Sydney’s already bustling neighbourhood, Surry Hills, welcomes a new addition this month with the opening of the hybrid creative environment Sketch Collective. Part art gallery and part integrated agency, the destination will be home to original works from a plethora of up and coming artists as well as operating as a marketing business.
Opening with its inaugural show to the public as of now, Sketch Collective Gallery, the art side of Sketch Collective, is the brainchild of art-loving marketeer Caroline Heslop. Driven by her vision to make art more accessible, Heslop has spent the best part of 2021 curating a roster of emerging Australian based artists. Sourcing talent through a range of traditional and novel routes, the team secured artists by scrolling on Instagram and striking up conversations on the street.
Speaking about the opening of Sketch Collective’s new space, Founder & Director Caroline Heslop noted, “I wanted to create a space that combined my dual passions and experiences in art and marketing. The gallery will focus on celebrating, promoting and growing the domestic emerging art scene as well as educating newcomers to the world of art and collecting original works. The goal is to democratise art and that is why pieces will be capped out at $5,000 with an entry-level of $350.
We want to ensure that those who have an interest in starting their journey into buying original art, but are regularly priced out, have somewhere they know they’ll be able to find not only a striking piece within their price range but also from a hotly tipped artist.”
The first showing at Sketch Collective Gallery will feature the works of multi-platform Morus Quin, Jessica Watts who specialises in art of feminine power, and self-taught Berry-based painter Alexandra Strong.
Speaking about being featured in the Gallery’s first exhibition Morus Quin said, “I love what Sketch Collective is doing with this and offering the opportunity to emerging artists like me – giving us a platform to continue to grow and hopefully attract new audiences. I am still fairly new to exhibiting work so having exciting opportunities like this will prove hugely beneficial to my career.”
The other side of Sketch Collective will be the offices for their B2B marketing agency which serves a roster of clients including KFC, WAHL and Nearmap. Founded in 2019, Sketch Collective is a full-service marketing agency offering integrated solutions for marketing conundrums. As part of the new Sketch Collective building, the space will allow the agency’s clients an opportunity to get away from the office to work in a creative and invigorating environment through the gallery area and beyond.
Sketch Collective Gallery’s Opening Show will run until 28th January 2022 open to the public Monday – Friday 10 am-4 pm, Saturday 11 am-3 pm. Entry is free and located at 420 Crown Street, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010.
Featured : Sketch Collective Gallery Space Founder and Director Caroline Heslop