Quartered, drawn and hung – artists win with new space to thrive

Lake Macquarie City Council has gone back to the drawing board to create a new creative space that nurtures local talent and community collaboration.

The newly branded Sugarloaf Studios building at West Wallsend features five large studios and seven smaller spaces to rent for minimal fees to local artists, other creatives and community groups.

Manager Arts, Culture and Tourism Jacqui Hemsley said the pilot concept aimed to support grassroots creativity and connection in Lake Macquarie.

“This initiative builds on our broader strategy to support creativity at every level, to celebrate and nurture emerging community groups and to repurpose community spaces for contemporary use,” she said.

The Brooks Parade building was previously used as office space for a community organisation but has been vacant since July.

Lake Macquarie artist Alanya Van de Wiel welcomed the new venue, citing the scarcity of accessible, affordable local spaces for artists.

“We often work in isolation, but we also need a sense of real-life community, not just online, to support our well-being, creative growth and professional development,” she said.

“As a practising artist, this gives me a focused, inspiring space to develop my own work and ideas. For the broader creative community, it’s a hub where creatives can come together, collaborate and grow.”

“A local creative hub also contributes to the wider community. It strengthens local connections, fosters engagement and brings new energy to places like West Wallsend.”

Spaces are available for long and short-term hire, as well as bespoke hire arrangements, like yoga, meetings and drama and dance classes.

Ms Hemsley said the smaller studios were between 15.5sqm and 18sqm, while the larger spaces were 22-32.5sqm.

The weekly fee will be $55 for the smaller spaces and $75 for the larger spaces.

“We’re really aiming for this to be an affordable, desirable place for artists, creatives and small community businesses to develop their skills, either working individually or pooling their creativity to collaborate on projects,” Ms Hemsley said.

Go to arts.lakemac.com.au for more information or to apply to rent a Sugarloaf Studios room.