Stephen Hobbs

Newcastle Art Space has such an important role in the city of Newcastle's growing cultural infrastructure. Newcastle Art Space is a gallery, it is a major shared studio and creative space. The facilitator of two of the major annual art prizes in Australia's seventh largest city. A meeting place for exchanging ideas and showing work,essential for both emerging and established artists of the region.

The Hunter Emerging Art Prize, formerly known as The Newcastle Emerging Art Prize is vitally important in the career of the region's emerging artists. The first really good group show one can get into. Where you can get a big crowd looking at your work hanging amongst the best emerging artists of the region.

I was incredibly fortunate to win the Works on Paper section of The Newcastle Emerging Art Prize in 2020, and the Painting section of The Hunter Emerging Art Prize in 2021. Along with the two prizes I have had a solo show at Newcastle Art Space and been in other group shows in the gallery. Newcastle Art Space has enabled me as it has many other artists from the region to launch a career and move onto showing at galleries in Sydney and elsewhere. Without Newcastle Art Space, emerging artists of the Hunter Valley would have difficulty establishing a professional CV. It is a vital part of the art infrastructure of Newcastle and the Hunter Valley.