Creative-themed tours expand to Melbourne’s inner city and regional Victoria
Photo credit: Lauren Bamford for Mt Kitly
Several new arts tours have been launched coinciding with the expansion of galleries, artist-run spaces, street art and artists’ studios throughout Melbourne’s inner suburbs and a deluge of major exhibitions appearing in regional Victoria.
Art Aficionado launches tour of Brunswick
Brunswick in Melbourne’s inner north has transformed over the past decade into one of the city’s most exciting creative heartlands, home to a diverse range of artists with a lively assortment of artist-run-spaces, studios and street art.
Until now, Brunswick’s hidden gems have been better known to locals than tourists but this is about to change with the launch of a new walking tour of the area led the by Art Aficionado team.
The new two-hour tour is the result of several months of research undertaken by Art Aficionado’s founder, curator Jane O’Neill, which was sponsored by the City of Moreland.
Notable tour highlights include project space/shop Mr Kitly and artist-run-spaces Tinning Street Presents and Brunswick Arts.
The new tour, which runs every Fridays and Saturdays at 11am, is easily accessible via public transport with the tour meeting and ending at stations on the Upfield train route, which runs to and from Flinders Street station. Cost per person is $25.
This extends Art Aficionado's portfolio of tours, which includes a city laneway tour, Prahran and South Yarra galleries and auction houses tour, a Bohemian Brunswick tour and a Melbourne public art tour.
Artwalk Melbourne
Three of Melbourne’s most creative inner city areas are the focus of a series of new walking tours launched by Artwalk.
Described as ‘immersive art experiences’, the new artwalks take place weekly in Richmond (by arrangement), Collingwood and Fitzroy (Tuesday and Saturday) and South Yarra and Prahran (Monday to Friday).
Guided by an experienced gallerist or curator, guests visit selected private galleries, project spaces and artist studios (Fitzroy and Collingwood tour only) and are introduced to a wide range of artistic practice which can include print-making, drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, video projection, installation and mixed media.
A fourth night-time walk, which incorporates after-dark private viewings of galleries and studios as well as an exploration of public multimedia works at night is in the pipeline.
In addition to its Melbourne tours, Artwalk also runs monthly tours to two of the most important galleries in regional Victoria: Bendigo Gallery (Goldfields) and Tarrawarra Museum of Art (Yarra Valley). Both tours include return transport from Melbourne, admission to the gallery, a curator-led private viewing and introduction to their current international exhibitions and permanent collections, refreshments and a complimentary glass of regional wine with lunch. Dates for each tour are listed on the Artwalk website, with the next tour to Tarrawarra departing Wednesday 16 November, and Bendigo Gallery on Thursday 24 November.
Artwalk also organises individual programs themed to special interests including indigenous art; contemporary Australian photography; video and new media; new and unrepresented artists and collectible Australian artists.
Fitzroy uncovered: textiles, craft and vintage, street art and Gertrude Street
Fitzroy, with its edgy and eclectic mix of vintage shops, locally designed clothes, local artisans and crafts people, has also developed into a key destination for visitors looking for unique purchases, as well as those interested in culture. Local walking tour operators MELTours, Hidden Secrets and Melbourne Street Tours all offer tours with different insights into the area.
MELTour’s new Fitzroy Textile tour is a great shortcut for visitors who want to find out more about the diverse range of artistically-inclined retailers that exist in the suburb. A guided exploration of the most interesting and creative retailers along Gertrude, Brunswick and Smith streets, the tour showcases a diverse range of vintage wares and recycled clothing, hand-made crafts and design and highlights locations for sourcing beads, materials, trims and other craft materials. Dates for the tour, which runs monthly, are listed on the MELTours website. The tour can also be relocated to Brunswick upon request.
Fitzroy Street Art tour
Fitzroy is also the focus for a street art tour run by Melbourne Street Tours. The tour, which follows a route between Brunswick and Smith streets, showcases the suburb’s numerous- commercial murals and commissioned art that feature on the walls of many commercial properties.
Gertrude’s Corner tour
Known as a hub for locally designed fashion, high-end vintage, edgy galleries, ‘so-hot-right-now’ restaurants, cafes and bars, Gertrude Street has evolved into a destination in its own right for cultured foodies, shoppers and art lovers and now has its own tour. Leading walking tour operator Hidden Secrets has devised a special experience, the Gertrude’s Corner tour, which offers an insider’s glimpse into the street’s behind-the-scene network of hidden artist spaces, designer studios, hip dining and creative people.
More information:
www.visitvictoria.com or playmelbourne.com.au
Media contact:
Danielle Poulos, Tourism Victoria Ph: (03) 9653 9773, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)