You're invited to head down to the Coolamon Arts Gallery to check it out:
📆 When: Thursday 20 March to Friday 30 May 2025
📍 Where: Coolamon Arts Gallery, 2/33 Smith Street, Kempsey, Dunghutti country
🔗 Jump online to browse and purchase new artwork at www.coolamon.org.au

Artwork credit: 'Water Spirit' by Russell Brown

*iSouthwell

02/03/2025

💛 Get your limited-edition Coolamon merch featuring the deadly ‘Family Connections’ by Leah Brown!

We've launched a new black stainless-steel water bottle and a lined 80-page notebook.

Head to our online shop at www.coolamon.org.au today and snap up your limited-edition merch or drop-in to our gallery at 2/33 Smith Street, Kempsey NSW.

Image description: A collection of images of water bottles and notebooks featuring colourful artwork by Leah Brown.

24/01/2025

📣 The Coolamon team are heading to Share the Spirit on Sunday 26 January. Share the Spirit celebrates the survival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their talents.

Annecto and Coolamon we will be co-hosting a stall with Connecting Home, a service for the Stolen Generations in Victoria. We'll have Coolamon merch available for purchase, including brand-new water bottles and notebooks featuring a beautiful artwork titled ‘Family Connections’ by Leah Brown.

Here's everything you need to know about Share the Spirit:

💛 Sunday 26 January 2025
💛 Treasury Gardens, East Melbourne, Naarm, VIC
💛 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm
💛 Free, non-ticketed event

Get down early to check it out and drop by our stall to have a yarn with the team!

01/01/2025

Happy New Year to everyone! 🎉

We wish you all the best for the new year ahead! Thank you for continuing to support Coolamon, an Annecto enterprise and our art gallery in Kempsey. 💛

We look forward to sharing more beautiful art and stories with you from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and communities in 2025. 🎨

See you in the gallery soon! 👋

24/12/2024

✨ Thank you for supporting Coolamon, an Annecto enterprise this year!

We hope you have a great festive season and enjoy the celebrations with your friends, family and community. 💛

It's been a big year for the Coolamon team and the artists and communities we've worked alongside. We look forward to doing it all again in 2025!

22/12/2024

🎨 Meet the artist: Jason Ridgeway is a proud Dunghutti man from Macleay Valley. His family is from Burnt Bridge and Bellbrook.

Jason did not study art, he learned about art by watching his uncles paint and draw. He always loved sketching but didn’t start painting until about 12 years ago. Painting brought back good memories of time spent with his uncles and Jason now paints in a style that honours them. His art shows local Dreaming stories, family yarns, and memories created with his wife and children.

Jason also works with the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, bringing art programs to schools in Macleay Valley.

👉 To read Jason Ridgeway's full artist profile go to: coolamon.org.au/artist or visit the gallery at 2/33 Smith Street, Kempsey, NSW, Dunghutti country to see his artwork on display!

🔗 Can't make it in person? Explore artwork and more online at www.coolamon.org.au.

Image description: The first image is a photo of artist Jason Ridgeway. The second image is a photo of Jason Ridgeway’s artwork titled ‘’Bunyip".

20/12/2024

🎨 Meet the artist: Barbara Quinlin, a talented young creator from Dunghutti country, based in Coffs Harbour. She is currently exhibiting her work at the Coolamon Arts Gallery.

Barbara Quinlin is skilled in both digital and traditional mediums, including pencils, markers, paint pens, watercolor, and gouache. Her greatest inspiration is her late grandmother, Rosina Davis-Quinlin-Boston, who encouraged her to create art from a very young age. Her grandmother's storytelling techniques left a deep impact on Barbara, and she hopes to reach a similar level of storytelling through her own art.

Barbara practices her craft whenever she can, whether it’s sketching on a scrap of paper or drawing landscapes at the beach. She also draws inspiration from a wide range of sources, including social media, pop culture, video games or an animated series.

👉 To read Barbara Quinlin's’ full artist profile visit: coolamon.org.au/artist or visit the gallery at 2/33 Smith Street, Kempsey, NSW, Dunghutti country to see her artwork on display!

🔗 Can't make it in person? Explore artwork and more online at www.coolamon.org.au.

Image description: The first image is a photo of artist Barbara Quinlin. The second image is a photo of Barbara Quinlin’s artwork titled ‘The Journey’.

02/12/2024

🎨 Exhibition highlights 🎨

On 17 November, the Coolamon Art Gallery opened an exhibition featuring original artworks by Kinchela Boys Home (KBH) survivors, their families, and community members. The exhibition, titled ‘Unlocking Our Past to Free Our Future’, was in partnership with Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation (KBHAC) and ran until 15 November.

This exhibition commemorated the 100th anniversary of the opening of KBH in Kempsey, Dunghutti country. It is at those KBH gates that the spirits of the children who walked through were left behind. 🖤💛❤️

The artists showcased in this exhibition included:
◾ Uncle Milton Budge (deceased)
◾ Uncle Richard P Campbell
◾ Aunty Fay Clayton
◾ Uncle James ‘Gurri’ Dungay
◾ Barbara Quinlin
◾ Jason Ridgeway
◾ Michelle Dundas

Artists, Stolen Generations survivors and their families delivered some important truth-telling moments as they shared their thoughts and life experiences at the opening event. Powerful pieces of artwork were displayed in the gallery for everyone to view and the artists, who were present, shared the stories behind their art. The event was well attended, with people from the local community joining in and almost half of the 18 artworks sold at the opening.

🔗 The exhibition is now over, but you can still go to coolamon.org.au to browse and purchase artwork or follow us on social media to learn more about the artists and their deadly work.

🎨 Visit us: Drop in to the Coolamon Arts Gallery at 2/33 Smith Street, Kempsey NSW. Open Monday to Friday, 9 am - 5 pm.

💌 Contact us: For more information or to plan your visit, contact us at [email protected].



Images description: A series of photos taken at the exhibition opening, showcasing the crowd, the artists and some of the artworks.