Hurstville Museum & Gallery

🌟 Calling all local artists! Your chance to shine as part of our Community Art Space exhibitions in 2027 is here! 🎨✨

This is your opportunity to exhibit with us at either Hurstville Museum & Gallery's Dragon’s Lair Gallery or at the Clive James Library and Service Centre in Kogarah.

Hear from past Dragon's Lair Gallery artists Glenn Smith and Reg Mombassa about their experience below👇

"The Dragon's Lair venue at the Hurstville Museum and Gallery was the perfect size for the collaborative exhibition I did with Reg Mombassa - we had a really well-attended opening, mainly due to the low stress and flexibility of the organisation as well as the great promo and help setting up. The staff are professional, enthusiastic and willing to make changes to suit the nature of the show. It's a wonderful space and the closeness to public transport makes it an easy visit. I would recommend the venue (and have) to artists who would like to put on a small show with low budgets and big ideas (like ours)." - Glenn Smith / GReg

Don't miss out! Applications close midnight Sunday 26 July 2026.

For more information and to apply visit the 'Exhibit your work' page on our website: https://www.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au/Community/Art-and-Culture/Hurstville-Museum-Gallery/Exhibitions/Exhibit-Your-Work



Image: Install image of exhibition '(Still) Losing the War on Nature' by Glenn Smith and Reg Mombassa in Dragon's Lair Gallery.

For millennia, jewellery has been integral to Nepalese ceremonies and significant life events. The earliest forms were made from natural materials like bone and wood, but today, pure gold is the most valued and sort-after material. Among the most iconic pieces is the pote, a necklace traditionally adorned with green or red glass beads. When a pote is complemented by a gold pendant, it transforms into a Tilhari, a gift from the groom to his bride on their wedding day, symbolising prosperity and long life. In various Nepalese communities, nose rings and septum piercings are worn not only for beauty but also as markers of tradition and identity, representing purity and resilience. In Newari culture, the Raksha-ma is a shamanic necklace crafted from a mix of amulets, including teeth, coins, seeds, and beads, worn for protection against evil spirits and imbued with profound spiritual meaning.

Don't miss the chance to see these incredible items and more during our current exhibition 'Woven from a hundred flowers'
सयौं थुँगा फूलका हामी एउटै माला नेपाली on display until 30 August 2026 in our Main Gallery.

(Image 1, top) Assorted Pote and Tilhari Necklaces. Courtesy of the Pokharel Nepal family.
(Image 1, middle left) Handmade Potli Bag, Courtesy of the Pokharel Nepal family.
(Image 1, middle right) Modern Tilhari Necklace. Courtesy of the Sigdel family.
(Image 1, bottom left) Tik Mala Handmade Newari Necklace. Courtesy of the Pokharel Nepal family.
(Image 1, bottom middle) Assorted bracelets and Ear Cuff. Courtesy of the Pokharel Nepal family.
(Image 1, bottom right) Nyapu Sikha - Newari Hair Jewelry. Courtesy of St George Hurstville Nepali Church.
(Image 2) Close up of Modern Tilhari Necklace.

The Kogarah Bay Progress Association was founded in 1921. Still active today, its aim is to promote ‘‘the best interests of the ratepayers and residents of the Georges River Council Local Government Area”.

Tenders were called in 1926 for a hall to be built on Ramsgate Road, Kogarah Bay. This hall was later replaced with a new building, funded through contributions from both the Kogarah Bay Progress Association and Kogarah Council, and a fifty-year lease was granted. The new hall officially opened in August 1962. As the sign says, the hall was a community space that could be hired for various events, as well as used for the Association’s monthly meetings. Today, the Progress Association meets at the Kogarah Community Services Hub next to Jubilee Stadium and remains an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organisation.

✨See this photograph and more at our current Snapshot Gallery exhibition 'Sign of the Times', which explores the changing face of St George through the signage and advertisements found on billboards, shopfronts, streets and anywhere in between. On until 9 August 2026!

📷 Kogarah Bay Progress Hall, 'Hall for Hire' sign, Ramsgate Road, Kogarah Bay NSW, believed to be May 1978. Research and Community History collection, JHP2510.

Find out about our current artist in residence Tahlia Henderson, in our latest Q&A blog post. 🎨🖼️

Tahlia is currently completing her Artist in Residence at Carss Park Artist’s Cottage, where she plans to study and paint the surrounding natural spaces. We had the opportunity to sit down with Tahlia to ask her about her artistic process and inspiration. ✨www.hurstvillemuseumgallery.wordpress.com/2026/06/02/artist-in-residence-qa-tahlia-henderson

During her residence Tahlia will be hosting an Open Studio artist talk as well as a family friendly collage workshop on Saturday 20 June 2026. Both artist talk and collage workshop are free to attend at Carss Park Life Saving Hall.
✨https://www.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au/Whats-On?venue=hurstvillemuseum

Tahlia will be painting live at this year’s Uncontained Arts Festival, 26 – 28 June 2026 at Clive James Library and Service Centre. Get creative alongside her, and colour in a special drawing made by Tahlia featuring native flora and fauna.
✨https://www.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au/uncontained

Are you an artist interested in a residence? Applications are now open for our 2027-2028 Georges River Artist in Residence Program!
Applications close Friday 3 July midnight.
✨For more information visit the Artist in Residence page: https://www.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au/air

&A

Yak’s can be found across the Himalayan region and are farmed for their meat, wool and milk, and are also used for transportation. Their thick wool makes them perfectly adapted for the high-altitude climate of the Himalayas.

“They play a vital role in the high mountain communities – not just as a source of sustenance, but as a keystone of cultural identity and socio-economic resilience.” – International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development

Discover these works and many more at our current Main Gallery exhibition 'Woven from a hundred flowers'
सयौं थुँगा फूलका हामी एउटै माला नेपाली which celebrates the rich culture and diverse stories of the Nepalese community of the Georges River region. On display until 30 August 2026.

Image: Yak wool, courtesy of Narayan and Leela Pradhan.

✨Apply now for Community Art Space exhibitions in 2027! 🎨✨

This is your opportunity to exhibit with us at either Hurstville Museum & Gallery's Dragon’s Lair Gallery or at the Clive James Library and Service Centre in Kogarah.

Hear from past Dragon's Lair Gallery artists Yolanda and Mercedes Vukovich about their experience below👇

"We found the whole experience seamless and incredibly collaborative. It was probably one of the few experiences we had where installation of the exhibition was very easy, all the information was given to us and the team was incredibly helpful. I think one of the best things from the whole experience was being able to connect with people in the community!" - Yolanda and Mercedes Vukovich

Don't miss out! Applications close midnight Sunday 26 July 2026.

For more information and to apply visit the 'Exhibit your work' page on our website: https://www.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au/Community/Art-and-Culture/Hurstville-Museum-Gallery/Exhibitions/Exhibit-Your-Work



Image description: Install image of exhibition 'Bedtime Stories' curated by Yolanda and Mercedes Vukovich.

This modestly sized estate agent’s office is recorded as being located on Belmore Road, Herne Bay (later Riverwood). With plain text on its exterior, it advertised ‘Herne Bay Agency’, while signage near the door reads ‘Estate Agency – houses and land for sale.’ There are a few advertisements in local newspaper 'The Propeller', as well as 'The Daily Telegraph' and 'The Sunday Telegraph', noting properties, house and land for sale, providing particulars or terms at the ‘Herne Bay Agency at Herne Bay Station.’

Due to its unsavoury reputation, Herne Bay was renamed Riverwood in July 1957 in an attempt to change perceptions of the area as a place marked by poverty and crime.

Don't miss our current Snapshot Gallery exhibition 'Sign of the Times' exploring the changing face of St George through the signage and advertisements found on billboards, shopfronts, streets, and everywhere in between. On display until 9 August 2026.

📷Image: Herne Bay Real Estate Agency office, Belmore Road, Herne Bay (later Riverwood) NSW, 1938. Research and Community History collection, GRLS21-1592.

📣Calling all local artists and art collectives ✨ 🎨

Applications are now open for Community Art Space exhibitions in 2027!

This is your opportunity to exhibit with us at either Hurstville Museum & Gallery's Dragon’s Lair Gallery or at the Clive James Library and Service Centre in Kogarah.

Hear from past Dragon's Lair Gallery artist Bryan Mew's experience below👇

"My experience exhibiting at the Dragon’s Lair Gallery within Hurstville Museum & Gallery has been incredibly rewarding. I was honoured to be part of the gallery’s reopening of its permanent exhibition in the new year, sharing my passion for the ancient Chinese language and its deep connections to local history. It was especially meaningful to receive feedback on how naturally my work resonated within a museum setting that preserves and celebrates the area’s heritage. The staff were consistently professional, supportive, and thoughtful in assisting with the curation and installation of the exhibition, making the entire process a pleasure from start to finish." - Bryan Mew

Don't miss out! Applications close midnight Sunday 26 July 2026.

For more information and to apply visit the 'Exhibit your work' page on our website https://www.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au/Community/Art-and-Culture/Hurstville-Museum-Gallery/Exhibitions/Exhibit-Your-Work


Image description: Install image of exhibition by artist Bryan Mew in Dragon's Lair Gallery.