The 1998 Maitland City Art Gallery Director, Margaret Sivyer, was instrumental in bringing together local artists to form an art society. The Society was founded in April 1998 with Katherine Sullivan as President, Colleen Neal as Secretary and Sue Gorring as Treasurer. Meetings were held at Brough House and later at Shop 3 in Pender Place.
Over the years the Society has run life drawing workshops at the Youth Centre, art classes in watercolours and drawing at Brough House by Marion Armstrong and Sue Gorring and workshops at Walka Water Works.
Marion Armstrong, in particular was a wonderful asset to the Society. Her Christmas parties at her wonderful "artistic home" with song and poetry readings are remembered with great affection by her friends, Society members and guests. One room of her house is pictured above.
Exhibitions have been held at many locations:
Maitland Regional Art Gallery, East Maitland and Rutherford Libraries, and Maitland Hospital. For many years the Society also held exhibitions at Walka Water Works during Steamfest. This was a popular event with our artists as they could demonstrate their skills and love of their artform, from watercolours to pottery. The public was encouraged to observe and participate.
In 2005, the Society put on a major exhibition with statewide representation, with 429 entries. This exhibition was a great success and since then this exhibition has become an annual event, though now open to members only. Many and varied workshops have been held in Maitland Mall, Pender Place, Brough House, Walka Water Works, Buchanan Gallery, Maitland Regional Art Gallery and Maitland Leagues Club.
A mural was created and presented to the emergency ward at Maitland Hospital on 29 October 2006.
The artwork, organised through the Maitland Region Society of Artists, is a pictorial narrative starting with an image of Barrington Tops in the morning and ending with a scene at Nobby's Beach, Newcastle, in the evening. Maitland Mercury 27/10/2006
After this success, Margaret Smart, Pauline Clark, Julie Hosking, Melissa Melitzer and Jocelyn Pitts worked every weekend for one year creating a second mural for the Pediatrics Ward at Maitland Hospital. This was unveiled on 23 January 2008.