Eltham Village Gallery

The Village Gallery came into being after a group of 5 local people recognised that one of Eltham’s strengths was its artists. They decided to invite people from the Eltham area to participate in a Community Arts Exhibition. This was held in Eltham Town Hall in 1999.

The coordinator was Pauline Turpie, and assisted by Ian Turpie, Maree Ballantyne, Karen Christian and Ian Henderson. This exhibition was a huge success with over 50 people exhibiting from the Eltham area, with displays from the local schools, kindergarten and playcentre.
The Village Gallery opened in 2001 when the owners offered a building in Bridge Street rent free for a year.
The Gallery is staffed by volunteers. Lighting was, and is still, provided by the Taranaki Electricity Trust. Contributions from the Creative Communities brought display boxes and display rails. The Village Gallery sign was painted by Kaponga artist Lawrence Larkin.

The Village Gallery continues to go from strength to strength. In 2006 The Village Gallery moved to the Corner of King Edward Street and High Street. The move has proved to be very successful with visitor numbers doubling with half the visitors coming from out of town.

The Village Gallery is run by volunteers. We have the support of a hard working committee and a dedicated group of volunteers who sit at the Gallery every day except Sunday and Public Holidays.