Wollongong Art Gallery – along with its Newcastle counterpart – will be aligned with the state facility for the first time to make art more accessible.

The partnership will promote membership to each regional gallery and further enhance the close working relationships between them, along with an associated competition.

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“[It] signals a stronger bond between state and regional institutions, generating a benefit that goes direct to our residents,” Wollongong director John Monteleone said. 

“Making art more accessible is important to us, and we look forward to seeing this partnership come to fruition over the busy summer exhibition period.”

Visitors signing up for a new or renewed membership at Wollongong Art Gallery from now until November 30 will go in the draw to win a Sydney International Art Series prize to see Masters of modern art from the Hermitage at the AGNSW and David Goldblatt: Photographs 1948-2018 at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

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Ron Ramsey, executive director of the Art Gallery Society said he was delighted to provide an annual country membership for a family to the AGNSW for the winners of the competition in both Wollongong and Newcastle. 

There will also be discounted annual memberships for visitors who live further than 80km from the Gallery of NSW, in a bid to increase country memberships from 20 per cent of total memberships.

Masters of modern art from the Hermitage is presented as part of the Sydney International Art Series – an annual event created by Destination NSW. It brings the world’s most outstanding artists and their works exclusively to Sydney at AGNSW and Museum of Contemporary Art.