Orange Regional Gallery exhibition of 130 regional artists HERE/NOW open

The HERE/NOW exhibition has been running annually since 2018, featuring artists from across the Central West.

Entry was open to artists over the age of 16, living in the local government areas of Orange, Bathurst, Blayney, Cabonne, Cowra, Forbes, Lachlan Shire, Lithgow, Oberon, Parkes and Weddin Shire, with the Gallery asking for new or recent works that have not been exhibited before.

It is one of the most popular on the calendar in terms of the number of artists, the diversity of media and the number of visitors to the show, says Orange Mayor Reg Kidd.

"For many of these artists, this is the first time they have been showcased in a professional art gallery," Cr Kidd said.

Orange City Council's Services Policy Committee Chair Cr Scott Munro added that the exhibition would be broad in artistic range and would include paintings, sculptures, printmaking and photography.

"Many submitted two pieces and our curators have chosen one piece from each artist. We've had several pieces submitted by young and emerging artists, exhibiting for the first time and that is fantastic to see," Cr Munro said.

"This exhibition provides great exposure and experience for our local artists. We also have a few well-known local artists exhibiting such as Jane Tonks, Jaq Davies and Loretta Blake."

HERE/NOW opened on Saturday and will be on display until Sunday, February 28.

Orange Regional Gallery is open from 10am to 4pm daily.