Museum of Art and Culture yapang

About the Gallery

The Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie yapang (MAC) is uniquely positioned within 5 hectares of leafy grounds on the shore of Lake Macquarie, Australia’s largest salt-water lake.

The word yapang means journey/pathway in Awabakal and is the name given to a new dedicated Aboriginal program within the Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, yapang (MAC). The initiative is a natural progression of the 19-year relationship between the art museum and Aboriginal Reference Group. Through yapang, you will always be able to view contemporary Aboriginal art and participate in related programming throughout the year.

The award-winning art museum MAC yapang is an ideal destination for visitors as it is inclusive, accessible and captivating. It initiates and presents dynamic, refreshing, creative and diverse art and cultural programs, engaging multiple communities, makers, collaborators and supporters. Guided tours are available for small and large groups. Admission to MAC is free.

Collection Strengths

The Visual Arts Collection is comprised of four focus areas – 21st Century, 20th Century, Still Waters Clear Visions and yapang. It includes works by highly-regarded national, international and local artists; and comprises painting, works on paper, photography, sculpture, ceramics, installation and digital artworks, including video, sound works and new media. The collection began in the early 1970s with the establishment of the former gallery in 1980 and comprises a strong core group of two-dimensional works by established contemporary Australian artists, a number of key works by Sir William Dobell, large-scale contemporary sculptures in the park and Indigenous works on paper.

Programming Strengths

MAC yapang places a very strong emphasis on First Nations programming, family engagement, seniors programming and a diverse range of activities for pre-primary and primary school aged children. MAC yapang aims to provide professional development opportunities for artists in the region in the form of community exhibitions, hands on workshops and professional development, mentorship and leadership.

Exhibition Spaces

The exhibition space at MAC yapang consists of 150 running metres. It is versatile with free standing partition walls to create separate exhibition and project spaces which are climate controlled and equipped with a Dali lighting system to a 1% increment dimming capacity.