Canberra and art go hand in hand, largely because of the city’s status as the Australian capital. The ACT is home to institutions showcasing art and artefacts for the nation, including the National Gallery of Australia, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Library of Australia, the Australian War Memorial and the National Museum of Australia.
The ACT Government operates the Canberra Glassworks in the Kingston Arts Precinct and Canberra Museum and Gallery in Civic Square.
All are amazing facilities, free to the public and we are lucky to have them. But there’s another side to Canberra art. There are a dozens of smaller, lesser known galleries out there; spaces that showcase a diversity of ideas and aesthetics, reflecting our citizens’ own cultural identity rather than a broader national perspective. This week we want to know what your favourite small art gallery is, and I’ll check out and review the most popular answers for you for Best of Canberra next week.
One particular small gallery that I’ve noted is Low Brow, a new addition to Sancho’s Dirty Laundry in Garema Place, Civic. This is where street art meets the gallery, and the exhibitions are a fantastic showcase of local art. There’s also Canberra Contemporary Art Space (CCAS), located within the gorgeous grounds of Gorman Arts Centre, an ever-changing exhibition space of mixed mediums. CCAS also has a small gallery at Manuka.
There are private galleries like Beaver Galleries in Deakin and the Nishi Gallery in New Acton, and arts centre spaces at Megalo, the Belconnen Arts Centre, Strathnairn Arts and ANCA Gallery in Dickson.
But there are no doubt pockets we’ve yet to discover, and we’d love to share your recommendations with our readers. Help us all experience a slice of capital culture. Tell us about your favourite small art gallery in the ACT in the comments below, and I’ll review your favourites before selecting the Best of Canberra.
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