Historic Villa, Art Gallery & Shop
Non-Profit Arts Society
Nestled down at the iconic Town Basin in Whangarei, this lovingly restored historic villa houses some real delights. Home to the thriving Northland Society of Arts, who were established back in 1989, they continue to host exhibition space for artists to hire, along with a boutique shop filed with unique pieces of local artworks.
Following the Hatea River, and just a quick walk through our Heritage Rose gardens, you will find the Reyburn Art Studio. This creative space houses the Firebirds Ceramic group and Fire Frenzy along with a main studio space for various groups to hire.
Entry to the Gallery is free but a donation is always appreciated. Run as a non-profit by mostly volunteers, your donation would help us to keep supporting Northland Artists.
What’s on at the Gallery…
Take the virtual tour !
Try a virtual tour from your own home. Works on mobile, tablet and through a browser on a PC or Mac.
Just choose a room and, using finger or mouse, move around a 360° room view. Zoom in and out, move left & right.
Happy viewing! Call in to see the real artworks when you can.
ART EXHIBITIONS ON NOW…
Bay of Islands Painting Group – Galleries 1 & 2
Based in the beautiful and inspirational Bay of Islands, this group has been coming together to paint for over forty years.
It is a diverse group, with members from New Zealand and around the world. We meet weekly with a common goal, to create beautiful artworks and lasting friendships.
Gallery 1
‘Every Picture Tells a Story’
Our brief for this exhibition was to produce a painting on a set size canvas inspired by a book title. A diverse range of images has resulted!
Gallery 2
Our smaller canvas gave us free range to express ourselves in paint however we wished.
We hope you enjoy viewing the stories our pictures tell.
Firebirds Pottery Group – Galleries 3 & 4
Another thrilling exhibition of inventive pottery. The theme is Book and Film titles, which can be portrayed literally or left to the imagination. All work has been produced by the Firebirds Pottery Group based at Reyburn House Art Studio. Our potters ages range from 20s to 80s, proving it is never too late to be creative and have fun at the same time.
We hope the exhibition will bring a smile to your face. All work will be for sale at very reasonable prices!
Creative Northland – Gallery 5
As part of the month long Artbeat celebrations, Lenny Murupaenga, Nga Toi Māori Navigator, Creative Advisor & Curator for Creative Northland has carefully crafted this exhibition titled, “Raranga i te hapori auaha” – Weaving the creative community.
Showcasing creative works by artists from different backgrounds, mediums, styles and techniques. The theme for Artbeat is ‘Weaving Community’.
Exhibition Opportunities for Artists…
✨ Call for Northland Artists: Matariki 2025 Exhibition at Reyburn House
🌌 MATARIKI 2025 EXHIBITION
Reyburn House Gallery invites all Northland-based artists to participate in this year’s Matariki Themed Exhibition, celebrating renewal, remembrance, and creativity through art.
Last year’s Matariki Exhibition was unforgettable—your artwork, your wairua, your warmth. While we weren’t able to secure funding this time around, the spirit of the show stayed with us, and with so many of you. So we’re bringing it back, slightly smaller, but still full of meaning, connection, and community pride.
🗓️ Key Info:
- Exhibition dates: Tuesday 10 June – Sunday 6 July 2025
- Location: Galleries 1 & 2, Reyburn House
- Work drop-off: Sunday 8 June, between 2:00pm and 3:00pm
- Opening event: Date TBC – we hope to invite a Kaumātua to offer a blessing
This is a non-selected exhibition open to all Northland artists, NSA members and non-members alike.
🎨 Artwork Requirements:
- One work per artist (space permitting, additional works may be offered later)
- Maximum size: 600 x 900 mm
- All entries must comply with NSA’s hanging requirements (D-rings, cord, labelled on the back – see pg 3 of our [Terms & Conditions] or ask us if unsure!)
- Work must reflect themes of Matariki – remembrance, reflection, whānau, aspiration, or new beginnings
Please ensure your work is dry, unwrapped, clearly labelled, and ready to hang. No wrapping materials are to be left behind.
💰 Entry:
- $25 per artist
This small fee helps cover gallery operating costs for the month. While this year’s show isn’t externally funded, your contribution keeps the lights on and the doors open for future kaupapa.
We’ll also have a koha bowl at the opening if you or your whānau wish to support the continuation of future Matariki celebrations at Reyburn.
📧 How to Enter:
Please email office@reyburnhouse.co.nz by Saturday 31st May with:
- Your name
- Proposed work title + medium (if known)
- Approx. size or note if still in progress
- Retail sale price
Spaces will be allocated in order of confirmed entries.
Let’s light up the dark again, together.
It might not be big. It might not be funded.
But it will be ours. 💫
Expression of Interest – NSA 2025 Calendar Art Competition
It’s Back! NSA Calendar Competition – 2025 Edition
We’re thrilled to announce the return of our beloved NSA Calendar Art Competition, and we’d love YOU to be part of it!
This exciting annual event will showcase original Northland-made artworks in a month-long exhibition at Reyburn House, with 12 pieces selected to feature in our next fundraising calendar.
This year’s competition and exhibition will once again turn Reyburn House into a showcase of local brilliance. We’re searching for standout artworks to feature in our 2025 fundraising calendar—something vibrant, fresh, and entirely created by human hands (no AI, no prints, no photos—just pure you!).
If you’d like to be considered, please email:
📧 calcomp@reyburnhouse.co.nz with:
- Your name
- Whether you intend to submit 1 or 2 artworks
You don’t need to send your artwork just yet — this is just to help us plan for numbers and gallery layout. Just your expression of interest please!
🎨 Proposed Details:
- Who can enter? Open to all Northland-based artists and NSA Members
- Entry fee: $30 for one artwork, $50 for two
- Mediums accepted: Painting, embroidery, collage, mixed media — anything wall-mountable and handmade (max A1 or 1.2m wide in landscape format)
- Prizes: Generous cash prizes for 1st, 2nd & 3rd place, plus a People’s Choice Award
- Once we’ve confirmed numbers, we’ll be in touch with official entry forms and all the nitty-gritty details.
🗓 Key Dates:
- Expressions of Interest now open!
- Exhibition dates: 4-week show starting Tuesday 5 August and runs until Sunday 31 August
- Opening event & judging: During the first week
- Awards event: End of week two
- People’s Choice voting continues into the second half
This event is a fundraiser for the NSA and is designed to be fun, inclusive, and celebratory. The only catch? Your work must be original and calendar-ready!
🎁 Bonus: Artists whose works are selected for the calendar will receive a free copy — and bragging rights for all of 2025.
Let’s make this calendar a true celebration of Northland’s creative spirit.
🟧 It’s Squared Up! and
Locked In!
Thanks to the fantastic response from artists, we’re thrilled to confirm that our Squared Up! (12×12) exhibition is definitely going ahead!
📅 Exhibition dates: Opening Tuesday 30 September 2025
🖼️ Theme: All works in a 12×12” format — small in size, big in impact!
A big thank you to everyone who submitted an Expression of Interest — we’re so excited to see what you’ll create. Entry forms will be sent out to all who registered interest closer to the time.
📧 Got a question in the meantime? Flick us an email at: squaredup@reyburnhouse.co.nz
Let the square magic begin!