Who we are

South East Centre for Contemporary Art is located in the South East corner of New South Wales, half way between Australia’s two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne and three hours’ drive from the nation’s capital, Canberra.

Idyllically situated within the Bega Valley Shire on the land of the original custodians, the people of the Yuin Nation, a landscape of pristine wilderness, rich pastures, unspoilt coastline and boutique villages, the BVRG is the regions only publicly funded gallery and an outpost for contemporary visual culture.

The gallery hosts touring exhibitions of national significance along with its own exclusively curated artistic program as part of its cultural tourism plan that is designed to engage tens of thousands of visitors to the region annually.

The gallery is an important resource for its artistically rich and diverse community and works collegiately with fellow professional arts organisations: fLiNG Physical Theatre, Four Winds Festival and South East Arts who collectively deliver engaging, challenging and innovative programs of both artistic and educational excellence. Other cultural/community service providers are encouraged to use the Gallery site as a location for cultural initiatives. (Please contact the Gallery to discuss further.)

The SECCA brings communities together, to build and share their identity, history, creativity and culture, through consultation and engagement with the arts. It stimulates, develops and enhances the diverse visual culture of the region through viable, accessible, dynamic and relevant exhibition, education and collection programs.

A growing number of national and state arts institutions are partnering with the SECCA to deliver valuable and vibrant visual arts programming to the South East, these include the Art Gallery of NSW, The National Maritime Museum, The Australian War Memorial, Museums & Galleries NSW, Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA), Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art and University of New South Wales Art & Design to name a few.

Artists in regional and remote places don’t have access to services in the same way as metropolitan Australians. This is a challenge, not a disadvantage. Regional people work more closely together, rely on each other: you have to nurture relationships when there is only one framer in town, you need to plan ahead when the barge only deliver goods once a week. Regional arts bring people together.

The South East Centre for Contemporary Art is funded by the Bega Valley Shire Council, and the NSW Government through Create NSW.