Shepparton Art Museum announces 2026 exhibition program, including major First Nations exhibition and two national blockbusters.

Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is pleased to announce its annual exhibition program for 2026, highlights of which include an upcoming exhibition interweaving recent works from Yorta Yorta artists with major First Nations artworks from the SAM Collection, followed by the recently announced Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso from Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, showing at SAM as an Australian exclusive, and the Victorian exclusive showing of Archibald Prize 2026 from Art Gallery New South Wales.

Opening to the public on 14 February 2026, Nyini Woka (My Place) is a new exhibition from Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) showcasing artworks from the Carrillo and Ziyin Gantner Collection of Australian Indigenous Art, an ongoing major cultural gift to the SAM Collection, alongside recent artworks from contemporary Yorta Yorta artists.

Co-curated by Belinda Briggs, SAM Curator – Indigenous, and Chloe Jones, Kaiela Arts curator and gallery manager, the exhibition will explore the dialogue that emerges between broader First Nations perspectives and Yorta Yorta stories of woka (Country) and nanyak (ways of being, seeing, doing, knowing), affirming living culture and community voices and revealing threads of belonging, resistance, humour, memory and strength, while extending an invitation to visitors to consider what it means to be here, today, on Yorta Yorta Country and beyond. Exhibiting artists include Albert Namatjira (Western Arrernte), Vincent Namatjira OAM (Western Arrernte), Lyn Thorpe (Yorta Yorta), Cynthia Hardie (Yorta Yorta), and Danie Mellor (Ndgadjon, Mamu), with works spanning form and material, from bark paintings to photography and ceramics.

Chloe Jones, curator, says of the exhibition:

“It’s an honour to bring First Nations works from the Carrillo and Ziyin Gantner Collection of Australian Indigenous Art into conversation with local Yorta Yorta voices on Yorta Yorta Woka. Nyini Woka (My Place) gathers many stories from across the continent and offers a moment to slow down, to think about where we belong, what grounds us, and how place shapes who we are. The exhibition invites everyone to recognise themselves within these stories and to reflect on how we care for place, for one another, and for the responsibilities we carry together. It asks a simple but timeless question: what does it mean to find your place, and to hold it with others?”

Nyini Woka (My Place) will be on display in SAM’s Lin Onus Gallery from Saturday 14 February, with free entry.

Audiences can also look forward to a host of new exhibitions and site-specific installations throughout the year. Across SAM’s Level 2, intricately coiled ceramic vessels from Kialla-based artist Aleisa Miksad and a selection of abstract 2D and 3D works from artist Angela Brennan will be showcased, exemplifying the dynamism of the ceramic medium. On the art museum’s Level 4 Furphy Family Art Wall, artist Raafat Ishak will present a geometric wall painting that responds to the site’s architecture and local history. In an exciting new project bringing together art and sport, artist Tully Moore will transform the Ryan Family Children’s Gallery into a colourful World Cup-inspired activity centre, celebrating Shepparton’s rich multicultural soccer heritage in the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup 2026. 

In the Hugh D.T Williamson Community Gallery, 2026 SAM Selects artist Fran O’Neill will present her exhibition On the Move, featuring a selection of large-scale paintings, followed later in the year by annual community group exhibition SAM Open.

Danny Lacy, SAM Artistic Director, says of the artistic program:

“In 2026, SAM will be a destination for all seeking the vibrant arts and culture that Australia prides itself on, connecting people to ancient cultures, far-off lands, and historical epochs. Throughout the year, visitors will experience moments of awe, personal significance, and creative innovation across all five levels of the art museum. Beginning with deep reflections on community, Country, and the preservation of ancient knowledge, Nyini Woka affords us a timely moment to centre First Nations artists  and celebrate the significant gift of the Carrillo and Ziyin Gantner Collection of Australian Indigenous Art. Mid-year, Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso presents a unique opportunity to encounter the greats of Modern art that some have waited a lifetime to see, followed by the prestigious Archibald Prize 2026, which showcases some of the most significant contemporary artists and figures of today.”

ENDS

Image: Installation view of Julie Dowling, Nana Everlasting, 2001, Shepparton Art Museum, 2023. Photo: Shepparton Art Museum

About SAM:

Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is located on Yorta Yorta Country, Shepparton, Victoria. 

Serving as a dynamic cultural and community hub for the Greater Shepparton region, SAM is one of Australia’s leading regional art museums and the newest purpose-built collecting institution in regional Victoria. SAM houses one of the nation’s most significant collections of Australian ceramics and regional holdings of South Eastern Indigenous Art, and presents an inclusive museum experience that inspires creativity, forges meaningful connections, and celebrates the unique stories of our region. 

Through its programs, events, collection, and temporary exhibitions, SAM creates opportunities for artists and creatives to engage audiences with contemporary ideas and issues, allowing the stories of our country’s ancient cultures and contemporary multicultural Australia to be discovered and exchanged.

Media enquiries, please contact Mikela Guseli, SAM Communications Officer.

p: (03) 4804 5009 e: mguseli@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au