Victoria: State of the arts

Regional Victoria’s ever-expanding arts scene offers everything from galleries to festivals, from trails to museums. A new trend is emerging towards more contemporary programming across many of the state’s most prominent galleries, bringing with it a more modern art experience.  Entry into most public galleries across the state is free and many are home to the best gift shops and cafes in town. Artist trails and open studio events enable art enthusiasts to look behind the scenes, while visitors seeking a more immersive experience can head to one of Victoria’s many arts festivals and events.

Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges

With an extremely high population of artists and creative types, Daylesford and the Macedon Ranges has become renowned for its Open Studios event held over several weekends in November. It is not the only event in the region to have gained a reputation for excellence. Just down the road, the Woodend Winter Arts Festival is known for attracting top quality music, literature and arts talent to the region. The Lost Trades Fair in Kyneton brings together artisans to share knowledge of rare trades and showcase their skills.

All year round, the Macedon Ranges Art Trail leads visitors to more than 40 artists’ studios and galleries where they are welcomed for an intimate view of artists at work. Nestled on the crest of Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens, The Convent Gallery boasts expansive views of the countryside and township below. Alongside the multi-award winning gallery is a restaurant, bar and lounge, a restored chapel, a nuns’ museum and luxury apartment style accommodation. Acclaimed artists David and Yuge Bromley have recently relocated to Daylesford and opened Bromley & Co, an art gallery, fashion boutique and homewares store. Several specially created artworks furnish the spaces within.

Geelong and the Bellarine

The Geelong Gallery offers a chance to view iconic works by artists such as Eugene von Guerard and Frederick McCubbin. Since opening in 1896, the gallery has amassed an impressive collection of 19th and 20th century Australian and European paintings and decorative arts. The collection also includes 18th and 19th century English porcelain, British art pottery, colonial Australian silver and contemporary Australian paintings and prints.

Also in Geelong, the Metropolis Gallery features Indigenous art, Australian paintings, limited edition prints, glass art and jewellery by local and national artists and hosts an inspiring calendar of exhibitions.

A free annual event, Geelong After Dark transforms the city, with edgy works of art popping up in unexpected places. On the same weekend, the biennial Mountain to Mouth is an 80-kilometre Extreme Arts Walk from the You Yangs, through Geelong to the mouth of the Barwon River. The route is punctuated with specially commissioned artworks designed to bring participants closer with the land and its traditional owners.

On the main street of Queenscliff, Salt Contemporary Art occupies a grand building which was once a drapery store. Established in 2004, the gallery exhibits the works of contemporary Australian painters, sculptors and ceramic artists.

Goldfields

Over the last decade, Bendigo Art Gallery has cemented its reputation for curating innovative Australian-exclusive international exhibitions in partnership with leading galleries and collectors from across the globe. Established at the height of the gold rush, in 1887, the extensive permanent collection has an emphasis on 19th century European and Australian art as well as contemporary Australian pieces.

Australia’s oldest pottery works, Bendigo Pottery, has become a creative hive, with seven resident artists and a recently developed antique and collectables centre. Visitors keen to get their hands dirty can throw a clay pot, while others can watch professional potters at work. Bendigo is also home to the Golden Dragon Museum, which showcases the legacy of the Chinese community in Bendigo from the 1850s until today. The Museum houses the oldest and longest imperial dragon in the world, Sun Loong.

Established in 1884, the Art Gallery of Ballarat is the oldest and largest gallery in regional Australia. It contains a rich catalogue of Australian art in its permanent collection, housed in rooms catalogued by era. The Art Gallery of Ballarat is currently the only place in Victoria to view the renowned Australian portraiture exhibition, the Archibald Prize, until 2017. Located at the historic site of the 1854 Eureka Stockade in Ballarat, the Museum of Democracy at Eureka (M.A.D.E) explores the story of Eureka as a significant part of the struggle for peoples’ rights in Australia and around the world. The interactive displays help visitors to understand the birth of democracy and its role in modern politics.

Every second year, Ballarat plays host to the Ballarat International Foto Biennale, a month-long festival of contemporary Australian and international photography. The festival takes place across more than 80 venues in Ballarat, including historic buildings, cafes, galleries, and public spaces. Just announced, Ballarat will also host the Biennale of Australian Art, which will be held over six weeks in September and October in 2018.

The Castlemaine Art Gallery and Historical Museum offers visitors the chance to discover the early history of the district through art and historical artefacts. The permanent collection focuses on traditional landscapes, while the art deco building is a work of art in itself. Castlemaine is also home to Australia’s oldest regional arts festival, the Castlemaine State Festival. Held biennially, the festival presents the region’s finest artists and performing arts companies, alongside national and international artists.

Nearby, Clunes Booktown Festival entices literary lovers from across the globe to visit the only official International Booktown in the Southern Hemisphere. The annual May festival celebrates books, writing and ideas, while a year-round program of literary events means there is never a bad time of year to visit.

Grampians

The Horsham Regional Art Gallery reopened in January 2016 as an arts and performance hub. It specialises in the collection of Australian photography. The Horsham Town Hall hosts the Horsham Regional Art Gallery as well as the annual Art Is…Festival. Twenty minutes away, the small town of Natimuk is home to the acclaimed Nati Frinj Festival – a celebration of the creative energy of Natimuk and its artists.

North of the region, the ‘Brim Silos’ have made the very tiny town of Brim an international attraction. The hugely scaled artworks painted by Brisbane-based internationally renowned street artist Guido van Helten are worth the road trip.

In the heart of the Grampians, at Halls Gap, Brambuk – the National Park & Cultural Centre  highlights the heritage and culture of the Indigenous people who have called Gariwerd (the Grampians) home for thousands of years. Award-winning multimedia presentations can be viewed in the Gariwerd Dreaming Theatre, and guests can also join a Rock Art Tour, paint a boomerang and enjoy a traditional lunch in the Bushfoods Café.

To the region’s south, the Hamilton Art Gallery is famous for its outstanding international collections of fine and decorative arts.

Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is home to many stand-out festivals and arts events. A favourite holiday destination for families, Lorne plays host to Lorne Arts Festival, Lorne Film Festival, the Lorne Sculpture Biennale and of course, the Falls Music and Arts Festival that takes place annually over New Year’s Eve.

Further west, Port Fairy hosts four stand-out festivals of its own: the Port Fairy Folk Festival, Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, Port Fairy Winter Weekends and Port Fairy Ex Libris Festival of Words.

Warrnambool is home to an evolving street art scene, which has led to the launch of the Warrnambool Street Art Trail. The trail makes it easy to track down the town’s world class murals and installations. More traditional works of art can be found at the Warrnambool Art Gallery.

Gippsland

In the state’s east, Krowathunkooloong Keeping Place houses a collection of objects, information and art from the history, heritage and culture of the Gunnai/Kurnai people of Gippsland East. The displays feature shields with traditional markings, boomerangs, bark canoes, grass baskets, videos and an exhibition of contemporary Indigenous art.

High Country 

Situated in the heart of Victoria’s bushranger country, Benalla Art Gallery occupies a striking modernist building by Lake Benalla. Its collection includes paintings, prints, works on paper, textiles, ceramics, sculpture and a tapestry of Sidney Nolan’s Glenrowan, from his Ned Kelly series. A recent addition to the state’s art scene, Benalla’s Wall to Wall Festival has quickly landed the town a reputation as a destination for public art enthusiasts. Each year, the festival attracts internationally acclaimed artists to paint creative street art pieces throughout the town.

Mornington Peninsula 

The McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery, located at the gateway to the Mornington Peninsula in Langwarrin, attracts thousands of visitors each year. Set on 16 hectares of bushland, its three indoor galleries display impressive touring exhibitions, as well as an extensive permanent collection of more than 100 works by major artists.

The Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery presents an ever-changing program of exhibitions, workshops, lectures, children’s programs and guided tours. The permanent collection comprises works by Arthur Boyd, Russell Drysdale, Violet Teague, Margaret Preston and Sidney Nolan.

Baluk Arts in Mornington showcases Indigenous art from the region, which is available to view and to purchase. The building also features a large communal studio and gallery space that regularly holds open days and workshops.

For many years the Mornington Peninsula has inspired the work of a number of famous artists. The Sorrento Portsea Artists Trail brings these artworks to life by positioning them as close as possible to the scenery they were inspired by. The work of famous Australian artists such as Albert Tucker, Sir Arthur Streeton and Arthur Boyd can be viewed amidst the picturesque views that still stand to this day.

The Peninsula Studio Trail offers a self-guided journey through the studios and workshops of a diverse group of local artists. Not only can visitors view the works of art, they can also view the artists at work. From painting to photography, sculpture to textile, there is a genre to suit any art collector.

Phillip Island 

Exceptional Phillip Island offers an Arts and Artisan tour that introduces participants to passionate local artists who share their knowledge as they work. Guests on the tour can learn photography tips from professionals, visit goldsmiths to see how jewellery is created, and stop by the creative studio spaces of acclaimed ceramic and glass artists.

The Murray 

In the state’s north west, Mildura Arts Centre is the creative hub of Sunraysia. Over the past few decades, the centre’s facilities have expanded from its base at the Rio Vista Historic House to include dedicated art galleries, a performing arts venue, gardens and a sculpture park. Also in Mildura, the privately funded Art Vault is a contemporary arts facility with three gallery spaces and an exhibition program spanning diverse mediums by local, national, international and Indigenous artists.

Just out of Mildura, in Red Cliffs, Carringbush Glass Gallery and Studio showcases the work of local artist, Eunice Wake. In Wentworth, Artback Australia Gallery & Café, owned and operated by two local artists, features regularly changing displays by a number of resident artists. Its cafe offers homecooked fare in a welcoming space.

Mildura is also home to an impressive lineup of festivals: Murray River International Music Festival (January), Mildura Wentworth Arts Festival (March), Mildura Writers Festival (July), contemporary art event Mildura Palimpsest (October, Biennale), and Mildura Jazz, Food and Wine Festival (November).

Home to one of Australia’s most comprehensive collections of naïve art, the Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery presents a range of touring exhibitions and events throughout the year alongside its growing collection. The Murray River-side town also hosts Fairfax Festival – an annual festival and workshop event for young people aged 12-17.

Shepparton Art Museum has one of Australia’s most important collections of historical and contemporary ceramics, along with significant holdings of Australian art in all types of media. Collectors of Australian art, the gallery has a focus on contemporary and Indigenous Australian art.

Shepparton is also home to the annual ShepARTon Festival and to Gallery Kaiela, an exhibition and workshop space for local Indigenous artists – it’s a place to ‘come in, have a chat and maybe take home some top quality art work produced by local Indigenous artists’.

Arts Space Wodonga is a contemporary art gallery and nearby, The Cube Wodonga is a state-of-the-art performing arts venue with a year round program.

Opened in October 2015, the Murray Art Museum Albury showcases local, regional, national and international art in six gallery spaces.

Also in Albury, the new five kilometer-long Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk features 11 sculptures, created by local Indigenous artists. The works are scattered along the Wagirra Trail which follows the path of the Murray River. Interpretative panels and videos (accessible via smartphone) tell the story of Indigenous history and the cultural significance of the Murray River.

Yarra Valley and the Dandenong Ranges

Set amidst the rolling hills of the Yarra Valley, TarraWarra Museum of Art displays seasonally changing exhibitions of the very best modern and contemporary art. Opened in 2003, its themed exhibitions cover a diverse range of innovative Australian and international art styles. An icon of the region, TarraWarra is also famed for its acclaimed restaurant and cellar door. Visitors can sit back, relax and soak up the view from the balcony or beanbags scattered on the grassy knoll.

ACME et al Gallery and Cafe is an ideal stop between the Yarra Valley’s popular wineries. Located in Yarra Glen, it features fine art, editioned prints and sculpture.

Arts events

For a full list of arts events across Victoria, see here.