NEXT EXHIBITION

FRAMED: The Sampson Collection

05 November 2025 – 07 February 2026

FEATURING WORK BY:

Nick Barlow / Mark Berryman / Charles Blackman / Dino Consalvo / James Drinkwater / John Earle / Brett McMahon / David Middlebrook / Rachael Milne / Nigel Milsom / John Olsen / Gloria Pannka / Ivy Pareroultja / Alfonso Puautjimi

Established in 1965, the University of Newcastle Art Collection is an active asset that is central to the University's cultural identity. With a long-standing commitment to collecting work by significant Australian artists, the Collection has a particular focus on artists from the Newcastle and Hunter region, as well as on works by First Nations artists – playing a vital role in ensuring regional stories and diverse creative voices are represented and celebrated.

In the University's 60th anniversary year, a landmark donation of 80 artworks by Aaron and Samantha Sampson has been made to the Collection. The donated works include pieces by prominent Newcastle-based artists, many of whom have strong connections to the University as teaching staff, alumni, and exhibiting artists. This generous contribution significantly enhances the Collection and highlights the vibrancy of artistic practice in the region. It reflects the strength of community support for the arts and the enduring legacy of the University’s commitment to creative and cultural engagement.

The University Gallery Summer Exhibition Hours for this exhibition are Wednesday to Friday 10–5pm

PREVIOUS EXHIBITION

A Kind of Resistance

19 September – 25 October 2025

Robert Cleworth
Kate Dorrough 
Doug Heslop
Georgina Pollard  
Malvika Satelkar

Curated by Doug Heslop, A Kind of Resistance brings together five artists—Robert Cleworth,  Kate Dorrough, Doug Heslop, Georgina Pollard, and Malvika Satelkar—whose works embody humanity, truth, and connection in a rapidly polarizing world. Through painting, blueprints, and experimental practices, they offer a gentle yet powerful counterpoint to division, fostering dialogue and understanding.

This exhibition responds to the erosion of middle ground and the rise of echo chambers, using art to bridge divides and map complex ideas. From Cleworth’s critique of power structures to Pollard’s spiritual explorations in color, Dorrough’s layered reflections on river systems, Satelkar’s sensorial cyanotype veils, and Heslop’s distilled forms of human resistance, these artists invite viewers to see the world through unguarded, generous perspectives. Their practices, rooted in care and trust, celebrate connection and the ephemeral nature of life.

Join us to experience alternative approaches to art-making that resist division and nurture interconnected growth, offering a critically engaged vision of kinder, more meaningful futures. – Doug Heslop August 2025

Download a copy of the A Kind of Resistance Catalogue here

_{IMAGE: Kate Dorrough River Installation (detail)  2025, Textile, stitching with ceramic vessels,  hand built stoneware ceramic with glaze , 290 x 650 x 190 cm}