Abbotsford Convent

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Abbotsford Convent

A living place for curiosity and collaboration, meeting and meaning. The heart of a creative community. A precinct of art, culture and learning.
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Just four kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD and spread over 16 acres, Abbotsford Convent is Australia’s largest multi-arts precinct—a place of art, culture and learning. Renowned for its rich history, its striking built and natural landscapes, and the remarkable community-led campaign to preserve it from commercial development, the site was enshrined on Australia’s National Heritage List in 2017. To

day, this nationally and internationally unique precinct is managed by the Abbotsford Convent Foundation, a not-for-profit, social enterprise. The Convent is home to a vibrant creative community, wellbeing practitioners, galleries, cafes, a radio station, a school, and an abundance of green open space. We are passionate about working collaboratively with artists and partnering with arts and cultural organisations to present contemporary, thought-provoking and enriching experiences for all to enjoy. And every year we curate and also welcome over 2,000 art projects, rehearsals, workshops, exhibitions, private and corporate events, markets and festivals. At the Convent we celebrate creativity, inclusivity, wellbeing and community enrichment—both onsite and online. We look forward to welcoming you to our special place!

21/08/2026

Loosely translated as “outdoor listening practices”, 𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘢 𝘵𝘦 is a meditative self-guided sound walk that invites you to discover the Convent’s unique acoustic landscape, from birdsong and footsteps to the resonance of its historic buildings.

Created by renowned Japanese sound artist Akio Suzuki, 𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘢 𝘵𝘦 has been presented at museums, festivals and biennales and experienced by audiences around the world. Now, in its Australian premiere, it transforms Abbotsford Convent into an instrument for listening.

Using a map, you’ll follow a series of listening points selected by Suzuki and discover the significance of each spot across this vast precinct, sketching what you find along the way, and re-discovering the Convent in a whole new light.

🔗 Discover more: https://bit.ly/3UeLFEC

16/08/2026

Introducing This Era Archive 💫

From her Convent Building studio, Hannah Canham runs a different kind of library. Instead of books, she lends clothes, that are borrowed by designers to sketch and to study.

The idea is commonplace in fashion capitals like Paris and New York, London and Berlin. Now, Hannah is bringing it home — one piece of archival Yves Saint Laurent at a time.

🔗 Read the full story via link in bio.

14/08/2026

This Melbourne Fringe, discover 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 by Luke Casserly.

Hailing from Longford, Ireland, 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 is created in direct response to the closure of Ireland's peat harvesting industry, using senses and smells to transport audiences to the Midlands bog, where he grew up.

The work uses olfactory encounters to explore our relationship to place, investigating broken landscapes in the hope that by listening to them, we might be able to better understand them.

1 — 4 October
Industrial School

🔗 Discover more: https://bit.ly/4xt7Tkz

𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝘼𝙗𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙨𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 Melbourne Fringe

Image: Pato Cassinoni

11/08/2026

Studio vacancy 🪴

We are now accepting applications for a 14.5 square metre private space within our shared creative studio.

Situated on Level 2 of the historic Convent building, each of the three studios have separate secure entries via a secure common door. Three-quarter height partition walls allow privacy, whilst large windows provide plenty of natural light and stunning city views.

The space comes fitted with a small working kitchenette, complete with hot-water tap and generous storage through in-built cupboards and draws, making this the perfect space for painters or printmakers whose practice does not create impactful noise.

The studio is accessible 24/7 and is located nearby bathroom facilities and a lift.

Applications close next Wednesday, 19 August — with the studio ready for move-in immediately.

🔗 Find out more and apply: https://bit.ly/3JFLGrk

07/08/2026

Next week at the Convent, internationally recognised embroidery and mixed media artist Fleur Woods leads a five-day immersive workshop, sharing her distinctive creative practice with creatives from all over Australia and New Zealand.

Based in rural Te Waipounamu (South Island), Aotearoa New Zealand, Woods has built a devoted international following for her richly layered textile works, which combine painting, stitch, collage, found materials and hand embroidery into vibrant contemporary artworks.

Her work is collected globally and has been exhibited from regional New Zealand galleries to New York’s Lower East Side.

“The Abbotsford Convent is a place with such a strong creative energy, and I’m looking forward to sharing my process while encouraging everyone to discover their own unique voice,” said Fleur, ahead of the event.

“I was looking for a venue that offered a beautiful, inspiring, light filled practical space for art making close to the CBD, and the Convent ticked all the boxes.

It will be wonderful to gather at the Convent, be creatively nourished by our art making, and also by the creative community already onsite.”

🔗 Keep up to date with What's On at the Convent: https://bit.ly/3SkKL90

🔗 Browse venues for hire: https://bit.ly/3W2Wx77

07/08/2026

Coming up — dive into this annual festival of literature.

The Emerging Writers' Festival (EWF) is one of Australia’s most established and well-respected literary festivals, helping to develop, nurture and promote Australia’s new writing talent, and creating platforms to connect writing communities and their audiences.

This year, explore:

𝗨𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗨𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘆
Tuesday 15 September | Bishop's Parlour

𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶: 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗮
Wednesday 16 September | Community & Linen Rooms

𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁
Thursday 17 September | North Magdalen Laundry

𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿?
Friday 18 September | North Magdalen Laundry

🔗 Discover more: https://bit.ly/4co5FLd

06/08/2026

Tenant spotlight — David Booth & Kristoffer Paulsen 🌿

This month, visual artist David Booth (ghostpatrol) and photographer Kristoffer Paulsen present 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘺𝘯𝘢 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘦, in partnership with the Bob Brown Foundation and the City of Melton.

At the beginning of the year, as part of the Bob Brown Foundation's annual residency, the pair travelled to Takayna, Tasmania — the largest temperate rainforest in Australia, which remains under constant threat from mining and logging. David carried a set of 50 modular shapes with plans to arrange the elements to build and respond to different sites within the rainforest.

"What transpired is the culmination of walking, talking, playing and chasing the light in this enormous habitat." says David – Kris Paulsen's images of which are presented in a new exhibition, running from 8 August—12 October at CS Gallery in Caroline Springs, where a portion of all sales will be donated to the cause.

"I’ve come to feel a lot more at home in the dark and wet Tasmanian forest. This suite of images may be testament to that, but more importantly they give a face to the giant Takayna entity – a densely layered group of macro and micro ecosystems working together." he says.

"Takayna is speaking and we are listening."

🔗 Discover more: https://david-booth.com/works/takayna-forest-face

Image 1 & 2: Rosie Hastie
Image 3: Kristoffer Paulsen

03/08/2026

It's market week! 🥕

Grab your basket and your brolly this Saturday and browse plenty of fresh local produce and home grown goodies.

Saturday 8 August
9am – 2pm

🔗 Discover more: https://bit.ly/44S3pq6

Image by Matt Krumins.

28/07/2026

This week — discover 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘴 by Michael Dulaney.

Combining natural history with immersive reporting from Australia and Indonesia to the Arctic and the Andes, 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘴 is a non-fiction examination of our interconnectedness with the natural world, and a powerful call to protect it.

Hosted by Scott Mitchell, this launch event includes a live reading and In-Conversation with Michael Dulaney, and a poetry reading by writer and performance-maker Andrew Sutherland.

𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟯𝟬 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆
𝗢𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆

🔗 Discover more: https://bit.ly/4pMEy23

𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙗𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙨𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙒𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨’ 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙮 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢.
𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝘼𝙗𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙨𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩.

Address

1 Street Heliers St Abbotsford
Melbourne, VIC
3067

Website

http://abbotsfordconvent.com.au/

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