'Artworks Gallery' was a commercial art gallery that operated at the edge of the Gippsland Lakes at Nungurner in East Gippsland from 1991 to 1996. Established by art patrons Norman and Petah Creighton, Artworks Gallery became the hub for a flowering of creative activity that burst out of Gippsland during this period.

The Creightons brought a combined passion for art, business smarts, a keen eye for quality and extensive knowledge, experience and networks to bear on a venture that, on paper, seemed hopelessly romantic and idealistic but, in practice, fanned the fires of creativity that would ignite across the entire region of Gippsland.

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In many respects the Creightons were true patrons of the arts, in a region that had been almost completely devoid of patrons to that point. Artworks was a commercial business that put the interests of artists and the viability of art in general first and foremost.

The Creightons were (and remain), art lovers who simply wanted to share their love of art with others.

It is significant that Artworks was their home as well as their gallery—for the Creightons art and life were inseparable. It infiltrated every part of their lives, and the artists they nurtured became family. The full experience of Artworks was so much more than a gallery visit. It meant wonderful food, music, parties, boat rides and, of course, good company.

Looking back, more than thirty years since Artworks was established, the shared nostalgia from Norman, Petah and the artists they supported is entirely understandable. It was a way of life that we need now perhaps more than ever.

This fascinating exhibition takes visitors back in time to experience Artworks through the extraordinarily rich collection of sixty-five works that have been generously donated to the Gippsland Art Gallery by the Creightons, capturing the halcyon days of Gippsland in the early 1990s.

The exhibition is complemented by a fully illustrated catalogue, available for purchase from the Gallery Shop from September.