Autumn Open Day

Public Program

Join us at our Autumn Open Day on Saturday 31 May from 10am-2pm, where we’ll be celebrating with the artists from our current suite of exhibitions – Blak Douglas: The Halfway Line; Deadly Arts; and the 2025 Penrith Youth Art Prize – with free tours, live music, artmaking activities, performances and more.

AUTUMN OPEN DAY ACTIVITIES AND SCHEDULE

Participatory Weaving Demonstration | 10am-2pm
With local artist Ilana Lapid

Drop-in Artmaking Activities | 10am-2pm
Free drop-in artmaking activities for all ages, led by an artist educator, connecting with our current suite of exhibitions.

Deadly Arts Official Opening | 10:30am
Deadly Arts is an initiative committed to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in deepening cultural knowledge and ancestral connections, providing young Western Sydney-based First Nations artists to celebrate cultural identity through contemporary art practice. Presented in Penrith Regional Gallery’s Lewers House, this exhibition showcases powerful works by Deadly Arts students and graduates, offering a platform for storytelling, empowerment, and cultural pride to celebrate this next generation’s role in shaping a dynamic, inclusive cultural future.

Penrith Youth Art Prize Opening and Award Ceremony | 11:30am
The Penrith Regional Gallery Youth Art Prize aims to recognise, encourage, and celebrate the creative talent of young artists in our local community through the opportunity to showcase their work in a regional gallery setting. The 2025 theme is echoing nature, and asks primary (5-12yrs) and secondary (12-18yrs) artists with a connection to Penrith and its surrounds to explore and celebrate the dynamism of the natural world through their creativity, using any medium in two dimensions to showcase how nature inspires them.

Curatorial Tour: Blak Douglas The Halfway Line | 12pm
Join Toby Chapman, Director, Penrith Regional Gallery, for a curatorial tour of The Halfway Line, a mid-career survey of the pioneering Aboriginal Artist Blak Douglas. Explore the expansive and incisive career of Douglas, from his early interest in graphic art and design, through to his Archibald Prize winning portraiture in this insightful tour. Bookings required. RESERVE YOUR TICKET

Blak Douglas: Didge You Know performance | 1pm
Join us for a special lunchtime performance by acclaimed artist Blak Douglas. As part of his major mid-career survey exhibition, The Halfway Line, Blak Douglas will perform Didge You Know on the didgeridoo, sharing personal stories that stem from the themes of his work. This free, drop-in, artist-led activity offers a deeper connection to the artist and his creative journey.