The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre, Sydney

About the Gallery

Blacktown Arts is a recognised leader in the development of contemporary arts in Australia. We support artistic innovation and offer exciting, new experiences for audiences through an award-winning curated program of exhibitions, performances, workshops, residencies and events.

Blacktown Arts is committed to exploring dynamic, culturally diverse work that reflects Blacktown, its history and its communities. We place Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and communities at the heart of our program to develop new work drawing on issues of local and global significance.

The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre is an innovative multi-arts hub located in the heart of Blacktown, a short walk from the railway station. The Centre has two gallery spaces, 75-seat performance studio, workshop studio, and weaving garden. General admission is free.

Collection Strengths

The Blacktown City Art Collection was established in 1980 and now consists of 300 objects, including drawings, paintings, sculptures, mixed media works and new media works. The Collection continues to grow each year, through acquisitions from the annual Blacktown City Art Prize exhibition and through donations by artists exhibiting in our program and from arts organisations.

The Collection is a visual expression of Blacktown, sharing stories about its history, people, communities and events. A most recent acquisition is a large scale sculpture made of steel, rope and paint with a concrete plinth, made by Perth based artist, Sharyn Egan. The sculpture is permanently situated on the site of the Blacktown Native Institution site in the suburb of Oakhurst, and was donated to the Blacktown City Art Collection by the Museum of Contemporary Art (Australia). Another recent acquisition is a mixed media, multi-part artwork by artist Tony Albert. ‘Gubangala Gumadangyiningi (Lets honour his/her spirit)’ is the result of a collaboration between Kuku Yalanji artist, Tony Albert, Darug woman, Julie Bukari Webb, and ten children and families from Blacktown. A large scale sculpture by Wiradjuri artist, Brook Andrew, was donated to our Collection by Gadigal Information Service.

Programming Strengths

Blacktown Arts offers exciting, new experiences for audiences through an award-winning curated program of exhibitions, performances, workshops, residencies and events, at the Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre and at off-site public places in the Blacktown City. Blacktown Arts is committed to exploring dynamic, culturally diverse work that reflects Blacktown, its history and its communities.

We place Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and communities at the heart of our program to develop new work drawing on issues of local and global significance.

Exhibition Spaces

The main gallery space is approximately 192 square metres; the secondary gallery space is approximately 70 square metres; the performance studio is equipped with a wooden dance floor, staging, lighting and has seating for 75 visitors; and the workshop studio is approximately 110 square meters.