Welcome to our list of arts and cultural events happening in the NSW Central West gathered from artists, event producers, great local venues and groups across the region. Use the contact or ticketing details listed with each event.

It’s free to submit your local events

For maps and details of museums, galleries, artist studios, historic sites, Aboriginal experiences and sites, craft shops, handmade retail outlets or public art go to the Culture Maps Central NSW menu.

Exhibition: ‘A Likeneness’

Orange Regional Gallery 149 Byng Street, Orange, NSW, Australia

Christian Thompson’s large-scale self-portraits mask his personal identity to foreground Indigenous cultural identity and connections to Country. Salvatore Zofrea’s tender portrait draws on his memory of his late father in a large diptych, seated both within and outside a room, evoking his fugitive state. While a small circular painting by Judy Cassab presents an intimate portrait of fellow artist and friend Nora Heysen.

Ranging from 1938 to the present, through photography, works on paper and painting, these diverse portraits draw us into the lives and stories of their subjects, and invite us to explore what it is that creates a sense of likeness.

Event Series Spring In Jenolan

Spring In Jenolan

Jenolan Caves 4655 Jenolan Caves Road, Jenolan Caves, NSW, Australia

Spring in Jenolan is a great time of year to visit. Especially as we're open EVERY Friday and Saturday.
Enjoy a late afternoon tour, dinner at Chisholm’s Restaurant and/or evening tour.

Evans Arts Council Weekly Craft Activities

Evans Art Council 5 - 7 Lee Street, Bathurst, NSW, Australia

Looking to meet new people while sharing your love of craft? Come along to one of our free groups - bring along whatever you are working on or need help with - someone in the group will be able to help you, or just come along for a chat.

FREE

Collection Highlights and Recent Acquisitions

Orange Regional Gallery 149 Byng Street, Orange, NSW, Australia

Recent additions presented in this exhibition include works by Jenni Kemarre Martiniello, Catherine O’Donnell, Anna Kristensen, Steve Lopes, Grace Cossington Smith, Roland Wakelin, Enid Cambridge, Justin O’Brien, Kevin Connor, Margaret Loy Pula, Tom Polo, Mavis Ngallametta, Tim Storrier and Aida Tomescu. These are shown alongside collection highlights.

Homework Club

Oberon Library Oberon, NSW, Australia

Is your child struggling? Does your child lack confidence?

Homework club is a free program to help your child with homework. An opportunity to review, practice and develop skills in a supportive environment.

FREE

Exhibition: ‘Capturing the Homefront’

Orange Regional Museum 151 Byng Street, Orange, NSW, Australia

Forty-nine stunning framed photographs reproduced from national and international collections reveal the remarkable parallels between Australia and the USA during the Pacific war including in industry, family life, the role of women and Japanese internment.

Agatha Bean’s Curious Encounters

Grenfell Art Gallery 88 Main Street, Grenfell, NSW, Australia

Three friends, a painter, a printer and a textile artist have come together to explore the micro, the macro and the meta verse here in Central West NSW. Their research has influenced their making to present the audience with a glimpse into a curious other world.
This realm brings to your attention the connections and the beings unseen to most human eyes though they are ever present beside us. This work will inspire you to look at your environment differently as if you have never really seen it before.
10am-4pm daily.

LIZ MAYBERRY & HELEN SWORDS JOINT EXHIBITION

Rosby Wines, Gallery & Sculpture Garden, Mudgee 122 Strikes Ln, Eurunderee, NSW, Australia

Always experimenting with a range of materials and techniques, Liz Mayberry is happiest weaving in a group and sharing her skills with others. 
Helen Swords discovered her love for creating with clay in her mid thirties. Having a background in horticulture and landscaping, she was always happiest working with soil and plants creating outdoor spaces to be enjoyed. 

upstART 2023

Cowra Regional Art Gallery 77 Darling Street, Cowra, NSW, Australia

The annual upstART Exhibition and Awards showcases the work of regional students in Stages 5 and 6, encompassing a broad range of styles and subjects.

The exhibition includes experimental and creative approaches to painting, ceramics, mixed media, photography and sculpture.

This is a “must-see” exhibition presented by the Cowra Regional Art Gallery, in association with high schools in the Central West.  

FREE

Exhibition: ‘Journeys and Return’

Orange Regional Gallery 149 Byng Street, Orange, NSW, Australia

Presenting selected paintings, works on paper and sketchbooks, this survey covers the full breadth of John R Walker’s extraordinary practice over the last 25 years.

Walker’s paintings and drawings emerge from time spent immersed in the Australian landscape, from the Southern Tablelands near his home and more recently around Ghaana Bula (Mount Canobolas) in the Central West of New South Wales.

2023 Christmas Art Fair

GANG GANG Gallery, Lithgow 206 Main Street, Lithgow, NSW, Australia

Lithgows' Gang Gang Gallery is partnering with GBMCAN to bring you the 2023 Christmas Art Fair. 

2023 HSC Visual Arts Body of Work Exhibition

Mudgee Arts Precinct 90 Market Street, Mudgee, NSW, Australia

To celebrate the talented St Matthews Catholic School 2023 HSC Visual Arts cohort, all are welcome to the exhibition to experience the eclectic range of artworks they have produced. 

Exhibition: ‘Who is Parkes?’

Coventry Room Parkes Parkes Library, Bogan St, Parkes, NSW, Australia

Check out the beautiful photography exhibition, Who Is Parkes? throughout December during library open times. 

Wynne Prize 2023 Exhibition

Mudgee Arts Precinct 90 Market Street, Mudgee, NSW, Australia

Mudgee Arts Precinct is delighted to announce it will feature The Wynne Prize 2023 exhibition which is touring from the Art Gallery of New South Wales for the first time since it began over 125 years ago, giving our local community the chance to see the best of Australian contemporary landscape painting and sculpture closer to home. 

Jack Mundey Exhibition

Kandos Museum 22 Buchanan Street, Kandos, NSW, Australia

At Kandos Museum all summer you will find an engrossing exhibition about Jack Mundey and the Green Bans.

Pulled together by Neale Towart and/Bill Pirie from material held in the vast Sydney Trades Hall labour history collection this outstanding display lays out the emergence of that distinctly Australian phenomena - the green ban.

2024 Summer Reading Club Challenge

Bathurst Library 70-78 Keppel Street, Bathurst, NSW, Australia

Keep an eye out for the launch of our annual SRC Challenge. With $600 worth of prizes up for grabs, its a great way to keep kids reading over the summer holidays!
PLUS a special announcement about an EXTRA feature of this years' challenge is coming soon...

Two for 2 Exhibition

Rosnay Organic, Canowindra 510 Rivers Road, Canowindra, NSW, Australia

Jen Salkeld and Pennie Scott are combining their talents in a Festival of the Earth, celebrating our riches and resources through multi-media art. 

David Mason – ‘From the Mountains to the Sea’

Orange Art Society 22 Sale Street, Orange, NSW, Australia

A collection of landscapes from Orange and beyond.

David enjoys painting both landscapes and portraits using both acrylic and oil.

Free
Event Series Oberon Men’s Shed

Oberon Men’s Shed

Oberon Showground Oberon, NSW

Oberon Men's Shed is a neutral safe space to enjoy other bloke's company.

A range of activities and a great starting point for blokes new to Oberon to meet the locals or for locals to catch up with old mates. 

FREE
Event Series Mosaic’s at Orana House

Mosaic’s at Orana House

Orana House 32 Ferguson Street, Canowindra, NSW, Australia

Mosaic’s is on every Tuesday from 10-2pm.

The Community is welcome to come have a look or join in the fun and friendship morning each Tuesday.

Do something different and enjoy this experience

Event Series Rankin Cottage Craft

Rankin Cottage Craft

Rankin Cottage Crafts, Bathurst 117 Rankin Street, Bathurst, NSW, Australia

Spring brings out all the colours of the rainbow, and we have every colour covered in the wonderful handmade items for you and your family. Closed Monday & Sunday and public holidays.  

FREE
Event Series Storytime @ Parkes

Storytime @ Parkes

Parkes Library 25 Bogan Street, Parkes, NSW, Australia

Know a 3-5 year old? Come along to our FREE Story Time for a fun way to boost preschool children's confidence and reading-readiness skills. Make friends, enjoy stories, learn rhymes, do some craft.

 

The What’s On calendar covers arts and heritage events happening across the NSW Central West in the local government areas of Bathurst Region, Blayney, Cabonne, Cowra, Forbes, Lachlan, Lithgow, Mid-Western Region, Oberon, Orange, Parkes and Weddin.

Event listings are sourced or supplied from local venues and arts organisations. Many events listed here have been originally shared by the organisers on social media. Whilst all care is taken – and accuracy is our priority – we can take no responsibility for date changes or the content of contributed information. Contact the event organisers listed for more details or to book tickets.

The best way to include your event is to use our SUBMIT HERE form (under the What’s On menu at the top of each page). These listings will be manually approved by the Arts OutWest team before publication.  Please allow a couple of days for listings to be published. If you have submitted an event and want to make changes just email us at artsoutwest@csu.edu.au

Featured events‘ are those submitted directly online by presenters.

Event promotors are asked to only include their own original images / images that they have permission to use / copyright free stock images. For more information see our fact sheet on Using Images For Promoting Events (if you can’t see this link look under ‘Opportunities’ then ‘Resources’).