Applications have opened for Hawkesbury Now, the Hawkesbury Regional Gallery’s annual art fair and exhibition, and the gallery is asking local artists to put their hand up before the window closes.
The program has run since 2014, giving artists who live and work in the Hawkesbury a stage to show contemporary work. Over the years it’s grown through close ties with the region’s art groups — the Ferry Artists Gallery, Friends of Hawkesbury Art Community and Regional Gallery Inc. (FOHAC), the Hawkesbury Artists & Artisans Trail, Hawkesbury Camera Club, Hawkesbury Community Arts Workshop, Hawkesbury Remakery, Macquarie Towns Art Society, Piggery Lane Studios & Gallery, and TAFE NSW’s Media, Arts, Design + Entertainment campus in Western Sydney, among others.
This year’s edition runs on an Expression of Interest (EOI) process, open to artists at any stage of their career, emerging through to established. To be eligible, an artist needs to meet at least one of three conditions: living within the Hawkesbury Local Government Area, keeping a studio practice there, or showing a genuine connection to the region through their work, subject matter, or years of turning up and being part of the community.
Applications close 11:59 pm on Sunday 2 August 2026. Artists after the full eligibility rundown can find it on the gallery’s website at hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au/gallery/events-and-programs/hawkesbury-now.
For anyone who wants a hand with the online form, the gallery is running one-on-one support sessions on Thursday 9 July, from 10 am to 4 pm, and Sunday 12 July, from 10 am to 3 pm. Each session runs 20 minutes and covers everything from submitting the EOI itself to whether a particular piece is likely to qualify. Bookings are essential, arranged by email to [email protected].
There’s also a free professional development session with the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) on Sunday 19 July, from 11 am to 2 pm. It walks through the NAVA Code of Practice, how to value your own work, how to write an artist statement that actually says something, and how to pull together an artist CV. Gallery staff will be on hand throughout to field any Hawkesbury Now questions. Spots need to be booked through hawkesburygallery.eventbrite.com.
Any general questions about the process can be directed to the gallery at [email protected].