From Creative Precinct to ACAR: Ten Years of Excellence Celebrates a Decade of Artistic Community

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From Creative Precinct to ACAR: Ten Years of Excellence Celebrates a Decade of Artistic Community

The ACAR Art Centre in St Leonards presents Ten Years of Excellence: A Creative Precinct Retrospective, from 25 September to 18 December 2026. Curated by artist and curator Paul McDonald, the exhibition traces the journey from the TWT Creative Precinct to the organisation now known as ACAR.

Established in St Leonards in 2014, the TWT Creative Precinct transformed underused commercial buildings into an active creative community of studios, galleries, rehearsal and performance spaces, and creative businesses. Developed with early collaborator Brand X, the precinct supported more than 800 artists and creative enterprises and provided over 4,000 square metres of subsidised creative space during its decade of operation.

Ten Years of Excellence brings that history to life through works by 21 artists who contributed to, and were shaped by, the precinct. The exhibition includes Abdul Abdullah, Caroline Rothwell, Michaela Gleave, Kim Leutwyler, Todd Fuller and Geng Xue, as well as work by curator Paul McDonald, long-standing participant in the creative precinct community.

The Creative Precinct established a successful model of arts-led placemaking. ACAR represents its next chapter: an independent charitable organisation founded on the belief that art can strengthen understanding and build enduring connections between Australia and China.

ACAR’s mission is to create meaningful opportunities for artists, institutions and audiences from both countries to engage, collaborate and exchange ideas. Through the ACAR Art Centre, the annual ACAR Art Prize, international artist residencies, exhibitions and institutional partnerships, ACAR is building a nationally and internationally recognised platform for artistic exchange and cultural dialogue.

Exhibition Details

Ten Years of Excellence: A Creative Precinct Retrospective

Dates: 25 September – 18 December

Venue: ACAR Arts Centre, 62 Atchison Street, St Leonards NSW 2065

Website: www.acar.org,au

To obtain further information, please contact media@acar.org.au

Featured Artists

  • Abdul Abdullah

  • Yu Cao

  • David Charlie

  • Gelin Chen

  • Todd Fuller

  • Xue Geng

  • Michaela Gleave

  • Cheolyu Kim

  • Kim Leutwyler

  • Charles Levi

  • James Little

  • Debbie Mackinnon

  • Paul McDonald

  • Sidney McMahon

  • Yong Peng

  • Caroline Rothwell

  • Kien Situ

  • Mike Staniford

  • Ziyao Sun

  • Oliver Watts

  • Rose Wong

Oliver Watts The Connoisseur (Portrait of Robert Wellington) 152 x 213, acrylic on canvas, 2026.

Oliver Watts , The Connoisseur (Portrait of Robert Wellington), acrylic on canvas, 2026

Guest User