Our History
Established in 1988 and administered by Clarence Valley Council (formerly Grafton City Council), the Grafton Regional Gallery has grown to play an important role in building a strong and supportive community, reflecting our sense of place, and sharing local stories through visual arts.
Since its inception, the Gallery has undergone several stages of restoration and redevelopment.
Stage 1: Prentice House
In 1985 Grafton City Council, with assistance from the Jacaranda Art Society (JAS), purchased Prentice House at 158 Fitzroy Street, Grafton. The late Victorian-style residence was designed and constructed in 1880 by leading Grafton builder Alexander Fairweather and is considered one of Grafton’s finest examples of architecture from that period.
Built for surgeon Dr James Houison to practice and reside in, it was later occupied by Drs Phillips and Prentice. Mrs Prentice sold the property to council for the purpose of establishing a gallery under the proviso the building would bear the family name in honour of her late husband.
Prentice House’s original floor plan has been retained and repurposed, initially including a small waiting room and consulting room located at front; a drawing and a dining room to one side separated by folding doors; bedrooms to the other side separated by a central hallway and the kitchen, servant’s room and pantry located at the rear. The upper floor contained a lobby, small bedroom and boudoir opening to a Fitzroy Street facing balcony. The building’s central walls thrust upwards, intersecting the roof, and creating the narrow first floor — an unusual design feature for the period.
Jacaranda Art Society
Formed in 1961 with the aim of bringing contemporary art to the region, the Jacaranda Art Society managed the then Grafton Art Gallery for two years on a volunteer basis.
A grant from the New South Wales Bicentennial Council funded the restoration and conversation of the building including new environmental and security controls to enable its classification as a regional gallery.
The Grafton Regional Gallery was officially opened in March 1988 with a gallery space in Prentice House, a storeroom, library, and offices. It was thereafter administered by council.
Stage 2: Gallery grows
Stage 2 was built in 1991 and included the addition of the second gallery and collection room at the rear of Prentice House and the development of the courtyard area which remains the central outdoor anchor to its footprint today.
Stage 3: Going up
Extensive additions were completed in September 1999. The second gallery was converted into a collection room and a new main gallery, loft exhibition space, studio room and first floor offices were constructed around the central courtyard. These additions and consequent programs enabled the gallery to increase its range of services and experiences for the community.
Stage 4: Blockbuster extension
Clarence Valley Council purchased land immediately adjacent to the gallery in 2005 and the journey of planning and funding a transformative refurbishment and extension began. In mid-2018 the Grafton Regional Gallery was awarded $7.6 million through the Create NSW Regional Cultural Fund to realise its ambitious plan.
A major building works program began at the end of 2019 and continued throughout 2020. The gallery closed during this time, coinciding with the closure of institutions across NSW due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The newly expanded Grafton Regional Gallery officially opened in March 2021. With 40% more exhibition space and a dynamic new arts and cultural program, the gallery makes a bold cultural statement not only here in the Clarence Valley but across the New South Wales regional arts landscape.
Image Credit: Historic Prentice House c.1950, now home to the Grafton Regional Gallery Precinct.