About

St Heliers Street Gallery:
Expressions of Interest now open for 2024!  

Applications are now open for the St Heliers Street Gallery 2024 exhibition program. This is a fantastic opportunity for artists of all stages from early career to established to exhibit your work at Australia’s largest arts and cultural precinct. Through your exhibition you can immerse yourself in the creative community at the Abbotsford Convent and share your work with a diverse and growing audience. 

We welcome proposals for solo or group exhibitions for of visual and audio-visual arts, sound, design, multi and new media, craft, live art, and performance. 

About the gallery 

Located within the Abbotsford Convent multi-arts precinct, St Heliers Street Gallery delights audiences each year with high calibre works from artists across diverse career stages, contexts, and practices. Centrally located and adjacent to Cam’s Kiosk – a bustling bar and café, – St Heliers Street Gallery is the perfect place to showcase your work.  

St Heliers Street Gallery is managed by the Abbotsford Convent Foundation (ACF) in partnership with Cam’s Kiosk. No commission is charged on works sold. 

Our vision 

The Abbotsford Convent Foundation (ACF) proudly presents contemporary arts and cultural work across arts practices. We work collaboratively with artists and other arts and cultural organisations to share our unique precinct with diverse audiences. We aim to stimulate engagement and cultural exchange through the wonderful and unexpected curiosities of our people and our place – and community venues like St Heliers Street Gallery are at the heart of that vision.   

 Through the St Heliers Street Gallery 2024 program, we seek to create new opportunities for excellence, innovation, and collaboration. We’re looking for proposals that encourage artistic dialogue and that have the potential to inspire and attract new audiences to the Convent.  

For further information on exhibiting at St Heliers Street Gallery please read our FAQ or contact our Team on 9415 3617.  

Apply 

Please submit your EOI by Tuesday 7 November 2023, 5pm, by completing the  Expression of Interest Proposal form.  

Applicants will be notified of outcomes by Monday 20 November 2023.   

FAQs

GALLERY LAYOUT 

The gallery space is (42m2). See the floor plan for more information.  

INSTALLATION 

Installation and de-installation of exhibitions is the responsibility of the exhibiting artist(s) and curator(s). To support those exhibiting at St Heliers Street Gallery the Convent will provide dedicated advice and support and arrange a walk-through with you prior to your exhibition installation, to help you make the most of your exhibition space. Any necessary alterations to the gallery space must be pre-approved by the Abbotsford Convent and the costs for any approved alterations is the responsibility of the exhibitor.   

Please note that due to the Gallery’s location, adjacent to a dining area, all audio exhibitions must use headphones. The use of speakers is not permitted. 

St Heliers Street Gallery is not a climate-controlled exhibition space and has fluorescent and track spot lighting.  

EQUIPMENT 

Installation equipment and any specialist equipment required for installation and exhibition of works, including gallery alterations, must be provided by the artists. Basic equipment for post exhibition gallery patch and repaint is available (including small quantities of paint).  

STAFFING & INVIGILATION  

Artists are encouraged to staff exhibitions where possible. Please note that fundraising activities are not permitted alongside exhibitions or openings within the gallery.   

St Heliers Street Gallery opening times are aligned to Cam’s Kiosk.:
Current Opening Hours:
Monday– Saturday: 8am – 11pm
Sunday: 12pm – 9pm  

INSURANCE  

Exhibiting artists and curators are required to obtain their own public liability and insurance. Artists must provide proof of cover as part of their artist agreement. 

PRICING  

Exhibiting in the gallery is free of charge for Convent studio-based artists.
For artists who do not have a Convent studio, a modest fee of $800 is charged for the exhibition space for up to 3 weeks. Please note that Installation and de-installation assistance may incur additional charges. No commission is applied on works sold.   

The St Heliers Team can assist you with Exhibition title signage in the gallery. We use a local supplier to create vinyl cut lettering at a reduced cost of approximately $35, with an optional $120 install fee.