Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition Sculpture on Mary this July

Artists are invited to submit work for Sculpture on Mary, a new outdoor sculpture exhibition taking place on the banks of the Mary River in the heart of Gympie on 18 and 19 July 2026.

Presented as part of the Gympie Region Studio Trails, the free public event will transform The Sands into a vibrant riverside gallery featuring sculpture, large-scale commissioned works, live music and community gathering.

Entries are now open for artists wishing to exhibit work as part of the outdoor sculpture exhibition, with entries closing on 20 June 2026. Artists working across sculpture and installation are encouraged to enter work for display and sale, particularly works that respond to environment, landscape and place.

Visitors to the exhibition will experience four major sculptural installations, including four newly commissioned works by Kathleen Hunt, Miriam Innes, Alicia Murphy and Joolie Gibbs, developed specifically for Sculpture on Mary through a curated artist program focused on environmental and sustainable art practices connected to the Mary River ecosystem.

The commissioned artists will each create ephemeral, site-responsive works inspired by the landscape, ecology and stories of the Mary River catchment, encouraging visitors to experience the river environment in new and thought-provoking ways. The exhibition will also feature a large-scale sculptural work by Peter Herrington, adding another major attraction to the riverside exhibition.

The exhibition will be open from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July, inviting audiences to explore contemporary sculpture in a unique natural setting along the riverbank. The Sculpture on Mary exhibition is accessible from The Sands car park, as well as via a short walk along the River to Rail Trail from access points at Hyne Street and Bridge Street.

A special community event will take place on Saturday 18 July from 4pm to 5.30pm, with audiences encouraged to bring a picnic, rug or chair and join artists and the community for an afternoon of live music by Zac Gunthorpe, artist talks and a relaxed riverside gathering.

Delivered by Loose Knit Productions, Sculpture on Mary is a pilot initiative exploring future opportunities for public art across Gympie’s tracks, trails and natural spaces.

Loose Knit Productions was founded by Nicole Harper and Lesa Bell with charitable purposes to fund, develop and produce projects and events that support creativity, culture and the environment.

Artists and audiences can find out more at: https://loose-knit.my.canva.site/sculpture-on-mary or via Gympie Region Studio Trails.

This project is supported by funding from the Regional Arts Development Fund, a partnership between the Queensland Government and Gympie Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.

This project was also made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, provided through Regional Arts Australia and administered in Queensland by Flying Arts Alliance.

Thanks to support from Queensland Hydro.