The New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM) is proud to announce the launch of New Horizons: Emerging Voices in Landscape, an ambitious new mentorship and exhibition program designed to nurture emerging artists living and working in regional New South Wales. Expressions of Interest are now open for this ten-month creative development opportunity, which will culminate in an exhibition at NERAM in late 2026.
At the heart of New Horizons is an intensive professional mentorship with acclaimed Australian painter Angus Nivison, whose distinguished career spans more than five decades and whose own major retrospective will be presented at NERAM in 2026. The selected cohort of up to five emerging artists will spend dedicated time working alongside Nivison both at NERAM and in his Walcha studio, engaging in masterclasses, conversations, and guided studio development that extend across the year.
NERAM Director Rachael Parsons emphasises the significance of the initiative for regional arts practice:
“Supporting the growth of regional artists is central to NERAM’s mission,” she said. “New Horizons gives emerging practitioners direct access to an artist of national significance while fostering the skills, conversations and creative confidence that help build resilient, long-term careers. This program is an investment in the future of regional arts — and in the extraordinary talent that exists across our communities.”
Alongside the mentorship, participating artists will receive curatorial and professional development support from NERAM’s staff, including guidance on writing, exhibition preparation, career planning and documentation. They will also take part in public programs, community engagement activities and digital storytelling throughout the year. The program will conclude with a group exhibition presented in dialogue with Nivison’s retrospective — offering a rare opportunity for emerging artists to situate their work within a broader conversation about landscape, practice and influence.
New Horizons is open to artists working in any medium whose practice engages with the expansive theme of landscape, including conceptual or non-representational approaches.
Expressions of Interest open on 12 December 2025 and close on 25 January 2026. Selected artists will be announced in February, with the creative intensive taking place from 23–27 March 2026. The final exhibition, New Horizons: Emerging Voices in Landscape, will run from 2 October to 8 November 2026. For full project details visit: https://www.neram.com.au/event/new-horizons-emerging-voices-in-landscape/
This project is supported by the Australian Government through the Regional Arts Fund, and by the Country Arts Support Program administered by Arts North West.