Gallery Director and founder of yellowhouseart Maggie Deall 2026
Hi, I’m Maggie Deall — artist, gallery owner, chief paint splatterer and the person behind yellowhouseart.
What started in May 2021 as The Little Yellow House Gallery & Studio has grown into something much bigger than I ever imagined. After spending 20 years in the NSW Police, I took a fairly spectacular career turn and opened a little yellow gallery in Wagga Wagga with a pretty simple idea: create a welcoming place where local artists could be seen, creativity could be encouraged and people could walk through the door without ever feeling like they needed to “know about art”.
Today, yellowhouseart represents an incredible group of artists, with a strong focus on talented women from Wagga Wagga and across the Riverina. Our walls are filled with original art, colour, stories and plenty of personality, alongside beautiful handmade jewellery, homewares and creative pieces made by artists and makers we genuinely love.
And these days, our little regional gallery gets to travel too.
We’ve proudly taken yellowhouseart and our Riverina artists to the Affordable Art Fair, exhibiting alongside galleries and artists from across Australia and introducing thousands of people to the work being created right here in regional NSW. Seeing our artists’ work hanging at major art fairs — and watching pieces head off to new homes all over Australia — is something I’ll never stop getting excited about.
Back at yellowhouseart, there’s usually just as much happening in the studio as there is on the gallery walls.
We run after-school art classes, school holiday workshops, adult workshops, Social Painting nights, Creative Escapes, parties and all sorts of creative happenings. Some days there are kids elbow-deep in paint and glitter, other days there’s a table full of adults painting, chatting and having a glass of something nice.
There is absolutely no requirement to be “good at art” here.
I’ve always believed creativity is incredibly good for us. It gives us somewhere to switch off, try something new, build confidence, connect with other people and sometimes just forget about everything else for a little while. That feeling is at the heart of everything we do.
Our gallery also lives online, which means you don’t have to be in Wagga to discover our artists. We send original artwork and beautiful things to homes all over Australia, helping regional artists reach audiences well beyond our little corner of NSW.
But no matter how much yellowhouseart grows, the most important part will always be the same.
People.
I want this to be a place where everyone feels welcome. A gallery where you can buy an original artwork, take a class, discover a new artist, bring your kids, meet someone new, ask a million questions or simply wander in for a look and a chat.
No intimidating gallery voices required.
Just great art, good people, lots of creativity and probably a fair bit of paint somewhere it shouldn’t be.
Welcome to yellowhouseart.
Come in, have a look around and stay for a while.
What are we looking for?
Applications will be considered against the following criteria:
Quality of the work
- The work demonstrates skill, originality, thoughtful development and a strong personal voice.
A clear exhibition concept
- The proposal communicates a considered idea, story or connection between the works. The collection should feel cohesive rather than simply being a selection of unrelated pieces.
Suitability for yellowhouseart
- The work complements the character, values, audience and physical space of yellowhouseart. We are particularly drawn to work that creates connection, invites conversation and offers visitors a memorable experience.
Readiness to exhibit
- The artist has a realistic plan for producing and presenting a complete body of exhibition-ready work within the proposed timeframe.
Audience connection
- The proposal has the potential to engage our local community, existing collectors and new audiences.
Professionalism
- The application is complete, clearly presented and demonstrates that the artist is prepared to work collaboratively with the yellowhouseart team.
Contribution to the program
- We will also consider how each proposal contributes to a varied and interesting 2027 exhibition calendar. This may include diversity of artistic styles, stories, subjects, materials, perspectives and career stages.
What you'll need to submit
Your Expression of Interest should include:
- Your name and contact details
- Your location
- Details of how you live, work or have a demonstrated connection to the Riverina Murray region
- A short artist biography
- An artist statement
- Your proposed exhibition title, if known
- A clear description of your exhibition idea
- Why you would like to exhibit with yellowhouseart
- Details of the work you plan to exhibit, including medium, approximate sizes and expected number of pieces
- Five to ten images that best represent your current work or proposed collection
- An indication of whether the works shown are completed, in progress or examples of your broader practice
- Your preferred exhibition periods during 2027
- Links to your website and social media, if applicable
- Details of previous exhibitions or relevant experience, if applicable
- Any installation, access or technical requirements we should know about
Please don’t worry if you haven’t exhibited before. Previous exhibition experience is not essential.
Important information & selection process
Before applying, artists should be aware that:
- Applicants must meet the Riverina Murray connection requirement outlined above.
- All work must be original and created by the exhibiting artist or artists.
- The proposed collection must be available for the full exhibition period.
- All artworks must arrive finished, dry, professionally presented and ready to install.
- Artists are responsible for delivering and collecting their work unless another arrangement is agreed upon.
- Selected artists will work with yellowhouseart to confirm pricing, presentation, promotional information and key deadlines.
- Artworks exhibited at yellowhouseart will be available for sale unless otherwise agreed.
- Yellowhouseart’s standard commission (30% plus 10% GST) and exhibition terms will apply and will be provided before an artist formally accepts an exhibition offer.
- Final exhibition dates will be determined by yellowhouseart in consultation with selected artists.
- Submitting an Expression of Interest does not guarantee selection.
Expressions of Interest will be reviewed by the yellowhouseart Gallery Director.
Shortlisted artists may be contacted for further information or invited to have a conversation with us before the final program is confirmed.
We want the process to be welcoming, fair and accessible. Every application will be considered on the strength of the proposed exhibition and its suitability for the 2027 program.
