[2] The NERAM complex includes six gallery spaces, a Museum of Printing, an artist's studio, conference facilities, shop and café.

By the 1970s it was evident that these valuable and significant works required secure housing, curatorship, preservation and environmental management not available within the open doors and corridors of a teacher’s college.

Barry Pearce, former head curator of Australian Art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales described the Hinton donation as including "many magnificent Australian landscapes by a range of major and minor artists ... crowned by such masterpieces as Arthur Streeton's Morning Sketch (aka McMahon's Point Ferry) 1890 and Near Streeton's camp at Sirius Cove, 1892 and, the jewel in the crown, Mosman's Bay, 1894 by Tom Roberts.

[9] The Armidale community began a long-term fundraising effort to build a dedicated museum, and with matching grants from the NSW State government NERAM was formally opened by the Premier of New South Wales, Neville Wran, on 26 March 1983.

[10] NERAM was built on crown land near the Armidale Teachers College site, the original home of the Hinton Trust.

In 1997 a Stage II extension designed by architect Colin Still was added to increase display areas, heighten the building's indoor/outdoor relationships, and include a café and artist’s studio.

Its income is derived from a funding agreement with the Armidale Regional Council (formerly Armidale Dumaresq Council), triennial operational grants from the NSW government, philanthropic support from the Margaret Olley Art Trust, membership fees, project grants, donations, art class fees, commercial sponsorship, shop trading, functions hire and fundraising.

The museum's major annual fundraising project, 'Packsaddle', is an exhibition and commissioned sale of original artworks provided by galleries and artists from across Australia; the funds raised are donated for the acquisition of works for the NERAM Collection.

[13] A plan was devised to sell a half-share of Tom Robert's Mosman's Bay to the Art Gallery of New South Wales so that the painting would spend alternate years in Armidale and Sydney.

The case was eventually taken to the Supreme Court in 2009 where it was found that the painting could not be sold due to a trust deed put in place by Hinton.