West Darling Arts

29/10/2026

From drag queens to incredible local art and jewelry, there's something for all this week in the Silver City!

THURS 29 💃 DRAG BINGO – Fun, great cocktails, great food, great company and great prizes with guest queen Freda Tuck.
The Kitchen Broken Hill , Argent St | 6 PM | TICKETED

FRI 30 🎨 Maari Ma Indigenous Art Awards – Showcasing and celebrating the creativity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from the region.
Broken Hill City Art Gallery | 5 PM | FREE

FRI 30 🔗 EXHIBITION - Palirika Barka Kiira - Experience Country through the eyes of Menindee artist and jeweller Barb Quayle.
Broken Hill City Art Gallery | 5 PM | FREE

FRI 30 🎥 EXHIBITION – Lighting Up Culture - Video projections created with First Nations artists on the Broken Hill City Art Gallery building.
Broken Hill City Art Gallery | 5 PM – 10:30 PM | FREE

Fridays 🎤 BHP KARAOKE - Friday nights at the BHP.
The Broken Hill Pub | 8:30 PM | FREE

Fridays 🎸 LIVE MUSIC – Sidewalks sessions – live music outside every Friday night.
Lush bar The Astra Broken Hill | 7 PM | FREE

SAT 31 🕺🏿 "Twilight Picnic" - Live, burlesque style entertainment from C**t O’Mania, prizes for best dressed Halloween or Speakeasy inspired costume.
The Old Brewery - Tipsy Camel | 6 PM | TICKETED

WORKSHOP

Fridays 🔨 The Workshop - Join us every Friday for a free, inclusive craft and woodworking workshop.
The Wellbeing Place, Blende st | 9:30 AM | FREE

Fridays 🧶 Knit and Yarn - For anyone wanting to learn to knit or crochet, or for experienced knitters and crocheters who want to share their knowledge.
Broken Hill City Library | 10am – 12pm | FREE

Saturdays 🪡 Silver City Quilters – Patchwork, applique, paper piecing, hand or machine sewing and much more.
Aged Person’s Rest Centre, Blende St | 10 AM

27/10/2026

Want to see your art lit up on a huge wall? Don't miss Aboriginal Regional Arts Alliance NSW Lighting up Culture at Broken Hill City Art Gallery, kicks off tomorrow!

27/10/2026

Tomorrow Broken Hill!

BROKEN HILL — ARE YOU READY TO LIGHT IT UP?!

Lighting Up Culture is heading your way, and we're getting closer to bringing art, culture and creativity to life on a whole new scale!

After an incredible start in Deniliquin, we're heading west to see what Broken Hill's First Nations artists can create!

Join creative facilitator Scott Baker for two hands-on days exploring projection mapping, animation and digital storytelling. Bring your artwork, photography or creative ideas and discover what happens when they go BIG!

🎨 WORKSHOPS
28 & 29 October
📍 Broken Hill City Art Gallery

✨ EXHIBITION
Friday 30 October
As part of the Maari Ma Indigenous Art Awards

No projection mapping experience? No worries! This is all about having a go, learning something new and getting creative.

Broken Hill artists — we'd love to see you involved!

👉 Register your interest: https://www.araansw.com/projects/lightingupculture

Let's see what Broken Hill can bring to the light!

Lighting Up Culture Broken Hill Supported By Darling Arts Broken Hill City Art Gallery Maari Ma Health

21/10/2026

*UPDATE November has been booked! Stay tuned for 2027 expressions of interest opening soon!

🎨 Who would you like to see in our window in November?

We've had a last-minute opening in our Exhibition Window for November, and we'd love your help finding our next featured artist!

West Darling Arts' Exhibition Window is all about celebrating the incredible creative talent in our region, giving local artists a chance to showcase their work in the heart of Broken Hill.

So we're throwing it over to you!

👀 Is there a local artist whose work you think deserves more attention? A painter, sculptor, photographer, textile artist, maker, or someone creating something completely different?

🏷 Tag them in the comments or nominate yourself! We'd love to discover some new talent, as well as hear from artists who've been quietly creating away.

IMAGES: 1. in her home studio, Kelly Leonard spinning at Brown's Shaft, 3. Graeme Armstrong in his backyard studio, 4. Young designer Anna Sophia Designs installing her window display.

21/10/2026

West Darling Arts joins the Broken Hill community in mourning the passing of one of our region's most iconic and beloved artists, Howard Steer, aged 79.

Born and raised in Broken Hill, Howard spent more than five decades capturing the people, landscapes, history and humour of outback Australia through his distinctive paintings.

Known as the 'Flying Doctor Artist', Howard developed his own naïve style, bringing to life everything from the struggles of early miners to the colourful characters and absurdities of outback life.

His paintings could be cheeky, b***y, outrageous and occasionally downright rude. He wasn't afraid to poke fun at people, institutions or the peculiarities of life in the bush, and it was this mischievous spirit, alongside his unmistakable artistic style, that made his work memorable.

His paintings travelled far beyond Broken Hill, finding audiences across Australia and internationally, while remaining deeply connected to the place he called home.

Howard leaves behind an extraordinary body of work and a lasting contribution to Broken Hill's identity as a city of artists.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to Howard's family, friends and all who knew and loved him.

IMAGES: Paintings by Howard Steer 1. Cursing the Effigy Grave,1904, Courtesy Art Record 2. Outback Online Shopping, 3. Bloody Sharp Fingers Courtesy Montville Art Gallery 4. Howerd Steer 2021, 5. Car Painted by Howard Steer at Silverton.

21/10/2026

Check out all the incredible art from across Western NSW in Outback Arts' Outback Country Art Prize.

20/10/2026

This week brings travelling musicians, authors and puppets to the far west!

Wednesdays 🎤 PALACE KARAOKE - Every week.
The Palace Hotel | 7 PM | FREE

FRI 23 🎸 LIVE MUSIC - RJ FALCON + FIELD COMMANDER ALI - “It'll be like to flamingos in a fruit fight.”
, Oxide St | 6:30 PM | TICKETED

Fridays 🎤 BHP KARAOKE - Friday nights at the BHP.
The Broken Hill Pub | 8:30 PM | FREE

Fridays 🎸 LIVE MUSIC – Sidewalks sessions – live music outside every Friday night.
Lush bar The Astra Broken Hill | 7 PM | FREE

SAT 24 🎸 LIVE MUSIC - James & Oz - Hailing from the lush Adelaide Hills, a great variety of covers and acoustic songs.
The Broken Hill Pub | 8:30 PM | FREE

SAT 24 🤖 PUPPET SHOW - TRINKET THE ROBOT – Little Wing Puppets
An interactive experience for preschool and primary school audiences.
The Palace Hotel | 4 PM | FREE

MON 26 📖 AUTHOR’S TALK – Join Australian bestselling author Fleur McDonald .
Broken Hill City Library | 6 PM | FREE

WORKSHOP

Fridays 🔨 The Workshop - Join us every Friday for a free, inclusive craft and woodworking workshop.
The Wellbeing Place, Blende st | 9:30 AM | FREE

Fridays 🧶 Knit and Yarn - For anyone wanting to learn to knit or crochet, or for experienced knitters and crocheters who want to share their knowledge.
Broken Hill City Library | 10am – 12pm | FREE

Saturdays 🪡 Silver City Quilters – Patchwork, applique, paper piecing, hand or machine sewing and much more.
Aged Person’s Rest Centre, Blende St | 1 PM

SAT 24 🤖 FREE PUPPET WORKSHOP - Puppetry of Paper Workshop by the Trinket the Robot team - Learn about making your own simple puppets from paper.
Broken Hill City Art Gallery | 10:15 AM | FREE

SUN 25 🎄 WORKSHOP - Christmas Bilbies of Broken Hill – A hands-on wire sculpture workshop with Wild Deserts where you’ll create your own handcrafted bilby, complete with a festive personality. Ages 16 +
Broken Hill City Art Gallery | 9 AM – 4 PM | BOOK

SUN 25 💎 WORKSHOP - Lost Wax Jewellery Club - learn a 6,500 year-old technique. Last Sunday of the month.
Broken Hill City Art Gallery | 12 PM | BOOK

20/10/2026

A huge fortnight for arts and culture in Far West NSW! Local artists making waves nationally, major awards, and plenty to celebrate closer to home.

🌊 DAVID DOYLE MAKES HISTORY! Huge congratulations to Barkindji/Malyangappa artist David Doyle , exhibiting Kaaku-Kaakulinya: Eternal Sentinels at Sydney's Sculpture by the Sea , where he's also the inaugural recipient of the NRMA Insurance Indigenous Artist Program. We're proud to have helped get his sculptures from Broken Hill to Bondi!

It was also announced this week that David has been awarded a Creative Australia World Heritage Residency to develop work exploring the Willandra Lakes region.

🏆 OUTBACK COUNTRY ART PRIZE WINNERS - Congratulations to Barkindji artist Barbara Quayle (Palirika Barka Jewelry) , winner of the Aboriginal Art Prize, and Broken Hill's Lyndy Marshall, winner of the Landscapes category in Outback Arts' annual art prize.

📚 TEN YEARS OF Under the Silver Tree! Congratulations to Broken Hill's beloved community-run bookshop on a decade of books, stories and literary culture!

🎸 Mundi Mundi Bash RECOGNISED - The Bash is a finalist in the NSW Tourism Awards! A special shout-out to the local artists and musicians whos help make the festival experience so memorable.

🎉 BEYOND THE DUST RETURNS! Congratulations to Broken Hill City Council, organisers and participating artists on another festival celebrating local creativity, bringing visiting talent to town and building audiences for arts and culture.

❤️ From Menindee to Milparinka, Broken Hill to Bondi, what a reminder of the extraordinary talent in our region and the importance of supporting the people and organisations helping it thrive!

Photos: DavidDoyle' s "Kaaku Kaakulinya (Eternal Sentinels)" by Charlotte Curd, The Under the Silver Tree staff and volunteers, Tha Boiz perform at the Mundi Bash, Stalls at "Beyond the Dust" by Skye Chan-McBeth.

20/10/2026

Congratulations to Harrie Fasher, winner of Sculpture by the Sea's prestigious Aqualand Sculpture Award! Harrie has a long connection with Far West artists and communities, including her sculpture of Kalthi, the dark sky emu, at Milparinka. She's also been an important mentor and supporter of many artists in the far west.

Harrie Fasher is the recipient of the 2026 Aqualand Sculpture Award.

Announced this morning at the opening of Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, the $70,000 award recognises her work 'Unveiling the Edges of the Sky'.

From Portland, NSW, Harrie Fasher has created a large-scale sculpture in steel and bronze, standing 6 metres tall and 5 metres long. This is her sixth exhibition at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, and she is also the recipient of this year’s Transfield Australian Invited Artist Program.

In her acceptance, Harrie Fasher dedicated the award to women around the world, including artists and those who work tirelessly to bring the exhibition to life. As she said, “I’m honoured to work alongside a magical team, it was a community effort to bring this sculpture to life and I’m humbled by the trust and support my studio engenders.”

Aqualand Group Managing Director Jin Lin congratulated Harrie Fasher on receiving the award, highlighting the unique connection Sculpture by the Sea creates between art, the natural landscape and the community, and the role these experiences play in shaping a sense of belonging.

We thank for its continued support as Principal Sponsor of Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi.

Discover 'Unveiling the Edges of the Sky' along the Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk. Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi is on now until 2 November.

Image: Harrie Fasher (NSW), 'Unveiling the Edges of the Sky', Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2026. Photo: Charlotte Curd

20/10/2026

Far west NSW Artists! EOIs now open for Cementa 2028.

A great opportunity many far west artists have been part of in the past.