Public Galleries Association of Victoria (PGAV)

03/06/2026

Creative Australia's sixth National Arts Participation Survey reveals that 98% of Australians engage with the arts in some way, 93% hold positive attitudes towards the arts and 86% recognise the positive impacts of creative engagement on society, the economy and individual wellbeing.

And while costs are a growing concern for audiences, Victoria's public galleries offer free and low cost access our fast growing suburbs and regions. Find out what's on near you: https://pgav.org.au/Exhibitions~15

Download a copy of Creative Transformations: Results of the National Arts Participation Survey here: https://creative.gov.au/research/creative-transformations-results-national-arts-participation-survey

Creative Transformations: Results of the National Arts Participation Survey is the sixth study in the landmark research series exploring Australians’ attitudes towards, and engagement with, arts and creativity.

02/06/2026

McClelland Sculpture Park+Gallery has announced Augusta Vinall Richardson as the recipient of the 2026 Southern Way McClelland Commission.

Vinall Richardson’s major new work, Portrait (a moving walkway), will be realised along Peninsula Link, engaging thousands of commuters through its dynamic relationship to speed, movement and shifting perspectives.

“Augusta Vinall Richardson’s work demonstrates exceptional sensitivity to site, material and audience,” said Lisa Byrne, Artistic + Executive Director, McClelland Sculpture Park + Gallery. “It is a compelling addition to the Southern Way McClelland Commission and speaks to the program’s vision of bringing outstanding contemporary sculpture into daily public life.”

Congratulations to Augusta Vinall Richardson on this major commission. Read more via the McClelland website: https://mcclelland.org.au/news/augusta-vinall-richardson-awarded-2026-southern-way-mcclelland-commission-mcclelland-sculpture-park-gallery

Images: 1. Augusta in her studio December 2024, with 'An arrangement of forms II', 2024. Collection Cbus. Photo: Andrew Curtis. 2. Augusta Vinall Richardson, 'Any Way', 2025, in Installation Contemporary, Carriageworks, Sydney 2025. Photo: Jessica Maurer. Images courtesy The Commercial, Sydney.

02/06/2026

Tarrawarra’s next Analog Art Club is on this Friday! 🧶 Explore the tactile art of wet felting with Yarra Ranges artist Ravenna Keller and create your own felted artwork. Details and booking link below!

June's Analog Art Club experience will be led by Yarra Ranges artist and felt jeweller, Ravenna Keller. During this two-hour workshop, participants will be instructed in the foundations of wet felting.

With a life-long love of colour and a background in education, metal-working and jewellery making Ravenna Keller began exploring felting as body adornment during Melbourne’s long lockdowns. Keller now has a practice focusing on the soft, warm, colour filled and abstract qualities of the medium. This workshop is designed as a hands-on tactile experience using wool, soap and water. Participants will leave with a felted artwork and an appreciation of various felting techniques and applications.

This workshop will be held on Friday 5 June. Only a few tickets remain! Reserve your spot today.

https://events.humanitix.com/analog-art-club

01/06/2026

An opportunity for visual artists with a connection to Tarneit or the wider Wyndham area to contribute to a significant public artwork. Details below 👇

01/06/2026

Final week to enter the Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award 2026 - details on how to apply below👇

ONE WEEK LEFT TO ENTER!

Entries closing soon at midnight AEST Friday 5 June 2026

Don't miss out - submit your entry into the Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award 2026 today. Follow this link to the entry form and to view the terms and conditions https://deakin.snapforms.com.au/form/2026-deakin-university-contemporary-small-sculpture-award

Thank you to everyone who has already made their submission.

Enquiries by email only to [email protected]

The Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award is organised by the Art Collection and Galleries Unit at Deakin University, Victoria.

01/06/2026

A wonderful recognition of the Blak Design Program and its partnerships. Congratulations to all involved - wishing you all the best for the awards in August!

01/06/2026

📣Applications Open: Parliament House Artist-in-Residence

Parliament House Canberra is inviting visual artists from across Australia to apply for its Artist-in-Residence Creative Research and Commissioning Program. Open to artists at any career stage, this unique opportunity offers behind-the-scenes access to one of the nation’s most significant cultural and political sites.

The selected artist or group will receive a $10,000 research fee, a commission of up to $30,000 for new work, and up to 12 months’ access to Parliament House, including its extensive art collections, archives, and facilities. Travel and accommodation support is also provided.

This prestigious residency supports the development of new work that reflects on Australia’s democracy, history, and identity. Applications close Tuesday 16 June 2026 at 11am AEST.

For more information and to apply, visit: https://www.aph.gov.au/Visit_Parliament/Art/Parliament_House_Artist-in-Residence

28/05/2026

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2026 First Nations Arts and Culture Awards, presented by Creative Australia each year on 27 May, the anniversary of the 1967 referendum, in recognition and celebration of First Nations artists’ contribution to excellence in the First Nations arts and culture sector.

Red Ochre Award for Lifetime Achievement: 🖤💛❤️
>>Dr Bronwyn Bancroft, Bundjalung Woman and artist.
>>Stephen Pigram, Yawuru singer-songwriter.
>>Dr Djambawa Marawili AM, leader of the Madarrpa clan and former director of Association of Northern and Kimberley Aboriginal Artists (ANKAA).
>>Hetti Kemarre Perkins, curator, writer, and presenter from the Arrernte and Kalkadoon Aboriginal communities with over thirty years’ experience in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visual arts.

Youth Award for Achievement in the Arts: 🖤💛❤️
>>Hayley Millar Baker, Gunditjimara and Djabwurrung artist whose work is politically engaged, spiritually resonant and deeply human.

Established Artist of the Year Award: 🖤💛❤️
>>John Harvey, a multidisciplinary artist of Saibai Island (Torres Strait) and English descent, whose work spans theatre, visual art and film.

First Nations Arts & Culture Business Innovation Award: 🖤💛❤️
>>Balya Productions, founded by Letisha Ackland, a Gugada/Wirangu and Mirning woman from Ceduna, South Australia, an Aboriginal-owned production company.

Full details: https://creative.gov.au/first-nations-arts/awards

Photo of Hayley Millar Baker by Donna Sharrock.

27/05/2026

Slow Looking in the Gallery x Analog Art Club
Saturday 13th June, 2pm – 3.30pm
🔍 Book your spot: araratgallerytama.com.au/event/analog-art-club-2026-slow-looking-in-the-gallery/

Join Visual Arts Coordinator Katy Mitchell to spend time in the current exhibitions, engaging in guided slow looking exercises, including conversational prompts or observational drawing. For the June session, the exhibition focus will be Lisa Waup's 'after ever here'.

→ No experience required
→ Materials provided
→ Phone-free event: please keep your phone on silent in your bag or pocket
→ Suitable for ages 14 and over

Analog Art Club is a statewide initiative that invites Victorians to slow down, switch off their screens and connect in real life - through art. Hosted by galleries across Victoria, these phone-free events offer a welcoming space to reflect, discuss and experience art together, making creativity social, accessible and refreshingly analog.

Analog Art Club is a joint initiative of Public Galleries Association of Victoria (PGAV) and ArtsHub.

📷 Installation view ‘Lisa Waup | after ever here’, Ararat Gallery TAMA, March 2026. Photos: Fred Kroh.