Coates Community Arts

05/06/2026

Charlie Harding has been helping us at CCA. The kitchenette has recently been retrofitted. We are about to start work on the timber veneer wall to make it look more refined. We hope you enjoy the space as much as we do.

05/06/2026

'A Day of Slow’ is back on Saturday, 18 July. Presented by The Paperback Bookshop, ‘A Day of Slow’ is an intimate, day-long series of workshops on the theme of looking at, living with, and thinking through objects.

Continuing its focus on the art of looking slowly, this time around, the event focuses attention on objects of all kinds: personal, natural and art historical. It is led by Olivia Meehan and Vanessa Berry.

Due to the intimate nature of this event, the number of participants will be strictly limited to 20. All participants will take part in all workshops. No prior experience is necessary. Everyone is welcome. Places are strictly limited. Booking is essential!

An intimate day-long series of workshops on the theme of looking at, living with, and thinking through objects.

05/06/2026

20/05/2026

Want to practise your drawing skills? Join us Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings for casual figure drawing classes.

For 17 years, our untutored life drawing classes have been a staple in Melbourne CBD, welcoming all levels of artists. Join our casual weeknight classes.

20/05/2026

Trashie Clothing Exchange is this Sunday 24 May, 1:00pm-5:00pm

Interested in sustainable fashion? Trashie Clothing Exchange, run by sister duo Katie and Angie Di Fabrizio, is a ticketed clothing swap focused on extending the life cycle of quality second-hand fashion.

Participants are invited to bring up to 10 clothing pieces to exchange for tokens, which can then be used to select pieces from the exchange. Designed to reduce landfill while refreshing wardrobes, Trashie Clothing Exchange offers a practical and social approach to circular fashion. For information and how to participate, visit Humantix

Trashie Clothing Exchange is holding its next event in Melbourne. Join us for an afternoon of clothing swaps, complimentary tea & music

18/05/2026

Reservation: A Collaborative & Tactile Dialogue
Presented by Ashley Simonetto & Ellen Waite
21 May, 6:00-8:00pm

https://designweek.melbourne/event/reservation-a-collaborative-tactile-dialogue/

18/05/2026

This Thursday, 21 May, Ashley Simonetto and Ellen Waite bring us the one-night-only event ‘Reservation’ for Melbourne Design Week. ‘Reservation’ is an intimate, hands-on workshop and non-hierarchical long-table discussion exploring the reservations FLINTA+ (Female, Le***an, Intersex, Non-binary, Trans and Agender) people may face in the design industry — while celebrating their rightful place at the table.

Building on the learnings from the first iteration of Reservation (presented as part of Melbourne Design Week 2025), this second instalment is a new, tactile workshop, designed to foster collaboration and open-ended conversation.

Hosted by:

Ashley Simonetto has worked with the National Gallery of Victoria’s Exhibition Design team as a graphic designer, helping bring Pharaoh Kids and Olaf Breuning: Plans for the Planet to life. She has also collaborated with arts and culture organisations, including the National Museum of Australia, Visit Victoria and the Australian Ballet.

Ellen Waite is an Experience Designer working across exhibition graphic design, wayfinding and placemaking. They have worked with the National Gallery of Victoria’s Exhibition Design Team, as well as RMIT University’s School of Design and RMIT Culture. Their personal practice places community at the forefront, weaving together tactility, playful graphic design, spatial design and co-design.

Tickets are selling fast and can be purchased via Eventbrite. Tickets are $11 (+ booking fee) and include alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages on the night.

Presented as part of Melbourne Design Week 2026

16/05/2026

Some snaps from the opening of ‘Touching Grass’ by Asish Mohapatra and Ming Li for Melbourne Design Week. A brilliant live performance by Ming Li and Tyler Leung. Thanks to everyone who came along. The exhibition is open 12–5pm on Saturday 16 May and 12–3pm on Sunday 17 May.

14/05/2026

This Friday, CCA opens its Melbourne Design Week program with Touching Grass by Asish Mohapatra and Ming Li, accompanied by a live performance from the artists and Tyler Leung.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION:

Touching Grass is an interactive exhibition that invites visitors to slow down and reconnect with their bodies and the world around them. The exhibition features three to four distinct sensory and sonic experiences, each designed to evoke a different emotional resonance and offer alternate pathways to grounding the self.

In daily life, we often forget to pause and fully engage with our experiences, skimming only the surface of what surrounds us. The installation Touching Grass inverts that passive relationship. Visitors are invited to interact with physical textures and shapes through touch and movement.

In a time when our interactions with nature are increasingly mediated through screens, Touching Grass reimagines technology as a tool for sensory restoration rather than distraction. By merging organic materials with digital systems, Asish Mohapatra and Ming Li ask how we might design technologies that deepen our connection with the living world rather than distance us from it.

THE ARTISTS:

Asish Mohapatra is a multidisciplinary artist and designer with a deep interest in the intersection between community-building and climate resilience. Their praxis utilises sound production, garment and textile design, mixed media, and visual arts to explore ideas around how we might tackle problems of the twenty-first century.

Ming Li is a Melbourne/Naarm-based Chinese sound artist and producer whose work sits at the intersection of neuroscience, music, and interactive technology. Li explores visual, auditory, and interactive art that resonates on a deeper level.

OPENING EVENT:

Friday 15 May, 6:30pm–9:00pm
Get tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/mdw2026-touching-grass-tickets-1984216764757

Opening night features a live music performance by the artists, joined by Tyler Leung. Entry is $10 via Eventbrite. Doors open at 6:30pm for a 7:00pm start. Seating and standing room available. Guests are welcome to BYO refreshments, with a limited selection of drinks available for purchase.

VISITING TIMES:
Free entry across the weekend:
Saturday 16 May, 12:00pm–5:00pm
Sunday 17 May, 12:00pm–3:00pm

Please note: this exhibition is not wheelchair accessible.

23/04/2026

Keen to get something out there in the world? CCA is open to proposals, and the space is available for hire. View our profile on Creative Spaces for floor plans and venue hire information.

Coates Community Arts: Events and Arts Space Approx. floor space 90m2 Capacity 100 people Ceiling height Standard (up to 3m) Audience 45 Space overview Coates Community Arts (CCA) is an arts space in the CBD on Collins Street, set within an unlikely medical building. It offers a relaxed environment....