Rusten House
Rusten House Art Centre is an 1861 NSW Heritage listed building, renovated for reuse as a gallery and workshop facility. Opening for the first time to the public as a community art centre and gallery from mid April 2021, it is owned and operated by Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council.
The Centre is located at 87 Collett Street, Queanbeyan, and you can contact staff on 02 6285 6356 if you are interested in either hiring or exhibiting there.
Current and upcoming exhibitions
12 January - 19 February
Our Forest in Focus | Graham Gall
The Canberra Tree Network is proud to present Our Forest in Focus – A photographic exhibition showcasing some of the region’s most spectacular trees. This exhibition is a collaboration between ACT Government and Government House, Parliament House, Yarralumla Nursery, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Namadgi National Park, National Capital Authority, The National Arboretum Canberra, ANU, Parks and Conservation and QPRC. The stunning photos were taken by local photographer Graham Gall.
Image - Graham Gall, Tree Eucalyptus Meliodora Government House
40 x 50 cm
26 February - 14 May
Art of the Tea Towel
Featuring a diverse display of Tea Towels from the past six decades. This exhibition explores the personal connections to textile treasures from collectors, designers and makers.
Please join us for a visual celebration of domestic art – the humble tea towel.
Hours
- Wednesday - Saturday - 10am - 4pm
- Sunday - Tuesday - Closed
- From Sunday to Tuesday Rusten House workshop space is available for hire
Hire of gallery and workshop
The gallery spaces and workshop are both available for hire.
Exhibitions
Exhibitions run for three week blocks with a week for installation and deinstallation and the hire period is from Wednesday to Saturday.
Cost
- Fever Ward Gallery (G1) - $240/week - total for three weeks $720
- Shop Gallery (G2) - $120/week - total for three weeks $360
Workshops
The workshop space is available for hire seven days per week.
Cost
- Half day (3 hours) - $50
- Full day (6 hours) - $80
History of Rusten House
Rusten House started off as Queanbeyan's hospital in 1862. It is named after Matron Rusten who was employed along with her husband to care for the ill of the district until 1875.
Over the years it has had many purposes including as a hospital, nurses’ quarters, a home to various allied health services and even a café. The building is strongly associated with one of the region’s most respected Aboriginal elders Queen Nellie Hamilton, who passed away in care on 1 January 1897.
The restoration and transformation of Rusten House into a new art centre commenced in 2013 with a grant from the NSW Government Premier's Rural and Regional Grants Fund. It was further made possible through the Justice and Liquor NSW Infrastructure Grant Fund with matched funding from Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council and the NSW Government Stronger Communities Fund. It was formerly opened on 21 April 2021.
Past exhibitions
Dreams of another place | Todd Fuller
For ten years, Sydney based Todd Fuller has been crafting hand-drawn animations exploring themes of love, loss, place, community, and difference. These award winning works are narrative based and are derived from Fuller’s experiences with a range of communities, sites, and histories.
'Dreams of another place' presents the story of 'Little Star', a dog who dreamed of going into space as well as other materials relating to Fuller’s animation practice.
Image: Todd Fuller, little star animation still 2, 2015
charcoal, chalk, ink and acrylic on paper 56 x 89cm
Download the Little Star activity sheet here(PDF, 458KB)
View Todd's work 'Billy's Swan' which has a young Billy Elliot undertake a pas de deux with a chair.