"As a 30th anniversary celebration of the Manning Regional Art Gallery, we're celebrating gallery achievements and recognising the skills and diversity of local artists with 'Studio Spaces of the Mid North Coast'," said gallery director, Rachel Piercy who is curating the show with Jane Hosking.

"We're going behind the scenes to see them in their own creative spaces and studios and see how they work.

“It’s a fascinating peek for local art lovers who will be familiar with many art works produced by the artists.”

These include Ali Haigh, Jane Hosking, Peter Hugill, Yvette Hugill, Stephen Michael King, Kaz Madigan, Wendie Patch, Jana Pearceova, Rick Reynolds, Raechel Saunders, Russell Saunders, Peter Schouten, Andy Snelgar, Rod Spicer, Steve Williams and Shona Wilson.

An exciting component is the partnership with the Manning River Times and Fairfax Media in this exhibition.

Manning River Times journalist Lauren Green and photographer Scott Calvin visited each artist in their studio over the past 12 months, and are producing profile stories for the exhibition and online publications.

Scott's portrait photographs are included in the exhibition, while film of the interviews provides a multimedia narrative during the viewing experience.

Rachel Piercy said putting this exhibition together has been so revealing, a series of future exhibitions is planned. 

'The Amber Rooms' is an intriguing look by four Newcastle artists, at an enduring art history conundrum.

A symbol of both Russian and German greatness, the Amber Room was a world-famous chamber decorated in amber panels backed with gold leaf and mirrors, located in the Catherine Palace near Saint Petersburg. 

Its contents mysteriously disappeared during World War II and have never been found. In recent decades, Russian craftsmen and scientists have recreated this marvellous chamber.

However, rumours regarding the whereabouts of the original Amber Room still spark debate among enthusiasts today. 

An amazing room of opulence, wealth and intrigue containing paintings, tonnes of amber and sculptural pieces, artists Deirdre Bean, Andrew Howells, Trevor Weekes, Lee Zaunders sought inspiration for this exhibition.

Each artist pursued their own interest and coincidentally the gallery is divided into rooms, which were assigned to the individual artist. With the original Amber room spilling over with aesthetic overload and an empty gallery space in mind, the artists set about creating.

The official opening is at 6pm on Saturday April 7 at the Manning Regional Art Gallery. Tickets for this event are $10 (adults) and $7 for Friends of the Gallery. 

'Studio Spaces of the Mid North Coast' and 'The Amber Rooms' will be open from Wednesday April 4 until Sunday May 13 and entry to both exhibitions is free.