It's always exciting when visitors to Port Stephens Community Arts Centre tell members that they were born there, when the building operated as a hospital.
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This happened on Monday, January 15 when the Barnard family - Keith, Diana, Keian and Tain - visited the Nelson Bay arts centre's gallery.
Keith's father, Gordon, worked on converting the WWII Army building into Nelson Bay Community Hospital in 1956.
Gordon's first glimpse of his grandson Keian was while conducting maintenance on the community hospital building. This window is now the arts centre's finance office.
The hospital closed in 1981 and became the current Port Stephens Community Arts Centre.
Keith, from Nelson Bay, also did some electrical work, on the building for the hospital and gallery.
Keian and Tain where both born in the hospital and attended Nelson Bay Public School.
Keith and Diana are retired and are the dance teachers for Nelson Bay Rock 'n' Roll Club.
Keian is now the CEO of Tyree Transformers and on the board of Harborside Haven Retirement Village.
Tain is helping keep the lights on and power going in his role as a meter data analyst with Ausgrid.
2023 Port Stephens Art Prize
The not-for-profit arts centre is aiming to showcase the works of national, regional and local artists and to promote Port Stephens as a cultural destination worthy of a visit though its annual art prize.
The 15th Port Stephens Art Prize will be held from March 24 to April 2, 2023.
The competition will have six sections: painting, drawing, mixed media artworks, textiles, miniatures and the Port Stephens Council Prize for any two-dimensional work by a Port Stephens LGA artist.
There will also be a People's Choice Award. This will be open to all entries into the art prize and determined by the public during the 10 day exhibition.
There will be a cash prize for the winner and runner-up in each section. The people's choice winner will receive $200.
All artists across Australia are encouraged to register their works. The deadline to do so is February 11.
Only 400 entries will be accepted into the art prize.
Register online at: artscentrenelsonbay.org.au/home-page15th-port-stephens-art-prize-2023
The judges for the 2023 art prize are Karen Bloomfield for artworks and Alana Clifton-Cunningham for textiles.
The art prize exhibition will run from March 24 to April 2. Entry into the arts centre is free. All works will be for sale.
Port Stephens Community Arts Centre is open 10am-4pm daily.
In other news
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