Projects
Click on the map markers to find out more about Renew Newcastle projects or download your own map here.
There are currently more than 30 projects activating these otherwise empty spaces – featuring local creative enterprises which are producing and selling the things that they make: design (graphic, web, fashion, architecture, interior), photography, printmaking, painting, illustration, millinery, jewellery, animation, publishing, video & music. Read all about them in the profiles below.
Thinking of visiting?
All of the shops and galleries have different public opening hours, so you should check the opening hours of each space. But if you are thinking of visiting all of the shops and galleries in the one trip, the best times to catch most of them open are Wednesdays – Saturdays between 11 – 3pm. Many of these projects are closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Projects in commercial offices are running 9-5 weekday businesses, and are open to visits from clients by appointment.
Current Projects
Behind Space
Ahmed Hamed is a kind of digital renaissance man, whose production company Behind Space provides all kinds of design, media and photography solutions.
Behind Space covers all forms of design from graphic to industrial, as well as media production including TV ads, Web Videos and Music videos.
Ahmed...
Content Provider
Envisage a dynamic creative agency, acting as the director of a wide ranging collection of art(s) based collaboration. To cast the net wide, the Content Provider agency intends to offer a range of ‘services’, from public relations to exhibition design, via professional practice workshops.
Mark...
Curve Gallery
Curve is a UK based gallery & studio space founded by Australians Wayne Heaton & Lisa Who in 2007. Curve Gallery Newcastle, Australia will be a sister space to Curve Liverpool, England.
Curve Gallery actively seeks to promote professional practice at an emerging level. Our art practice and...
Studio Melt
Studio Melt is a unique space where three local designers not only create and sell their work, but also share their skills in workshops.
Contemporary silver jewellery by Angela Hailey and Suzy Manning and beautiful women’s fashion by Sarah Harden of The Little Room
Visit
Visit Mon-Fri. 10-5pm...
The Chop Shop Clinic
A love of a sharp blade brings NataLickiT SticksiT (aka Natalie Chater) and Paper Kitschen (aka Sarah Dunn) together in a studio workspace and exhibition space called The Chop-Shop Clinic.
NataLickiT SticksiT, creates custom designed, and handmade stickers for the Roller Derby community. Natalie t...
Time & Place Creatives
TIME & PLACE is Newcastle’s newest creative space and gallery. Our vision is simple, a place to collaborate with likeminded people and showcase work from local and national artists.
TIME & PLACE represents the creative journey and how we are transformed by the time and the place we live. It...
Strip of a Lifetime
Strip Of A Lifetime is a Photobooth + Vintage Hire Station, and an Analog Art Gallery dedicated to preserving the legacy of the vintage analog experience. It specialises in enhancing events that evoke the essence of vintage, and embrace the romanticism of all things nostalgic.
Strip Of A...
Nook
Nook is a retail space for clothing and accessories featuring three independent Newcastle brands for surf/skate/snow/general streetwear. Visit for T-shirts, singlets, board shorts, skateboard decks, sunglasses – all designed and printed in Newcastle by three teams of young designers.
It's About Time
It’s About Time features surreal sculpture and assemblage by Karl Claydon, adorning vintage clocks with the disfigured remains of our childhood toy boxes. Time and place stands still as T-Rex, Barbie and the Deathstar come together in these brave new worlds.
You are invited to the Shop Opening...
Crooked Crow Couture
Crooked Crow Couture is a boutique and studio space dedicated to the ‘Art of Accessorizing’. Couturier Lorraine Hollis offers original handcrafted wearable textile art in the form of masks, millinery, veils and accessories, specialising in enchanting bridal pieces.
We asked Lorri what inspired...
Renew Australia
You have heard by now that Renew Newcastle has been the inspiration for empty space revitalisation schemes across the country, like Renew Adelaide, Renew Townsville, Made in Geelong and Pop-up Parramatta.
The demand for us to share our Newcastle experiences with people wanting to start similar...
Kate Parker
Kate Parker is an art educator, a drawer, a sewer, and a procrastinator.
A long time co-conspirator, she joins printmaker and illustrator David Hampton to share the Suite 4 studio above the ARThive.
We asked Kate what she will be doing in her new space?
This year I am interested in exploring...
The Woods
The Woods is a creative space, conceived deep in the minds of Chelsey Johns, Sophia Flegg and Elsie Stuart. Part gallery, part vintage store, with a dash of handicrafts, The Woods aims to invigorate, restore and inspire Newcastle with an eclectic collection of things we like.
Sophia Flegg is the a...
Hunter Sustainability Designers + Consultants
Hunter Sustainability Designers + Consultants are a group of local sustainability professionals working together to provide the best advice on sustainable living and design available.
Basically we are a collection of small business which have ideas of sustainability as their core focus. We are...
Loop Studio
Jodie Duddington is a qualified Interior Architect with a varied history in residential, luxury marine and hospitality interiors as well as bespoke furniture and set / production design.
Loop Studio offers Interior design and styling with a preferred emphasis on ecologically sustainable...
Rollingball
Rollingball is a team of creative professionals who specialise in all aspects of film and television production. The core team is made up of Director Paul Donnelly, Producer April Howard and Production Manager and Stylist, Lainey Donnelly.
We partner with sound and animation professionals to...
Frost & Roxburgh Studios
Frost & Roxburgh Studios is a collaboration between two of Newcastle’s quirkiest photographers, Naomi Frost and Xanthe Roxburgh. By merging their individual perspectives and styles, the pair intend to create a smorgasbord of photographic delicacies. With their new studio and office space...
The Roost Creative
The Roost is a platform for creative people who want to share space, ideas and equipment. We offer a ‘clean space’ for members: an open studio suitable for graphic designers, illustrators, photographers and others working in digital media to use as a base for developing new work, collaborating...
Make Space
Update November 2010: Makespace are on the move again! They are relocating to a new shopfront back on the Mall, right next to One Penny Black espresso bar. They will be up and trading on 20 November, just in time for the Red Lantern Night Market!
LIKE Makespace on their group Facebook page, so...
Odditorium Vintage & Portrait Parlour
Odditorium is a galleria, portrait parlour and retail store managed by Naomi Saunders and is located in the basement of 14 Thorn Street Newcastle.
Naomi Saunders is a Novocastrian photographer, fashion stylist and avid collector of oddities and vintage wares, as well as being a mother of almost...
NonStop Paints
I’m Stu McDonald and by trade I’m a Graphic Designer, but hours in front of a computer don’t really compare to the fun of getting covered in paint and making something with my hands, rather than a cursor. By day, I teach Visual Communication over at UoN, and by night I freelance, paint and make d...
Zookraft
Zookraft are image-makers and creative collaborators. Never ones to shy away from an artistic endeavour, ZK are guilty of designing everything from posters and t-shirt graphics through to wall art and layout design with a whole lot of illustration in between.
Aside from design and illustration...
ARThive
ARThive is a brand new artist run initiative based in Newcastle’s Hunter Street Mall, consisting of a studio hub housing a number of local artists, and a gallery space for exhibitions, performances, installations, markets and workshops.
We offer an inexpensive exhibition and project space that...
Shannon Hartigan Images
Shannon Hartigan takes international award winning landscape photography of Newcastle and Australia wide. Shannon Hartigan is a fine art panoramic landscape photographer with a rapidly growing reputation for his serene images of Australia and a focus on Newcastle NSW.
Shannon shoots with the...
David Hampton
David Hampton is a full time Fine Art honours student, part time hobby shop worker, and full time bore. He is most succinctly described as a collection of obscure pop culture references and bookish affectations held together by a woollen coat. Even on very hot days….
We asked David to tell us...
Run Amok Dance Clothing
Kerrie Fletcher has operated her dance costume design workshop from home for years, and was in desperate need for more space.
Her business is principally involved in the design and making of custom made dance costumes, catering to all dance groups (jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary, etc). She also s...
Specially Trained Monkeys
Jane Shadbolt is an animator, filmmaker and designer. She makes stopmotion puppet animations and is currently in post-production for the 9 minute epic The Cartographer — a stopmotion and digital short about a sailor adrift in a lost world. She’s also gearing up for some short experimental...
Lost At E Minor
Zac Zavos runs an online company which publishes the pop-culture website Lost At E Minor, music discovery website My Secret Playlist and sports opinion site, The Roar…
What inspired you to get involved in Renew Newcastle?
Like many people, I work from home in a spare room. I was inspired to...
Neon Zoo
Neon Zoo is a design studio run by Abby Farmer and Clare Gleeson.
What do you do?
At Neon Zoo we thrive on helping businesses connect with their clients through design and visual communication solutions. Neon Zoo offers the services of graphic design, fashion graphics, web design and illustration ...
McBrat TV
What do you do?
I make films and music.
What inspired you to get involved in Renew Newcastle?
A friend sent me a link about the project, and it sounded great. Trying to edit films and mix music in my bedroom isn’t much fun, so I joined the Facebook group, sent in an application, as was fortunate ...
Sam Hughes
Sam Hughes is a fine arts student at TAFE, a prolific painter and illustrator, focusing on the utility areas of streetscapes – alleyways, carparks, loading docks and back of shop storage areas.
Grant Hunter
WHAT DO YOU DO?
I am an artist working out of the RN studios at 111 Hunter Street. I’m hidden away in suite 3 next to the ARThive gallery space, but if you say my name three times i will magically appear.
My favourite things to draw are naked monster girls, gloomy superheroes, native marsupials...
Free WiFi
Renew Newcastle has partnered with local ISP Ipera to introduce a free wireless internet service in and around the Hunter Street Mall. This enables our temporary projects to access internet without having to establish broadband or telephone contracts and it enables visitors to the city the...
Renew Newcastle HQ
Once the small inner city St Mark’s Catholic Church and an adjacent rectory, this building still sported fading pictures of a sprightly Pope John Paul II when Renew Newcastle took it on. It had been empty so long that when we tried to return a note and a small sum of money to the Church, no one t...
Past Projects
Red Lantern Night Market 2011
Update Dec 2011: The Red Lantern Night Market is over, in a successful event attracting an estimated 10,000 people to the city centre. After gloomy days of rain, the sun came out just in time to make a beautifully summer afternoon and evening in the city.
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The Red Lanterns have been unpacked and w...
Little Papercup
Update April 2012: Sadly, Little Papercup has closed the doors on the shopfront, however you can still find Little Papercup’s design and illustration at the Olive Tree Market on the first Saturday of the Month. As well as online via www.littlepapercup.com.au
Little Papercup is a shop, studio and i...
Bird House
Update Jan 2012: The Bird House has now closed. Nat & Mim have flown back to their hometown and Madalyn will continue making and selling via the monthly Olive Tree Markets.
Bird House is a collective of 4 diverse female artists and designers, each following the philosophy of creating handmade and ...
PANOZ
Update Dec 2011: Panoz is closed, with Tibo announcing his return to France. Remy will continue making websites from his home office.
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PANOZ is a new company established in 2011 which is run by two French guys now living in Newcastle – Remy Merarin and Tibo Alberny. The initial idea behind PANOZ w...
Tipsy Orchestra
Update Dec 2011: Rhea has relocated to Melbourne to commence study of fashion at RMIT. Her designs and skills will only sharpen, and we look forward to where the Tipsy Orchestra will create its next crazy carnivale!
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Tipsy Orchestra is a boutique/studio where art and fashion can be found. From...
Gallery Raw
Update August 2011: Gallery Raw has closed doors on the King St premises. In 12 months in the space they produced 10 exhibitions of the work of 20 local photographers, attracting more than 2,500 visitors into the city to view the work. The property owner is commencing a redevelopment of the...
Before It Began
Update April 2011: Before It Began has moved to a new location behind Darby Raj on Darby St. Congratulations to Jzhonnie and Bonnie for securing their own commercial lease. For more information and contact details, see this news item.
Before It Began is a Fashion/Art/Studio run by Jzhonnie Bezhet ...
Vox Cyclops
Update September 2011: Vox Cyclops is closed. It’s been a little over 2 years since the Vox Cyclops collective spruced up a City West property (which hadn’t had an ongoing tenant for 7 years) and opened the doors to an independent record store, studio and gallery space. Vox has developed a loyal ...
Rebecca Holmes
Rebecca Noel Holmes is a painter, desperately trying to break free from realistic landscape painting.
Rebecca paints and draws. She tells us her new space is “beautiful, very well lit with 3 lovely big windows, perfect for a painter”. She says the new space will give her the opportunity and the s...
Tanya Fogarty Design
Update Nov 2011: Tanya Fogarty Design has graduated from her borrowed space and has moved to a shared office and showroom under her own commercial lease in The Junction. Read Full News Item
Tanya Fogarty Design is an interior design consultancy with the ability to provide design concepts in the...
Bird in the Hand Zine shop
Update, May 2011: The storefront has now closed and Susy is pursuing other interests.
Bird in the Hand is an awesome Zine shop, filled with all sorts of literary treasures.
Who are you? Hello, I’m Susy Pow. I’m an ardent defender of zine culture.
What do you do? I’ve been running a zine distro...
The Beanstalk Organic Food Co-op
Update: 1 June 2011. Beanstalk has moved to a permanent location at St Andrews Church, 31 Church St, Mayfield, in order to better service their membership, who are living west of the city. If you’re interested in having fresh produce still available in the city centre – they are looking to form a...
Tim Neve Design Studio
Update Nov 2011: Tim Neve Design has graduated from his borrowed space and has moved to a shared office and showroom under his own commercial lease in The Junction. Read Full News Item
Tim’s creative works as an editorial stylist have a common mantra of ’shop local’ – aiming to profile the best...
Loop Space
Solange Kershaw and Damian Castaldi are better known as s o d a c a k e. Solange comes from Paris and Damian’s family comes from Malta. They recently moved from Sydney, Newtown to East Newcastle and live and work down by the park at Colliers Close. Together they have traveled, lived and worked...
Mad Hatter Millinery
Update 29 July 2011: Mad Hatter Millinery is now closed, with makers moving back to their home studios. Beautiful hats are still available through direct contact with the makers. See the website www.madhattermillinery.com.au or Contact Jennifer 0434 372 041 with enquiries. Thank you for your...
The Room Project
The Room Project is an architectural exhibition space created by Newcastle architecture students. For the first show Hunting Grounds 10,000 pieces of timber went into making the floor and there were still cutting timber right up to the 6pm opening.
Hunting grounds, opened on the 21st of February i...
Newcastle Fashion Week HQ
Newcastle Fashion Week is an event designed to raise funds for the Cancer Council, as well as provide exposure to young designers, photographers, hair and make-up artists, students and musicians from the Newcastle area. Newcastle Fashion Week is run primarily by current students of the...
Surfhouse Photography
Surfhouse Photography is the retail outlet for Alexandra Thompson’s surf photography. Before Alex came along and got into the space as through Renew Newcastle it was formerly a chocolate shop and a jeweller. It now features a wall long mural created from one of Alex’s photographs.
“I found Renew N...
Lucas Abela's Vinyl Arcade
DJ SMALLCOCK’S VINYL ARCADE
The vinyl Arcade is a participatory play-set, playing off vinyl fetishism, video arcade mystique and the machismo of motor sports. An immersive sound instrument putting you in the drivers seat of a tiny remote control car with styli attached as it navigates its way...
Australian International Animation Festival - in Newcastle
The Australian International Animation Festival tours the country each year, and from 21-24 October 2009 will be bringing the best short animations in the world to Newcastle: 110 films from 26 countries to amaze, delight, amuse and confuse you. From the heartwarming to the bizarre this...
Upcycling
Upcycling is a gallery and workshop featuring art and design that has been refashioned in interesting ways. It’s the brainchild of Nick Nelson, a 31 year old graphic designer who recently moved to Newcaslte form Sydney.
Nick works as a graphic designer creating visual designs, identities and...
Silk House ARt Projects (SHARP)
Update November 2009: The SilkHouseARtProjects have ended their cycle in the shopfront in Hunter St Mall. You may see Penny’s work in the future in other interesting spaces across the city, as part of the Renew Newcastle initiative. Keep in touch with the artists at...
Biami Mara
Biami Mara is an indigenous art gallery directed and operated by Floyd Tighe.
It is a commercial gallery offering works from local and national indigenous artists.
Biami is the creator and Mara means hand, therefore meaning creator of the hand.
You can read more about Floyd in this article from The...
Red Lantern Night Market 2009
Jan 10 Update – the markets were an amazing success for stallholders, and provided much delight for local residents and visitors to the city. While there are no immediate plans to continue the night markets, Justine Bec and Ally will continue with the monthly Olive Tree Markets at The Junction...
Momentum Project
Jan 10 Update – This project has now ended.
UPDATE: PROJECT EXTENDED FOR ONE MORE WEEK – OPEN EVERY DAY 9AM-5PM WITH OFFICIAL CLOSING NIGHT ON FRIDAY 11TH DECEMBER
In the beginning we were four Visual Communication students looking for a space for our end of year exhibition. Our group has grown...
Jake Penn-Cullen
Jake Penn-Cullen has recently completed final year in Advanced Diploma in Fine Art at Hunter street TAFE Newcastle and is currently working towards having his first solo show.
Tell us about your work, Jake…
The subject of my work often reflects my surroundings; this is the basis for a process that ...
Anthony Ferris
Anthony Ferris has just arrived back in Australia from a three month trip in Europe with other Art Students after completing my Advanced Diploma in Fine Art at Newcastle art School.
In 2009 he is enrolled in Bachelor of Fine Art at Newcastle University, majoring in Painting. He is actively...
L!vesites Illuminated Sculpture
Jan 10 Update – this installation is now closed.
FREE craft workshops in November with Hunter artist Ken O'Regan, who will help you to create your very own sculptures.
Everyone is welcome – from school aged children to mature artists.
Your unique creations will be illuminated and put on exhibit at t...
CitySwitch Lab
CitySwitch is an international exchange between Japan and Australia, where urban designers, architects and artists collaborate over 5 intense days, to collaborate on the creative activation of urban spaces.
CitySwitch Lab invites you to downtown Newcastle to collaborate with a team of architects, ...
Spystation NC1074
From 4 – 28 February 2010 Brisbane artist Nicola Morton is installing the Spystation NC1074 at Loop Space, offering free workshops on field recordings, digital imaging and German/Japanese language coaching. Workshop participants become part of the exhibition.
Nicola will also be the first Renew...
Young Eyes
Conor Ashleigh is a 22 year old photographic story teller, who covers issues with an environmental, social and political focus.
Conor will be installing a temporary exhibition of photographic works based on his documentary work around the world. Conor describes the work as highlighting “our...
Totoro's Tea House
Update February 2010: Totoro’s has now closed its doors and is making way for a new commercial tenant (the One Penny Black coffee house).
Teahouses are almost unheard of in Australia, especially not the European-style teahouse that the ladies from Totoro’s are inspired by. Think pre-loved...
Nicole Chaffey
Nicole Chaffey is an oil painter recently graduated from the Advanced Diploma of Fine Art at Newcastle Art School and currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Fine Art at Newcastle University.
Nicole tells us what she thinks about the ARThive gallery and The Hive Studios:
I’m looking forward to...
Look See 2010 Exhibition
OPENING NIGHT: THURSDAY 1ST APRIL 2010 @ 6.00pm
The Look See exhibition features the work of local and interstate creative professionals and some of Australia’s finest artists, illustrators and designers.
It has been curated by a group of graphic designers and illustrators interested in all forms ...
Ciao Meow Gallery
Update: May 2010 Robyn has closed her Renew Newcastle shop in the mall and has opened up a new shop just down the road at 169 King St (near the Tower Cinema and Antique Sounds). She has taken on her own commercial lease – we wish her all the best in continuing the Ciao Meow venture. Robyn tells u...
Made by Heath Killen
Heath Killen is a freelance graphic artist and designer based in Newcastle.
Heath has produced work for a diverse range of clients including Tantrum Theatre, Newcastle City Council, University of Newcastle, Amy Vee and Hunter Writer’s Centre.
Recently he has had worked published in the Design Is...
Trine Deans
Trine Deans is a printmaking honcho. She delves into the past and resurrects images in a whirlwind of screen-printing gusto.
After four years of fine art study, Trine has finally been released into the steel city jungle, alone, but armed with some survival tactics. So she is often fossicking...
A Different Perspective
Over 20 young people are exhibiting their work in a group show titled A Different Perspective.
The show has been curated by student artists from Newcastle High School’s “Working Artists' Program”. This program is for senior visual arts students, and assists them to gain first hand knowledge and...
Simone Sheridan
Simone Sheridan is 25 years old and has recently completed a Bachelor of Fine Art at the University of Newcastle. In 2009 Simone is completing Honours, to further her interest in Arts Administration.
For her Honours studies, Simone is documenting the process of starting an artist collective and...
Emerald Arts
Emma Louise Stronach (Emmeline) is a 29 year old, fourth generation Novocastrian. She runs a small small business which sells educational art and craft kits, as well as custom made plush toys and original artworks. She also runs a weekly market stall at the Farmer’s Markets with her friends…
What...
Angus Crowley
Angus has recently completed a Diploma of Education (Secondary) at the University of Newcastle to supplement a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Fine Arts Honours degrees at the same institution.
Angus sees the artists collective as a means to help local emerging artist exhibit their works and thoughts...
L!vesites Kids
L!vesites in association with Sydney Children’s Festival, The GPT Group and Newcastle Museum presents the L!vesites Kids September/ October School Holiday Program.
Renew Newcastle is pleased to support L!ivesites activities by securing a space in the CBD for these activities to take place.
Look...
Newcastle Fashion Week 15-18 Sep 2010
Newcastle Fashion Week is returning in 2010 to transform the city of steel into the city of style. Runway shows are taking place at The Store on Hunter Street and NFW will be where derelict becomes designer, rundown becomes runway, industrial becomes innovation… are you ready to forget...
Carousel Gallery 21-30 Oct 2010
Carousel Gallery is a community art program, presenting Bounce Back mixed media exhibition in conjunction with Mental Health Month. Mental Health Month begins in October 2010 and has a theme of “Good friends help us bounce back” with a longer term theme of building resilience.
The Bounce Back
The Black Chandelier
The Black Chandelier is a Gallery/Showcase of diverse Australian Art curated and managed by local artist Limerick Kaye.
The gallery features work by artists in a range of media – woodwork, blacksmithing, leather, weaving, felt, sculptures, ceramics, jewelery and painting. 90% of the artists are...
Not You Rainbow Wheel
This year, the annual Visual Communication Design Exhibition will be taking place in a new location with a brand new shiny look!
Featuring a huge variety of works by the design undergrad and honours students fresh from the creative hub of Newcastle University, the exhibition will feature...
Red Lantern Night Market 2010
Red Lantern Night Market is on again in 2010, on Saturday evenings November 20th & 27th and December 11th.
PREVIOUS MARKETS
‘Red Lantern Night Market’ was held over three Friday evenings in December 2009 in purpose built market structures in the centre of Newcastle. The first successful market of i...
L!vesites Christmas 2010 Light Workshops
Local artist Ken O'Regan is lighting up Hunter St, creating technicolour lamplights out of hundreds of pieces of throwout coloured plastic in a series of free workshops.
Renew Newcastle has accessed a space where kids and adults can make amazing light installations from recycled materials. The...
Art Brasil
January 2011 Update: Art Brasil has gone back on the road, travelling artisan markets across Australia. They continue to sell online.
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Art Brasil is a shopfront for unique, hand-made artisan jewellery, crafted locally. The shop will also function as a workshop and studio space, where the artisan w...
Newcastle Morning Photos Exhibition at Nobbys Head
Renew Newcastle is pleased to announce a new location in our repertoire of re-opened shop fronts, studios and galleries; an iconic site that will see Renew Newcastle expand from the streets to the entrance of the harbour itself.
The Site
The NSW Government through Land and Property Management...
Newcastle & Beyond: Taking your creative enterprise to the world
Newcastle & Beyond: Taking your creative enterprise to the world is a series of free professional development forums aimed at supporting Newcastle’s creative entrepreneurs.
Join us for just one, or all three sessions, which will involve a presentation, Q+A, discussion, and networking...