Bega Valley Regional Gallery facts for kids
| Location | Zingel Place, Bega |
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The South East Centre for Contemporary Art (SECCA) is an art gallery in Bega, Australia. It used to be known as the Bega Valley Regional Gallery. This gallery is supported by public funds.
SECCA shows modern Australian art. They have about ten new art shows every year. In 2016, SECCA grew even more. They opened two smaller art spaces. One is at Merimbula Airport. The other is at the Port of Eden Welcome Centre.
SECCA is the only public art gallery in its part of New South Wales. Other nearby galleries are quite far away. These include Goulburn Regional Art Gallery and Murray Art Museum Albury.
The gallery has a full-time curator. A curator is someone who plans and organizes art shows. They also have staff who help with learning and access. The gallery team works hard to offer many programs. These include film nights and art workshops. They also host talks by artists and experts.
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About SECCA
SECCA is a busy place! It offers about 40 public programs each year. These activities happen in Bega and the surrounding areas. You can learn about drawing, printmaking, and painting. They also have workshops for new media and film. Experts give talks about art and artists. These programs help people learn and get involved in art.
The gallery wants everyone to enjoy art. They follow ideas of fairness, access, and participation. This means they try to make art available to all people.
The Gallery's Story
The gallery you see today opened in 1988. It is inside the Bega Valley Shire Council building. The government promised money to build it. But there were delays, and the money was removed. Even so, the gallery was finished on time.
Because of this, it was not built exactly like a modern art gallery. But the local community loves it. About 12,000 people visit the gallery every year.
The gallery was created for a group called the Bega Valley Arts and Crafts Society. This group needed a place to show their art. They had been moving around Bega since 1946. When the gallery opened, the society gave their art collection to the council. This collection is now held for the community.
The collection has older paintings. Some famous artists in the collection include Hilda Rix Nicholas and Julian Ashton. There are also prints by Sydney Long. The paintings by Hilda Rix Nicholas are very popular. They are often borrowed for shows at places like the National Portrait Gallery.
In early 2021, the gallery started a big project. They are making the exhibition space twice as big. They are also adding new workshop areas. This will help them show their growing art collection. The Australian Government helped fund this project.
How SECCA is Funded
The gallery gets money from the Bega Valley Shire Council. This shows that art is important in the region. Many artists live and work there. Create NSW also gives money each year for the gallery's art programs.
SECCA also applies for grants. Grants are special funds from other groups. These grants help them offer more art shows and public programs. They get money from local, state, and national groups.
The Art Collection
SECCA looks after two main art collections. One is from the Bega Valley Arts & Craft Society. The other is from the Shirley Hannan Trust. The gallery also helps choose and care for public art. This is art you can see around the region.
The gallery's main collection focuses on modern portraits. It also includes landscape art and contemporary Indigenous artworks. SECCA can accept art donations. This is through a special government program.
Awards and Art Prizes
The gallery runs a special art prize every two years. It is called the Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award. This prize is for realistic portraits. The winner gets $50,000! There are also smaller prizes for other artists.
In 2014, SECCA started a new yearly prize. It is called 'The Shirl' National Youth Portraiture Prize. This award is for young artists aged 16 to 25. The winning artwork is bought by the gallery. It then becomes part of SECCA's permanent collection. The prize for this award is $10,000.
Volunteers at SECCA
The gallery relies on many volunteers. These amazing people help set up art shows. They also supervise the exhibitions. Volunteers help keep the gallery tidy. They are also there for exhibition openings. They even help with public programs.
About 40 people are core volunteers. Most are retired and have a professional background. They are very focused on helping their community.
Gallery Memberships
The Bega Valley Regional Gallery is part of several important groups. These include the National Association for the Visual Arts. They are also members of Museums & Galleries NSW. Other groups are Regional & Public Galleries NSW and the Aboriginal Culture, Heritage & Arts Association.
