Kiama art galleries and studios, 12 places to see and make art

Pick a gallery, studio or class for your stay

Kiama's art scene is small, local and spread across three villages. Most galleries are run by artists or volunteers, so opening days are short and shows change often. Use this table to plan, then check each venue before you go.

Times are measured from Kiama Ridge Waters at 2 Surfleet Place. If the weather turns, pair a gallery with the ideas in our rainy day things to do in Kiama guide.

See a new local show at the Old Fire Station

The Old Fire Station is the town's community gallery, in a 1915 brick building on the main street. Kiama Council owns it, and the artists who hire it run each show, so you may meet the painter, potter or photographer behind the work. Destination Kiama says exhibitions change weekly and range from painting and photography to woodwork, quilting, sculpture and jewellery. Entry is free.

Look for Daisy the Decorated Dairy Cow out the front. Council says local sculptor Ernesto Murgo made her in 1991, modelled on a real Illawarra Shorthorn owned by Kiama farmer Tom Walsh, and local artists repaint her from time to time. She sleeps inside and stands outside from 10am to 3pm on most days. The wall next door is an outdoor gallery too: in 2026 it shows TAFE students' paintings of local birds.

Walk eight minutes to Sevenmarks Gallery

Sevenmarks is the closest gallery to the apartments, about an 8-minute walk (0.6 km) on Marks Street. It is a not-for-profit contemporary gallery with two exhibition spaces and more than 150 square metres of floor space, showing wall works, indoor and outdoor sculpture, and light and sound projects by established and experimental artists. Its current show, Hidden Lines by Cesar Cueva, runs until 21 November 2026.

Pop in on a Friday afternoon after the beach, or book a time if you are only in town midweek.

Meet local painters through the Kiama Art Society

The Kiama Art Society has been part of town life since 1966 and has about 200 members. Its home is upstairs in the historic Coach House at 3a Farmer Street, a 21-minute walk (1.7 km) from the apartments. The society runs demonstrations on the first Tuesday of the month, weekend and weekday workshops with visiting tutors, a life drawing group and plein air painting days.

For visitors, the easy way in is an exhibition. The society's next Old Fire Station show runs from 19 to 25 November 2026, 10am to 4pm. Its major annual exhibition is held at Kiama Leagues Club each January (12 to 27 January in 2026); 2027 dates have not been announced yet.

Book a private viewing at Fern Street Gallery or Kiama Art Gallery

Two of the names that come up when you search for a Kiama art gallery work by appointment rather than as walk-in shopfronts, so contact them before you head over.

Fern Street Gallery opened in 2018 and represents a team of Australian artists, led by director and painter Kerry Bruce. You can shop online, arrange an in-home consultation or book a time to see work in Kiama. Kiama Art Gallery, owned by Andrea Hope, is now home based in Kiama Downs and deals in Australian and European prints and artworks, with framing and other art services.

Use Kiama Library for local art, talks and free films

Kiama Library on Railway Parade does more than lend books. Through Art @ Kiama Library, local artists, musicians and writers take over the front foyer for a month at a time, from March to November. The library also runs Makers and Creators sessions, Conversation Hour talks by authors and speakers, 3D printing and board games.

Friday Flicks is a free film for ages 15 and over on the third Friday of each month at 3pm, in the library auditorium. Programs change through the year, so ask staff what is on during your stay.

Visit the GLaM gallery and museum in Gerringong

In Gerringong, an 8-minute drive south, the GLaM building on Blackwood Street brings together the library, a community gallery and the Gerringong Heritage Museum inside the restored 1883 School of Arts. The gallery sits off the foyer and hosts week-long shows by local makers. Next up is Light and Colour, an Astarte Studio exhibition from 6 to 12 November 2026, with watercolour workshops visitors can join.

The museum is free and run by the Gerringong and District Historical Society. It opens Friday and Saturday, 11am to 3pm. Look for Russell Ping's mural on the building, then walk down Fern Street for coffee. Our Gerringong guide has more.

Browse local work in Jamberoo at Number Nineteen

Jamberoo has no large gallery, but Number Nineteen on Allowrie Street mixes a curated gallery with a florist and gift shop, in the village's old dairy co-op building. The Bugle reported in February 2026 that it shows painters, ceramicists and makers from across Australia, including Jamberoo landscape painter Andrew McPhail and ceramicist Jennifer Swann.

It is a 14-minute drive (11.3 km) inland. Combine it with lunch at the pub and the escarpment lookouts in our Jamberoo guide.

Take a pottery class at Soul Clay Studios

For a Kiama pottery class you can book as a visitor, Soul Clay Studios in Gerringong is the one to try. More than 15 resident ceramic artists work in the studio, and you can browse and buy their pieces in the studio shop. One-off sessions suit a weekend away: the Friday Night Clay Date is a two-hour session where you bring your own wine, and Saturday Soul Sessions run for two hours at 9.30am or 12pm.

Regular sessions are for adults 18 and over, with occasional school holiday sessions for ages 8 to 17. Groups can book private sessions for hens, birthdays and work teams, which suits a group stay. Book ahead, as sessions fill quickly.

Learn wheel and hand building at Kiama Ceramic Art Studio

Potter Frances Smith teaches small groups at her studio on Akuna Street in central Kiama. Classes run on Monday mornings or afternoons for up to six students, in six-week terms of three-hour sessions. Her website says she has cut back regular teaching while she prepares work for exhibitions, with advanced workshops planned, so join the waitlist rather than expecting a spot on a short stay.

This one suits longer visits. If you are in Kiama for a month or more, see our long-term rentals.

Join an art class or sketch walk with Sea and Still

Local artist Liv Deans runs Sea and Still Experiences, which took over from her earlier business, Kiama Art Workshops. It offers weekly acrylic and oil painting classes, coffee and sketch walks along the coast, monthly social art sessions and one-off workshops with guest artists. Beginners are welcome.

Coming up is an introduction to watercolour with Andrew Antoniou on Saturday 28 November at the Kiama Scout Hall. It also styles private creative events for hens parties, birthdays and proposals.

Follow the murals from Black Beach to Hindmarsh Park

Kiama Council lists a growing set of murals, and several sit on an easy town centre loop. Under the railway bridge on Terralong Street by Black Beach, Jimmy Dvate has painted local birds and plants, including the Eastern Ground Parrot and Carrington Falls grevillea (2025) and an osprey (2026). He also painted a fairywren at the Visitor Information Centre on Blowhole Point.

• Morton Street: flora and fauna by Mandy Schone-Salter
• Council administration building: local botanicals by Claire Foxton
• The Old Ambulance Station: a fisherman on his boat, also by Claire Foxton
• Joyce Wheatley Community Centre: a child's imagination by Krimsone and Scott Nagy
• Kiama Showground stables: a mural by Trait

Destination Kiama points to First Nations installations at the eastern entrance to Hindmarsh Park, where Council lists hand print poles. Black Beach is a 30-minute walk (2.5 km) from the apartments.

Find sculpture and Dreaming Poles on the coast

Council's public art list includes sculptures in the town centre, Gerringong, Werri Beach, Minnamurra and Jones Beach. By Storm Bay, near Blowhole Point, Bert Flugelman's stainless steel Making Waves (1997) frames the surf, a 29-minute walk (2.4 km) from the apartments. Combine it with our Kiama Blowhole guide.

Destination Kiama highlights the sculptural Dreaming Poles at Loves Bay, a 31-minute walk (2.2 km) south on the Kiama Coast Walk, and at North Werri Beach in Gerringong. Each winter the Kiama Winter Street Festival adds more: in 2026 the free Kiama Sculpture Walk by ARTpark Australia ran from 10 April to 17 July, from Hindmarsh Park to Black Beach and the harbour. 2027 details have not been announced.

Check The Pavilion calendar for concerts and markets

The Pavilion Kiama at the showground is the town's big indoor venue for concerts, shows, exhibitions and markets. One arts date is coming up. The annual Twilight Market brings local makers, creatives and food to the Norfolk Room and veranda on Friday 27 November 2026, 1pm to 7pm.

It is a 27-minute walk (2.2 km) or a 3-minute drive from the apartments.

Plan your trip around seasonal arts events

Time your stay with one of these dates. Each is confirmed by its organiser or Destination Kiama; check before you go, as details can change.

The South Coast Ceramics Market gathers more than 50 local potters, sculptors and makers in Gerringong's restored dairy co-op building, an 8-minute drive from the apartments; Destination Kiama lists entry from $1 to $2. Music lovers should look at the Kiama Jazz and Blues Festival, and for everything else see our Kiama events guide.

Stay five minutes from a gallery at Kiama Ridge Waters

Stay at Kiama Ridge Waters and Sevenmarks Gallery is around the corner, the town centre galleries and library are a 3-minute drive, and Easts Beach is a 15-minute walk. Each of our three-bedroom apartments at 2 Surfleet Place sleeps six, with two bathrooms, a full kitchen, a laundry and garage parking for two cars.

For a workshop weekend or a hens party, book several apartments on the same site at 2 Surfleet Place for the whole group. See group stays. Browse the apartments, plan a weekend away or check availability.