On April 19, 2026, Orange Regional Gallery passed a major milestone as we turn 40!

Pictured here is Janie Raffin, from our archives, speaking during the official opening Celebrations of Orange Regional Gallery on April 19, 1986.

The Gallery’s beginnings go back to the establishment of the Orange Festival of Arts in the late 1960s, which brought bi-annual visual arts events to the Central West. This evolved into a community feeling that a permanent venue for these programs was needed. The construction of the Orange Civic Theatre in 1976 provided space in the foyer for small exhibitions. The Orange Civic Theatre Gallery was directed by Janie Raffin, so she was essentially our first public gallery director in Orange and was hugely passionate about the arts.

Janie and many others were a driving force behind the development of the current Gallery. So as we enter our 40th anniversary year, we will be celebrating the many ways in which our community has participated in the rich and layered history of our regional gallery.

Recently, we called for expressions of interest in preparation for our upcoming exhibition, 40 Years 40 works. We asked you to nominate a work from the collection that you would like to see included in our 40th anniversary exhibition and to tell us a little about your connection to the gallery, and why you chose that particular artwork.

The response has been overwhelming and exciting.

Thanks to support from Fem Hawke, Kathy Snowball and Jaq Davies – all longtime supporters and friends from our community – we have selected a rich range of artworks and stories that celebrate our gallery, our collection and our community.

40 Years 40 Works will be opened on Friday, May 8, by Cr Tony Mileto, Mayor of Orange, and we look forward to celebrating with you all.