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.
Past, Present, Continuous is a series of hand-cut and hand-beaded curtains made from flame-polished plastic, a craft material from the 1960s. The work was inspired by a collection of the material gifted to the artist. Referencing transitional spaces within domestic homes the installation is a gentle meditation on the passing of time and how places and materials haunt us.
A selection of works from Engelman's travels across the outback over the past 12 years, these focus on the dry lakes and deserts, and are representational works of the energies and spirit she felt during my explorations. We live in amazing country unlike any other, a wide expanse of flatness filled with awe and colour, it reminds Engelman, she states, of driving through a large painting; the creation of a vast universal mind.
WAYOUT_blp is a site-specific artwork by Margaret Roberts that makes the site an active player in the work by inviting anyone to lend an object they live with, to be arranged with others into one shape on the WAYOUT floor. These varied objects are the artwork’s ‘chance’ materials delivered by the site. The shape into which they will be arranged is known in art-history as a ‘blp’, and used as a ‘discursive mark’ for ‘here’, wherever it is located. In WAYOUT, that art-usage temporarily frames the objects and their lenders’ decisions to participate. Multiple forms of documentation are planned during the show: observational drawers are invited to record objects’ likenesses and oral history buffs are invited to record stories that lenders tell about their objects. After 7 weeks, this shape will dissolve as objects return home, their ‘provenance’ altered by participation in the communal ‘blp’.
Inspired by Henri Matisse's cut-out technique, our new exhibition opens on Sunday, 21st May 2023.
Everyone is invited to come along and create their own artwork in this style. We have daily activities that demonstrate and teach his techniques.
You'll discover composition, abstraction, and representational art, creative process, and invention.
The final collaboration between Rodgers & Hammerstein was destined to become the world’s most beloved musical. Featuring a trove of cherished songs, including Climb Ev’ry Mountain, My Favourite Things, Do Re Mi, Sixteen Going on Seventeen and the title number, The Sound of Music won the hearts of audiences worldwide, earning five Tony Awards and five Oscars.
In 2022 artists from across the Central West were asked to use the album While the World Waits. as a jumping off point and inspiration for new work.
While the World Waits Exhibition is a curated exhibition in which selected artists each respond to one or more tracks, title or words on the album.
The exhibition will showcase work from across all mediums. You will see painting, sculpture, drawing, ceramics, moving image, animation, photography, glass and textiles.
Artists featured are: Bridget Thomas (Bathurst), Cate McCarthy (Yetholme), Gemma Clipsham (Bathurst), Gus Armstrong (Rylstone), Harrie Fasher (Portland), Heather Dunn (Bathurst), Heather Vallance (Orange), Helen Carpenter (Grenfell), Hugh McKinnon (orange), Jane Tonks (Orange), Laura Baker (Blayney), Lise Edwards (Lithgow), Henry Simmons & River Yarners (Bathurst), Robert Hirschmann (Portland), Shani Nottingham (Cowra), Stephan de Witt (Parkes), Timothy Seager (Bathurst), Aleshia Lonsdale (Mudgee), Steven Cavanagh (Hill End), Christine McMillan (Kandos).
As small mundane and usually overlooked pieces of single-use plastic, bread-tags are an abundant waste material, a polluting product that are abundant - a waste material, a polluting product. I reclaim and transform them, moving past their initial purpose and life span to become something ‘other’ that has value and meaning, provoking response and creating a space for dialogue about plastic waste. These breadtags have been saved and sent to me from people all over Australia and the world, as part of my ongoing work for 'The Breadtag Project’. Whatever the medium, I am continually drawn to pattern, colour, line and repetition. The theme of collecting is consistent, too, as I find solace and joy in the process of creating order from chaos, observing similarities and disparities. Through my work, I seek out small elements of beauty and interest in everyday life, of finding moments and objects that can either bind, comfort and hold us or confront and surprise us.
The Bathurst Arts Trail is a collective of artists throughout the Bathurst region who open their galleries and studios to visitors on the first weekend of each month.
Brenda is currently camping out amongst the ancient landscapes of Lake Mungo in far western New South Wales. This echoes earlier solo trips to the Pilbara in Western Australia which resulted in some of her most captivating works that won her the Pilbara Art Award in 2004. Paintings from this trip will feature in this exhibition. Brenda finds the opportunity to create works on country, immersed in the landscape, an inspiration: “away from the mundanity of ‘I wonder how the tomatoes are going?’ You’ve got your kit, you’re self-sufficient and you F*** off. Exhilarating! You find yourself. It takes away the fluff of social constraints”.
An exhibition by local artist living in the Capertee Valley of the sandstone cliffs painted Pleinair using oils on canvas. Approximately 30paintings, half of them Pleinair and the remainder painted in the home studio
Lithgow Theatre Group will also be performing the 2 plays in Lithgow on Saturday 3 June and 16 June 2023. Anzac Biscuits was written by two very experienced Australian playwrights, Rob Smith and John Mawson. Prince Charming's Complaint was written by Bruce Kane.
Come along and learn how to make this exquisite table runner. You will learn how to cut fabric and assemble into this tulip design.
At the heart of ‘Intertwined’ is a story of three people from three entirely different backgrounds and worlds. Contemporary, historical and ancient cultures collide in this exploration of commonalities, differences and enduring lessons of life with the backdrop of The Second World War.
Orange Male Voice Choir & Cantar Community Choir are combining forces to present a benefit concert in aid of flood relief for the Central West Region. The recent devastating floods in Molong, Eugowra and Forbes wreaked terrible havoc on those communities and the choirs are highly committed to making their own small gesture to both lift spirits and modestly alleviate hardship. The choirs will each perform a bracket of their own before coming together to present combined items including a Seekers Medley - a nice tribute to the late Judith Durham.
Get set for a weekend of great music and fine wine in the picturesque winter wonderland of Orange. This beautiful and historic township plays host to the best of the Central West’s music scene, alongside Australia’s most electrifying jazz artists across the June long weekend 2023.
Meander between music venues, discover historic sites, boutique food and brews or explore the wine trails of the region and quaint surrounding villages in this three-day festival.
Just four hours drive from Sydney, three hours from Canberra, and five hours from Newcastle, the Orange Winter Jazz Festival is the perfect weekend escape.
Gulgong Arts Council is thrilled to announce that Wendy Sharpe, one of Australia's most acclaimed and awarded artists, who lives between Sydney and Paris, is visiting Gulgong as guest judge of our unethed competition in June 2023.
Opera and Musical Theatre singer, Olivia Ruggiero, stars in Broadway Diva - a cabaret featuring Broadway Belts, West End Wonders, Opera Classics, and beloved show tunes from productions such as Les Miserables, Anastasia, Cabaret, Smash, Jesus Christ Superstar and more.
Lovingly crafted, imaginatively created. All for sale and will include: ceramics, cards, bags, jewellery, works in glass, work with fabric and paper as well as work on canvas and paper.
Everything beautiful and practical, for you and those you want to show your love or gratitude to, too.
A rare opportunity to enjoy music composed and played by the acclaimed Elena Kats-Chernin, accompanied by visual projections of artwork by the Archibald-winning artist, Wendy Sharpe. Together they will engage the audience with stories of their art practice and the connections in their work, followed by a short Q&A.
A June long weekend special Saturday night Sam’ Bar experience!
Join us at Sam’s Bar Millthorpe, Saturday 10th of June with tunes from Andy Nelson from 6pm
Join us for Saturday Night at the Movies in the Keystone Theatre for the classic 1975 Rocky Horror Picture Show. This will be an immersive experience with audience participation during the movie. And be sure to dress in theme!
An hour and a half overview of arts funding including time to briefly discuss your funding plans.
King's Spur is set in the Dargo High Plains last century and is inspired by distant Treasure relatives who are part of the High Country cattleman myths and legends.
This fictional story has its roots in history, wild remote landscapes and challenges faced by the first Europeans.
After more live music?
Wickes & Watts are a guitar, fiddle duo with a fun Irish feel.
Cowra Eisteddfod Grand Concert of Prize Winners is a showcase of the amazing talent the eisteddfod attracts each year.
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’).