Bump-in took place last Sunday for the ArtWalk x Luminance Young Artists Exhibition and the show opened on Monday 1 June 2026 in the Port Central Shopping Centre. As I installed this show, I was thinking: how lucky are we to have young artists on the Mid North Coast creating such beautiful work. And then, as I got talking with the artists, the conversation flipped: they were glad for the opportunity to exhibit their work and they made clear their feelings.

Melodie Cicak with artwork — Melodie Cicak at Make/Space Port Macquarie with her artwork, Beating Heart; My Life As I Know It.

Melodie Cicak put it this way: “I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to showcase my work alongside so many talented artists. I feel truly honoured to be part of the ArtWalk/Luminance Young Artists Exhibition. There are so many inspiring and beautiful artworks on display, and it feels incredibly special to have my own work exhibited alongside them. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.”

Another of the artists, Hayley Galea-Elson, said the exhibition is important to her because she wants to share the story embedded in her artwork, it has meaning.

“This piece of art uses an aerial image of Oxley Beach to illustrate my ties to both country and community,” Hayley writes. “As a Biripi person, I wanted to incorporate my cultural identity while portraying a location that holds personal significance for me. The footprints represent my community's presence and journey, demonstrating the link between people and the earth. My mob and totems are represented by the eagle and kangaroo. I convey the land, ocean, and life within it through pattern and dot work, emphasising travel, belonging, and the continuous tie between my people and my country.”

Hayley Galea- Elson artwork, Our Country - Oxley Beach — Hayley Galea-Elson, Our Country - Oxley Beach, paint pens and acrylic on canvas, 40cm x 50cm.

Luke Baker, Wren McDowell, Sha-lohm Jamieson, Charlotte Rabie, Charlotte Newman, Sophie Burt, Peyton Hardesty, Dhavve Manoharan: each of them came into the gallery on bump-in Sunday, artwork tucked under their arm, sometimes with a parent-in-tow. They were simultaneously proud and appreciative. I was too. Because the artworks are genuinely beautiful, imaginative and engaging. And of course these are the moments that matter. This is the why…

The Young Artists Exhibition is now on show in Shop 50 of Port Central Shopping Centre, in Port Macquarie’s CBD. The venue is called Make/Space, auspiced by Arts Mid North Coast by arrangement with Gowings Pacific Shopping Centre.

Wauchope Vets have come on board again this year to sponsor the Young Artists exhibition. So too has Alice’s Art Craft & Paper Supplies. Artist Wendy Stokes has generously agreed to co-judge the exhibition with myself (Dominic O’Grady); and we have a People’s Choice award. Voting now open. In person.

I hope you can see this exhibition. We’ll be in the Make/Space venue most of the time, inside Port Central Shopping Centre, opposite BookFace. We’ll be in this venue for the Hastings Arts Trail, as well, which is on the weekend of 6 & 7 June.

On the night of ArtWalk, Friday 5 June, we’ll be in an inflatable marquee on Town Green. We’re hosting a small celebration in the marquee from 4.30pm that day, just ahead of ArtWalk’s 5pm start. Come join us if you can.

All works can be viewed on the Luminance Gallery website.

The 2026 ArtWalk X Luminance Young Artists Exhibition features artwork by 15 local artists and photographers:

Luke Baker, Guiding Light, acrylic paint on canvas, 30cm x 30cm. $350
Sophie Burt, Antroths, clip studio paint & procreate on paper, 21cm x 30cm.
Katie Chambers, Lavender Light, photograph, 85cm x 60cm. Framed. $180
Melodie Cicak, Beating Heart - My life As I Know It, acrylic paint pens on paper, 65cm x 78cm. $775
Lana Cooper, Curiosity, watercolour on paper, 90cm x 60cm. NFS
Jake Durbin, Reflection Between Us, acrylic on canvas, 40cm x 50cm. $170
Hayley Galea-Elson, Our Country - Oxley Beach, paint pens & acrylic paint on canvas, 40cm x 50cm. NFS
Peyton Hardesty, Even when there's darkness, I'll still be there, oil pastels on canvas, 30cm x 30cm. $150
Sha-lohm Jamieson, luminary, gouache and pencil on paper, 50cm x 46cm. Framed. $450
Macky Lambert, Softly falling apart, acrylic and oil on canvas, 40cm x 30cm. $200
Alycia Lipovac, Looking Glass, acrylic on canvas, 51 cm x 40cm. NFS
Dhavve Manoharan, RGB, photograph, 84cm x 60cm. NFS
Wren McDowell, Blue Feathers, watercolour on paper, 45cm x 33cm. NFS
Charlotte Newman, Worth it All, pens and ink on paper, 30cm x 50cm. $150
Charlotte Rabie, Hidden Within, chalk and paint pen on paper, 30cm × 25cm. $250