Australia’s most inspiring art hubs are hiding in plain sight
From the Gold Coast to country Victoria, the nation’s most exciting new arts precincts are popping up in destinations you’d least expect.
All around Australia, art galleries and museums are being built, renovated and renewed. For those who work in the sector, and those who simply appreciate a trip to the gallery, the investment and construction couldn’t be more welcome, especially after the last couple of years, when it felt like the future of the arts was hanging in the balance.
Thankfully, government investment in the arts is breathing new life into a number of Australia’s most important institutions. But it’s not just the usual suspects, like Sydney and Melbourne, that are benefiting. Recently, a combination of government spending, regional migration and good old fashioned community action has resulted in the rise of thriving artistic scenes in regions not typically associated with the arts.
For those who live in the regions, it’s a cause for celebration. And for those who don’t, it’s an exciting excuse to travel. Here, we take a look at the burgeoning hotspots giving Sydney and Melbourne a run for their cultural clout.
Darwin, NT
It would be incorrect to say that Darwin has undergone a cultural resurgence of late, because the city has always been a destination where First Nations art and culture shines. But ongoing improvements to infrastructure — the city is currently in the midst of the NT government’s 10 Year Museums Masterplan — have allowed Darwin’s artistic community, as well as the network of arts centres that surround it, to shine.
What’s more, is a generation of young creatives have been migrating to (or back to) the city, and this influx of energy has led to the opening of clever spaces. Laundry Gallery is just one of the soon-to-be-opened spaces that’s putting a new spin on old stories. While every year, the Darwin Street Art Festival turns the city’s streets into a vibrant outdoor art spectacular.
Right across the gulf, the Tiwi Islands are also home to a peppering of incredible art centres, galleries and Indigenous-owned fashion brands. Jilamara Arts and Craft Association houses works by a number of the region’s most renowned artists, while Munupi Arts Centre is developing a niche for working with emerging artists who’ve inherited techniques from their elders.
Don’t miss: Outstation Gallery specialises in contemporary art from remote Australia. It hosts travelling exhibitions and has an expansive stockroom full or works that have been ethically sources from art centres around the territory.
Shepparton, VIC
In November 2021, the new $50 million Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) was opened. Housed in a state-of-the-art building designed by globally renowned Melbourne-based architecture firm Denton Corker Marshall, it’s the first art museum in Australia to achieve a 6 Star Green Star (Design & As Built) rating.
Moreover, the new SAM — which houses the institution’s significant collection of Australian ceramics, including pieces by Guy Boyd — has placed the regional city on the map of not only Victorian, but national arts destinations. In the heart of Yorta Yorta country, First Nations art forms a big part of the museum’s program, as are workshops and programs held by local artists.
Another organisation committed to preserving the area’s rich Indigenous history is the nearby Kaiela Arts Centre, which represents and sells work by a number of emerging and established local artists.
Don’t miss: Social Ceramics, a SAM exhibition which celebrates objects as conduits for communal experiences, and features more than 100 works by over 60 ceramicists. It runs until February 2023.
Gold Coast, QLD
Historically speaking, the stretch of coastline that runs from Coolangatta in the south to Surfers Paradise in the north wasn’t known for its cultural clout. But that’s changing, with the $60.5 million upgrade of HOTA (Home of the Arts) helping to transform the area into an artistic hub worth travelling to.
The gallery’s permanent collection of abstraction, feminist art, Indigenous art, ceramics, and twenty-first-century photography is wonderfully eclectic But it’s not just about art. A cinema, music room and talks and ideas space also add to the fabric of the institution.
A few hamlets down, commercial galleries like 19 Karen Art in Mermaid Beach and The Hive Gallery and Studio in Burleigh Heads are also proof that when you scratch the surface, there’s plenty to the GC we don’t always see.
Don’t miss: HOTA’s ground floor exhibition A Souvenir from Paradise, which features wonderfully kitschy souvenirs sourced from the 1940s to the 1990s, that speak to the history of tourism on the Gold Coast.
Southern Highlands, NSW
Due to its proximity to Sydney, the Highlands’ thriving arts scene isn’t entirely unexpected. But the calibre of galleries and artists that have shifted to the region in recent years has meant the area is emerging as one of the country’s most exciting — if not the most exciting — regional arts hubs.
Archibald Prize-winning artist Ben Quilty, who calls the Southern Highlands home, is part of the team behind the world-class Ngunungulla, the region’s first contemporary art gallery. Down the road in Berrima, the art program at boutique members club Vault House showcases and sells works by some of Australia’s leading contemporary artists.
Mona Farm is also making a name for itself as a home of art and culture. The property boasts a significant collection of Peter Lindbergh sculptures in its garden, while works by contemporary artists like Isaac Julian, Dale Frank and Guy Maestri decorate the walls of the estate’s stylish event spaces and farm stays.
Don’t miss: Land Abounds, an exhibition that sees brothers and contemporary artists Abdul-Rahman Abdullah and Abdul Abdullah’s work in conversation with 57th Venice Biennale Australian representative, Tracey Moffatt’s. The exhibition is open at Ngununggula until July 24.
Healesville, VIC
The TarraWarra Museum of Art sits just outside the charming town of Healesville, about an hour-and-a-half drive from Melbourne. The museum opened in 2003, but more recently, it’s established itself — and the Yarra Valley region it’s couched in — as one of Victoria’s most progressive arts institutions.
The museum’s biennial, which is characterised by a unique approach of engaging a new guest curator every year, is the region’s major artistic drawcard. With its cluster of gourmet grocers, boutique shops and award-winning restaurants, Healesville is a town that caters for weekend visitors just as much as it does the locals. The Yava Gallery and Arts Hub is also an integral piece of the area’s artistic spirit, with a program that supports early career artists just as much as it does high-profile names.
Don’t miss: The TarraWarra Estate Restaurant and Cellar Door serves up some of the region’s best produce, as well as wine grown right outside on the property’s own vineyard. Book ahead, because just like the museum itself, the restaurant is a destination people will travel for.
Shoalhaven, NSW
The jewel in the South Coast‘s crown, Bundanon is an architectural wonder that’s perched just outside of Nowra on the Shoalhaven River.
After the bushfires of 2019 and 2020 came within kilometres of Bundanon’s grounds, Kerstin Thompson Architects was commissioned to redesign and expand the original building to withstand fire and floods. Today, it’s one of the country’s most inspiring art spaces. In addition to hosting travelling exhibitions, the museum is home to a $37.5 million collection of work by renowned artist Arthur Boyd — the site is also home to the late artist’s home and studio.
Smaller commercial galleries also add panache to the otherwise sleepy region. Further up the coast in the direction of Sydney, the Egg & Dart gallery in Thirroul represents some of Shoalhaven’s most exciting young artists, many of whom go on to hold solo shows at inner city galleries.
Don’t miss: Parallel Landscapes, a harmony of three exhibitions with work by Arthur Boyd, Reuben Ernest Brown and Tim Georgeson and William Barton, which presents and proposes different ways of seeing the natural world. The exhibition runs from July 3 to November 6.