Woollahra Council recognises the important role of arts and culture in contributing to creative, as well as economic and social outcomes for our community.

Council adopted the Woollahra Arts and Culture Strategy and Action Plan, 2024-2028 in December 2024.

One of the key tasks of the Strategy is to review the Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf's Exhibition Policy which was created in 2021, and Gallery Service Model to ensure we achieve best practice in our support for artists, as well as meeting visitor expectations and broadening the Gallery's visitor and audience base.

We asked for community feedback earlier this year and we have used your insights to help inform our proposed changes and to help us create our draft Gallery Exhibition Policy and Fees and Charges.

We invited the community to provide feedback on the draft documents from 29 September- 27 October 2025.

The Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf opened in November 2021 and is located on Gadigal and Birrabirragal land, in the picturesque Blackburn Gardens at Double Bay.

The Gallery currently welcomes around 14,000 visitors, and hosts approximately 36 exhibitions per year.

The Gallery also provides a wide variety of arts and cultural events, such as artist talks, workshops and performances, and an Artist in Residence Program, with two studios available for artists.

The Gallery's exhibition program includes Council's well established, Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize and the Woollahra Youth Photographic Award and Short Film Prize, as well as exhibitions selected from an annual call for expressions of interest. The Gallery operates with 2.6 full time equivalent staff and is supported by volunteers.

Located at 548 New South Head Road, Double Bay, the Gallery is open Wednesdays 1pm - 6pm, Thursdays and Fridays, 10am - 6pm and weekends, 10am - 5pm and the location is accessible. Admission is free.

We invited the community to provide feedback as part of our service model review from 28 January to 25 February. We received 165 submissions with a range of comments and suggestions. View a summary of feedback received here.

Your feedback helped us understand the views of the community and helped shape our draft Exhibition Policy and Fees and Charges.

Read our report to Council on 8 September 2025 (item 7.6 on the Finance, Community & Services Committee meeting agenda).

We are now inviting everyone in the local community to provide feedback on our draft documents.

Draft Exhibition Policy

The draft Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf Exhibition Policy contains several new elements and significant changes including:

  • Strengthened alignment with the Woollahra Arts and Culture Strategy and Action Plan and the Council’s Community Strategic Plan;
  • Clarification of the three core exhibition types:
    • Council-produced prizes,
    • Gallery Team curated exhibitions,
    • Artist-led exhibitions through an Expression of Interest (EOI) process;
  • Increased support and inclusion of First Nations organisations and individuals within the EOI process
  • Clarification of the Gallery’s governance structure.

The Policy has many aims, three of them are:

  • Foster cultural literacy and broaden community engagement through diverse and accessible public programs;
  • Maintain a transparent, best-practice approach to exhibition selection, presentation, and support for exhibiting artists; and
  • Reinforce Woollahra Gallery’s role as a centre of artistic excellence and community connection.

Draft Fees and Charges

The Service Model review also made recommendations which require a number of changes to the Gallery's fees and charges for 2025/26 effective 1 January 2026.

The proposed changes to the Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf fees and charges include these key changes:

  • Removal of gallery hire fees charged to artists, as part of the expression of interest for Exhibitions programs.
  • Amending art sale commissions to 40% for un-represented artists and 20% for represented artists +GST. Noting current art sale commissions are 25% for fee-paying exhibitions and 40% for community and artist in residence exhibitions. These proposed charges would bring commissions in line with those charged to artists exhibiting in the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize. These changes to commissions would also support a more transparent and universal commission structure and align with industry standards and best practice.
  • Simplification of fees and charges relating to venue hire for private events at Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf.

Find out more about why we are proposing the changes to fees and charges in the report to Council on 8 September 2025 (see item 7.6 on the Agenda) or the FAQ on this page.

Have your say

Share your feedback via the following methods:

  • Online: please complete the feedback form below
  • Email: records@woollahra.nsw.gov.au
  • Mail: Address your letter to the General Manager at Woollahra Council, PO Box 61, Double Bay NSW 1360

Feedback closed 11.59pm Monday 27 October 2025.