The first regional gallery Ngununggula has been a project four years in the making, and will open its doors on September 25 in Retford Park.

"The community never had a proper regional gallery," he said.

"It will be a real hub for the arts community and an anchor for visual artists in the Southern Highlands."

The artist was shown the old dairy and knew that was the space for the "once in a lifetime opportunity."

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Mr Quilty explained that it will be a non-commercial venue that would support artists, but also provide residents with access to various artists and their techniques.

Ngununggula will provide students with the opportunity to have excursions and engage with different artistic principles.

"I did not want any child to miss an opportunity to be exposed to the arts in the Southern Highlands," he said.

He explained it will also provide residents with access to exhibitions that have toured across the country such as the Archibald Prize.

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"It will allow us to have access to the Archibald as it travelled," he continued.

Mr Quilty confirmed that the renowned exhibition has been secured at the venue for a future date.

He also revealed that an exhibition of paintings by John Olsen has also been secured for next year, which would be only shown in the Highlands and Sydney.

"It would be the space to have the world's best in the middle of the town for people to aspire to," Mr Quilty added.

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"A regional gallery would be an easier opportunity to pave the way for creativity."

Highlanders will have the opportunity to participate in workshops once the gallery has opened.

The artist said the gallery will house five major exhibitions a year with next year's line-up of installations already confirmed.

The collaboration with Indigenous artists was another core aspect the gallery wanted to reinforce, with the name meaning 'belonging' in the traditional language of the Gundungurra people.

The gallery collaborated with Gundungurra elder Aunty Velma Mulcahy OAM 'Aunty Val' for the venue's name.

Indigenous artists will have the opportunity to have their work exhibited and commissioned in the gallery's Entry Pavilion.

The first installation within the pavilion has been created by Quandamooka artist Megan Cope.

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She has collaborated with Aunty Val and elders from the Yamanda Aboriginal Association based in Mittagong and created a map installation that celebrates the land in the Highlands.

Mr Quilty said the collaboration with Indigenous artists has and would "add to the social fibre and the dynamic of what it has meant to be Australian."

"The collaboration gave us tuition with the language, customs and history," he said.

The Ngununggula website said it has acknowledged the Gundungurra people as sovereign custodians of the land where the gallery has been situated, and will welcome future visitors.

The gallery will operate in partnership with the WSC, National Trust, NSW Government and private donors.

Highlanders can learn more about the gallery by following Ngununggula on Instagram or subscribing to their newsletter.

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