Onwards Ethos
Brilliantly Designed.
Carefully Considered.
Onwards Gallery and Studios is a Newcastle Art Gallery with diverse creative studios built for experimentation, personal development and growth for artists, designers and makers.
Being an Artist Run Initiative, we share a unique purpose of support through collaborative studios, exhibition space, workshops, performances, seminars, welcoming arts events and gatherings.
Unlike other creative spaces we share so much more than just offering you a desk or a work space. Along with a long list of amenities and membership benefits, we house a carefully considered group of alternative and talented individuals from diverse creative backgrounds that are the core of our community.
You’re not just another number to us. You’re an integral part of the Onwards crew.
Great Pals
Not just
Co-Workers
We’re all here to produce as much work as possible. There’s always a little time to hang out each day but we really make up for it when we arrange larger gatherings.
We make efforts to connect through frequent exhibitions, carefully prepared studio meals, film screenings, bbq’s and casual gatherings with a side of competitive table tennis rallies.
Connection is the simple ingredient that we share to become great pals with everyone working from Onwards Gallery and Studios. Connection through occasions like our recent long table dinner provided by Harrison’s Food and Wine for all Onwards members and partners in 2020.
The Good.
The Rad.
& The Lovely.
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Facilities
• Fully equipped kitchen
• Shower facilities with lockers
• Two unisex toilets
• Client and customer parking on site
• Communal areas with table tennis
• Lounge and dining spaces
• Breakout areas for experimentation
• Communal work tables and seating
• Communal work benches
• Shared Artist Storage
• Hire spaces for events -
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Amenities
• 24-7 access with keys allocated
• High speed WiFi
• Secure environment day and night
• Air conditioning and heating
• Dishwasher and coffee machine
• Coffee, tea and milksupplied
• Free parking one block away
• Communal space with table tennis
• Communal lounge and dining
• LED lighting. No Fluorescent lights -
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Benefits
• Industry advice and assistance
• Collaboration opportunities
• Portfolio promoted online and socials
• Discounted venue hire rates
• No commission exhibitionsrates
• Discounted workshoprates
• Access to exclusive events
• Work alongside creative peers
• Member events and gatherings
• Introduced to creative community
• Doggo friendly
Onwards Gallery and Studios Director and MAKE IT - MADE IT Conference Founder and Director Brett Piva hosting the 2019 festival.
Onwards Inception
A staunch advocate for the arts in Newcastle, Brett Piva launched the renowned arts festival MAKE IT-MADE IT Conference in 2015. This shared satellite events and delivered a full day creative talks from artists throughout Australia while inviting several international speakers to share their stories in Newcastle over five years. Nothing of this level in shared knowledge has ever been achieved for Newcastle’s creative community.
To continue this pursuit, Piva aimed to create an environment that was beneficial towards local creatives and shared a similar community to MAKE IT-MADE IT Conference. A unique studio that welcomed both digital and hands on processes for artists, designers and image makers while inviting members of the community to share their work through exhibitions and events.
Onwards Aid
Support for Community
During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, Onwards Gallery and Studios director, Brett Piva, went to great lengths to support studio members and a wider community. To support the arts in Newcastle, Piva devised a concept to create an event that could give local creatives hope in hard times.
The Onwards Art Mini Mart was created to support local artists, musicians, makers, designers and creative small businesses in Newcastle during the initial months of the pandemic. This quickly transformed into a monthly event sharing the work of over 80 creatives in total alongside live music plus coffee and food vendors.
Throughout the pandemic, Onwards Studio has also shared support for those is remote Australian communities. With assistance from Nutrition Plus charitable organisation, while working alongside the Aboriginal Lands Council and the efforts of a wide community of donors, Onwards Director Brett Piva raised over $4000 worth of groceries to be delivered to remote towns suffering hardships during COVID-19 lockdowns in 2021.
With the increasing number of cases in early 2022, Onwards lended support by sharing some available space to artists that couldn’t access their studios or homes to paint.
With the space and provisions to help others in need, Onwards Gallery and Studios will continue to provide our support when we can.