It's been five years since the late, great Margaret Olley took pride of place in Maitland to open the city's new-look art gallery.
Since then the multi-million dollar design has attracted the works of the country's most prominent artists and become a booming cultural hub for the region.
"My dream was always for the gallery to be accessible to everybody and that's what we've worked hard to achieve," gallery director Joe Eisenberg said.
"People coming here don't have to wear a bow tie and a black suit, they can come here wearing thongs and they can come with their prams."
This weekend the gallery, as it stands today, will celebrate its fifth birthday giving the Mercury a chance to reflect on the facility's artistic offerings since 2009.
Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Aug. 13, 2014.
