Library exhibitions
Exhibitions held at Randwick City Library
Celebrating the people, history, people and culture of the local area, Randwick City Library hosts a number of interesting exhibitions for people of all ages.
Lionel Bowen Library boasts a dedicated exhibition and gallery space. In our gallery space we regularly hold exhibitions on local history, world travel, art from local artist and students, and many more. Here you can experience and learn about these exhibitions.
2023
Cities for Tomorrow – Sustainable Furniture 
07 February - 05 March 2023
Cities for Tomorrow - Sustainable Furniture is a multimedia exhibition, which is part of Randwick City Council’s Cities for Tomorrow initiative, showcases the fascinating production processes for sustainable furniture designed by students using only donated and recyclable materials.
14 March - 27 April 2023
The annual Randwick City Council Women’s Art Prize 2023 spotlights the creativity and talent of women and brings members of the community together to celebrate the unique contribution that women make to our City.
Tea Party in the Mayoral Garden
02 May - 30 July 2023
Tea Party in the Mayoral Garden is an award-winning mixed media exhibition by Ruth Downes in which 40 tea cups and saucers are displayed together as a ‘tea partea’. The exhibition has toured the US and regional Australia.
Community Art Project: What I Found
23 June - 21 July 2023
Community Art Project: What I Found was facilitated by local artist and Space to Create resident Rosemary Strachen who ran workshops and inspired members of the community to create 2D artworks on the covers of recycled books, giving them new life.
McIver's Ladies Baths HERSTORY: While We Live, We Swim
05 August - 30 September 2023
The McIver’s Ladies Baths HERSTORY: While We Live, We Swim exhibition showcases the untold stories of women who dedicated their lives to building a community and celebrates the centenary of McIver’s Ladies Baths. They have been a real asset to our community – long may they continue!
Beneath the Waves (La Perouse Primary School)
23 September - 22 October 2023
Beneath the Waves is an artwork that weaves together the Aboriginal dreaming story of the Buriburi (whale), infusing it with contemporary significance. The Buriburi, a symbol of ancient wisdom, serves as a reminder of our roots and the power of storytelling. The artwork was created by students at La Perouse Primary School.
12 October - 24 November 2023
Patricia’s Room explores the onset of dementia through a series of intimate portraits of Patricia at ninety. Across a series of intimate portraits, it challenges us to consider how we often dismiss older people, particularly at a time when they are at their most fragile. Jennifer Blau is an award-winning photographic artist and author of The 50 Book: Women Celebrate Life.
2022
International Women's Day Art Prize 2022
15 - 25 April 2022
The women who live, work and study in Randwick City: what concerns, motivates, inspires and moves them? Visit Lionel Bowen Library to see the winners of Randwick City Council's 2022 International Women's Day Art Prize and join us in celebrating creative talent in our community.
07 May - 28 June 2022
UNSEEN is a multimedia project that shares the hidden experiences of women's homelessness and housing insecurity. UNSEEN offered an innovative opportunity to empower artists to bring women from diverse backgrounds together.
After Midnight | The Face of Fifty
05 October - 20 November 2022
After Midnight | The Face of Fifty is a collection of photographs, also featuring in the 50 Book: Women Celebrate Life, by Jennifer Blau revealing the emotional landscape of women making the transition to liberation, possibility, passion and self-discovery. The experience of each is individual, yet universal— as ageing happens to us all.
Art of Ageing: Photographic Exhibition
11 November - 14 December 2022
This photographic exhibition celebrates the value, experience and contribution that older people bring, and challenges outdated perceptions of ageing. Art of Ageing was commissioned by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice and curated by Sue Mitchell.
30 November 2022 - 29 January 2023
Outing Disability documents the stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) people with disability. Through portrait and voice twenty-six people share their hopes, dreams, struggles and triumphs, they tell their stories of coming out, exploring identity, discovering love and finding pride.
2021
Different Similarities Photographic Exhibition
19 November 2021 - 20 January 2022
ERJANFOTO or Erik Janoušek is a Maroubra Beach local - man with the camera! Different Similarities is conceptual photo exhibition showing his love of nature. Scenes featured in this exhibition are from both Australia and the Czech Republic.
14 May 2021 - 11 July 2021
A collection of oil and acrylic paintings by local artist, Marie Dalliston. Exploring what it means to be fully present in one’s local environment, Marie's work celebrates the diverse environment of Randwick City from high-density areas to the open coastal rocky platforms and the intermittent swamp lands in between.
Women's Art Prize 2021 Exhibition
16 March 2021 - 30 April 2021
The very best of Randwick City Council's 2021 International Women's Day Art Prize are on exhibition at Lionel Bowen Library! The women’s only competition encourages the women of our community to showcase their creative talents.
Coastal Inspirations Exhibition
05 Feb 2021 - 28 Feb 2021
This is an exhibition by the Wednesday artists and their tutor, Teresa Castellanos, from the Coast Centre Inc. at Little Bay. The exhibition draws inspiration from our beautiful coast, but is not limited to this and also displays other works that have been created at the coast.
2020
Through My Eyes Exhibition06 Oct 2020 - 22 Jan 2021
Six women photographers with disability share their personal experiences and stories through feminist self-portraits. The result is a photographic journey, offering unique insight into contemporary Australian women and the lived experience of disability today.
Emergence and Beyond Exhibition
04 Aug - 20 Sept 2020
This exhibition is a tribute to the talented members of the Randwick Art Society Inc. Be captivated by over 30 original works. Members produce artworks using watercolour, acrylic, oil, mixed media as well as a vast array of crafts.
The Magic of Puppetry Exhibition
17 Jan - 15 Mar 2020
This exhibition features a snapshot into the history of puppetry in Randwick. Discover Richard Bradshaw’s famous shadow puppets from the set of The Caliph Stork, see some beautiful marionettes and even a real puppet theatre on display until 15 March 2020.
2019
Wrapped Coast 50th Anniversary Exhibition
1 September – 15 December 2019
This exhibition celebrated a defining moment in Australian art and culture: when internationally renowned artist duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude unveiled – or veiled – Wrapped Coast – One Million Square Feet, Little Bay, Sydney, 1968-69 in 1969.
City of Tomorrow Youth Art Exhibition: Envisioning a sustainable future
7 July 2019 – 25 August 2019
This exhibition encourages young people to explore the need for sustainable infrastructure, considering their own global footprint. Using physical and 3D modelling, they create and plan a sustainable city.
2018
Create Art Class Exhibition1 Dec 2018 - 27 Jan 2019
This Create Art Class Exhibition is the second Create Art Exhibition to be held in the library and highlights some of the works completed by the students over the last couple of years.
Stories from the Street1 Sep - 25 Nov 2018
Inspired by the book ‘Stories from the Street’ this exhibition features extracts of the wonderful collection of short stories written by participants of Randwick City Library’s Writing for Pleasure program.
MADE: Draw, Make, ImagineMay - June 2018
'MADE' was a 8 week program, which focused on expressing yourself through drawing. It didn’t focus on the end results but on the process of making itself and how we relate to making as an expression of reality.
Women's Day Art Prize13 Mar - 29 April 2018
Randwick City Council's International Women's Day Art Prize and Exhibition provides a platform for women who live, go to school or work in Randwick City to showcase their achievements and creativity.
2017
Silent Tears4 Nov - 29 Dec 2017
Silent Tears is a multi-media exhibition by artists with disability. It reveals the lived-experience of women with disability who are subjected to violence and women who acquired disability as a result of violence.
History Week: Pop into Randwick
2 Sep - 31 Oct 2017
This exhibition explored the musical history connections between Randwick City and some iconic performers and venues on the Australian music scene.
12 Aug - 27 Aug 2017
Explore a fascinating art exhibition that features a collection of images from scientists and clinicians across the globe who are working hard to understand the complexity of Parkinson’s disease in order to find better treatments.
Words of Wisdom13 May - 2 Jul 2017
WoW celebrates the knowledge, experience and life stories of older people living in the local community. A selection of thirty stories is presented in this exhibition and the book is available for purchase at the library.
Women's Day Art PrizeMarch - April 2017
Randwick City Council's International Women's Day Art Prize and Exhibition provides a platform for women who live, go to school or work in Randwick City to showcase their achievements and creativity.
Colours of the Country III – The Alice Springs Beanie Festival
28 Jan - 5 Mar 2017
Dive head first into the world of colourful, unique beanies at Colours of the Country III, the third touring exhibition of the Alice Springs Beanie Festival on loan from Artback NT.
2016
Create Art 2016 Class Exhibition
1 Dec 16 - 16 Jan 2017
Under the guidance of art teacher Lily Oen, students have produced an incredible range of work. Discover the talents of the Create! Art Class who meet at Lionel Bowen Library each Tuesday.
Eat, Pray, Naches: Jewish Community Stories
8 Oct - 20 Nov 2016
Eat, Pray, Naches is an award winning project that celebrates the eastern beaches’ Jewish community by preserving and sharing the stories of its post-war immigrants.
History Week: Our Victorian Neighbours
1 Sep - 2 Oct 2016
This exhibition explored the Victorian architecture of our beautiful suburb Randwick. It delved into the personalities who lived in these houses and explore what life would have been like for them.
Women's Day Art PrizeMarch - April 2016
Randwick City Council's International Women's Day Art Prize and Exhibition provides a platform for women who live, go to school or work in Randwick City to showcase their achievements and creativity.
Just Guts: A Roller Derby Exhibition
22 Jan - 12 Mar 2016
Just Guts showcases the amazing players of Australian Roller Derby and its effect on pop culture.
2015
I Am Local12 Oct - 20 Nov 2015
In celebration of Randwick City’s pride in our community, photographs of local residents, workers and students will be on display at Bowen Library from 12 October to 20 November.
Women's Day Art PrizeMarch - April 2015
Randwick City Council's International Women's Day Art Prize and Exhibition provides a platform for women who live, go to school or work in Randwick City to showcase their achievements and creativity.
Creative III5 Jan - 8 Mar 2015
In support of the creativity of Randwick’s local youth, Creative was conceived to showcase the talents of local HSC students across a variety of subjects and media.
2014
8 Sep - 9 Nov 2014
This biennial project has been successful in providing an avenue for residents from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to share their stories with a wider audience.
2 Jan - 16 Mar 2014
In support of the creativity of Randwick’s local youth, Creative was conceived to showcase the talents of local HSC students across a variety of subjects and media. This was the second Creative exhibition.
Women of EmpireApril - May 2014
Depicted are the stories of 17 Australian and New Zealand Women of the First World War (including Miles Franklin), and each uniform and costume tells the story of a woman and her experience of the war.
And They're Racing5 June - 13 Sep 2014
From trophies, to sashes, to artwork, photographs and archives the Australian Turf Club holds the history of Thoroughbred horse racing in Australia in its vast collection.
2013
Artists' Books and Zines18 March - 15 May 2013
This exhibition showcased handmade artists’ books and a part of the zine collection from Manly Library. This collection featured books with tactile qualities, texts that need to be examined and inspected closely.
Picture Perfect: Art Deco Architecture of Randwick
2 September - 6 December 2013
Launched during History Week by then Mayor of Randwick City, Cr Tony Bowen, this exhibition showcased the art deco architecture of our neighbourhood.
Tom Bass Studio18 May - 14 June 2013
The exhibition included works of students from Tom Bass Sculpture School and also Tom Bass himself and was very well received by library patrons who had a chance to vote for their favourite piece.
2 January - 9 March 2013
In support of the creativity of Randwick’s local youth, Creative was conceived to showcase the talents of local HSC students across a variety of subjects and media.
2012
La Belle France3 November - 21 December 2012
An exhibition of travel photography capturing the historical, cultural and natural beautiful of France as well as a few portraits. The exhibition also included various objects and memorabilia from France.
Mina WylieApril 2012
The true story of Randwick’s own Olympian, Mina Wylie, and her quest for Olympic glory over 100 years ago. The exhibition was launched by the then Mayor of Randwick, Cr Scott Nash, and Lisa Forrest OAM on 21 April 2012 as part of our National Trust Heritage Festival Celebrations.
2011
Tales of a Bygone Era: Randwick's Illuminated Stories
September - December 2011
Randwick City Library and Randwick and District Historical Society joined forces to showcase the rich collection of illuminated materials honouring our past leaders.
2010
History Week: John Cann's Snake Men of La Perouse
September 2010 - February 2011
John Cann’s private collection covered not only the early years of the snake shows at La Perouse but also memorabilia from his Olympic career as a decathlete at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.
2009
From the AtticFrom the Attic was a quintessential collection of historical objects from the Community of Randwick. The exhibition was launched by the Mayor of Randwick for 2009, Cr Bruce Notley-Smith to great acclaim. The exhibition was one of the signature events of the sesqui-centenary celebrations.