Arts and Culture

• HATCH CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE
• FESTIVALS AND EVENTS
• ARTS AND CULTURE IN BANYULE
• HOME: Reframing Craft and Domesticity - 4 April - 11 May 2013
• DID WE HEAR YOU?
• COMMUNITY PROJECTS
• BANYULE ART COLLECTION
• Heidelberg School Artists Trail
• Arts Directory
• Banyule Public Art Strategy
• Exploring Public Art in Banyule
• Connected Culture - Cultural Strategy 2007 - 2011
• PROPOSED IMPRESSIONIST LAB
• Impressionist Lab - Frequently Asked Questions

HATCH CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE

Click here for Hatch Contemporary Art Space

FESTIVALS AND EVENTS

For information on Festivals and Events in Banyule click here.

ARTS AND CULTURE IN BANYULE

Banyule has a rich and diverse cultural landscape and a proud artistic heritage.  Banyule City Council run numerous projects and programs to encourage cultural expression and experiences including festivals and events, community cultural development projects, artists seminars, exhibitions, grants programs and artists networks.  Council is also responsible for the management of the Banyule Art Collection. 

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Follow us on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/banyulearts 
The best way to stay up to date.

Join up to recieve our Arts and Culture email newsletter.  Just email your contact details to arts@banyule.vic.gov.au

Visit our Festival and Events page for infromation on Festivals that Council runs, other major events and advice on running your own event.

HOME: Reframing Craft and Domesticity - 4 April - 11 May 2013

A new, free exhibition - Home: Reframing Craft and Domesticity - explores the intimate and intriguing world of the home within an exhibition space depicting different rooms, such as the living room, bedroom and kitchen.

Craft-based works from the Banyule Art Collection will be displayed along with contemporary furniture and selected contemporary works relating to each room.

The exhibition runs from 4 April to 11 May at the new Hatch Contemporary Arts Space, 14 Ivanhoe Parade, Ivanhoe, and is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am-5pm.

DID WE HEAR YOU?

Between November 2012 and April 2013 the Leisure and Cultrual Services team undertook extensive community consultation to assist in the development of a vision, objectives and priorities for arts, culture and heritage activities over the next four years.
We'd like to know have we heard you correctly? Please take a look at this key findings document and let us know what you think.

COMMUNITY PROJECTS

JOIN A COMMUNITY CHOIR 

Love to sing in the privacy of your own home but afraid to take it to the next level? A committee of residents is working with Banyule Community Health and Banyule City Council to run KeyNote Singers, a community choir.

The choir meets from 2:00- 3:30pm every Tuesday at the Banyule Community Health Centre, 21 Alamein Rd, West Heidelberg. All sessions are free and everyone is welcome, particularly residents who do not speak English as their first language.

For more information please email arts@banyule.vic.gov.au or phone 9490 4222

PROMOTE YOUR CRAFT AT THE IVANHOE MAKERS MARKET

The Ivanhoe Makers Market is coordinated by Livingstone Community Centre. 
Craftspeople and makers wishing to display or sell items are welcome to get in touch with them directly:

IVANHOE MAKERS MARKET @ The Livingstone Community Centre
1 Livingstone Street, Ivanhoe, VIC 3079
3^rd Saturday of every month (excluding January)
10.00am - 4:00pm

BANYULE ART COLLECTION

Anne Zahalka, Birds of Australia (2006-7); Type C Photogaph; 80 x 80 cm; Banyule City Art Collection: Acquired 2009

The Banyule Art Collection is an initiative of Banyule City Council and includes works by artists of historical and contemporary significance. The collection holds over 450 works including paintings, works on paper, jewellery/metalworks, ceramics, glass, textiles, sculpture and artist's books.

The collection is accessible to the local community through a range of temporary exhibitions held at Banyule Arts Space in Ivanhoe. Individual works are also displayed in a wide range of council and community owned venues including council service centres, libraries, schools and community leisure centres across the City of Banyule.

The Banyule Art Collection can educate, challenge, entertain, encourage discussion and promote healthy debate regarding the issues surrounding visual arts culture.

Some of the many artists represented in the collection include Brook Andrew, Ian Abdulla, Rick Amor, Peter Booth, Pat Brassington, Jon Cattapan, Mari Funaki, Gwyn Hanssen-Pigott, Carlier Makigawa, John Nixon, Mike Parr, Patricia Piccinini, Rosslynd Piggott, Clifton Pugh, Lloyd Rees, Sally Smart, John Wolseley and Anne Zahalka.

For any queries relating to the collection please contact the Art Collection Curator, Claire Watson, on (03) 9457 9851 or arts@banyule.vic.gov.au

Heidelberg School Artists Trail

Heidelberg School Artists Trail

The Heidelberg School Artists Trail is a free-of-charge, self-drive, cycling, walking Trail extending for 40 kms in Melbourne's north- east. It features 57 explanatory signs showing you a reproduction and description of some of the most famous paintings of important artists such as Arthur Streeton and Tom Roberts, located in or near where the artists painted or lived.

The signs are situated in a diverse range of outdoor settings: from busy suburban streets, and river valleys to towering Mountain Ash forests. The Trail and is ideal for all visitors including school groups who have an interest in the arts and the natural environment.

The Heidelberg School artists Trail was made possible through the cooperative efforts of Banyule City Council, Parks Victoria, Manningham City Council, Nillumbik Shire Council and the Shire of Yarra Ranges Council

The Heidelberg School originated in July 1891, when art critic, Sidney Dickinson wrote a review of the exhibitions of works by Walter Withers and Arthur Streeton.

Since that time, the Heidelberg School has taken on a wider meaning and covers Australian artists of the late nineteenth century who painted plein-air in the impressionist tradition. These artists were inspired by the beautiful landscapes of the Yarra River and the unique light that typifies the Australian bush.

The greatest concentration of signs along the trail is in the Heidelberg area and in the neighbouring suburbs of Eaglemont and Ivanhoe. There are 20 signs in this area alone and it offers great opportunities for interesting walks through magnificent parklands and heritage residential streets with stately homes. You can find out more information from The Heidelberg School Artists Trail website. The web site has an interactive on line map, information about the artists, the locations of the signs, downloadable brochure and more.

For more just go to www.artiststrail.com and enjoy the trail!

Arts Directory

The Banyule Arts Directory is an online directory for artists, venues, organisations and all those associated with the arts and culture in Banyule.  The Directory is a ready made opportunity for all Arts related individuals and Organisations in the City of Banyule to promote their products and services.

It is free to be a part of the Banyule Arts Directory.    

The Arts Directory lists a range of organisations, individuals and businesses offering cultural opportunities. Categories include performing arts, visual arts, heritage, media arts and venues.  Visitors can search the directory by name, category, art form etc. 

Once you have signed up to the arts directory you can use your unique username and password to login and update your profile as often as you wish. 

Ready to get started?  Just click here to visit the online Arts Directory.

Banyule Public Art Strategy

Click image to download the Public Art Strategy

Banyule's first Public Art Strategy was passed by council in early 2010 and is available for you to view.

The Public Art Strategy is intended to provide a resource that the community, elected councillors and council officers can easily refer to which provides a clear direction for council in the area of public art. It is connected to other relevant Council strategies and policies, discusses priorities and establishes a quality decision making process for the implementation of public art projects that the community and council are committed to.

Banyule has numerous examples of Public Art throughout the area, ranging from large iconic works like Andrea Tomaselli's "Wing of the Waa" (pictured at left) murals and mosaic works, to more intimate pavement art. 

This document is Banyule's first formal public art strategy.  Please feel free to downlaod the document by clicking on the link below or contact Coucnil to receive a hard copy sent to you.

If you have any further enquiries please contact Council's Cultural Services Team Leader by emailing arts@banyule.vic.gov.au

Exploring Public Art in Banyule

Public art is the visual arts and design in public spaces.  Public art is more than just a work of visual art being located in a public space.  Public art expresses and amplifies a hidden aspect of place and may illuminate something of the history of a place, tell us something about the use or character of an area, express a community's future aspirations for a place and people's relationship to place. 

Public art is said to be ‘democratic' as its location in a street, park or plaza means that it is accessible to all.  Anyone can view and experience public art, unlike a museum or gallery that requires an intent to visit. 

Here are a few featured works from Banyule's Public Art collection.  These works were commissioned by Banyule City Council and installed by artists for the community to enjoy.  You may walk past them everyday or you may need to seek them out!

1. Wing of the Waa
by Andrea Tomaselli
Metal
Watsonia Library
Ibbottson St, Watsonia 

2. Greensborough War Memorial Park Sculptures (2003)
by Leigh Conkie
Cyprus Pine
Greensborough War Memorial Park
Henry St, Greensborough

3. Untitled (2003)
by Andrea Tomaselli
Nets Stadium
2 Somers Ave, Macleod

4. Sleeping Sentinel
by Leigh Conkie
Timber
Kitchener Reserve, Norman St Ivanhoe

Connected Culture - Cultural Strategy 2007 - 2011

Click to download the Connected Culture Strategy

Art and culture can nourish us, confront, politicise and play with us, fire our imagination and passions, reflect our aspirations, record our sorrows and reveal our common humanity. Art and culture are "food for the soul". Council believes that art and culture include all forms of creative expression, from individual to collective, from grassroots to professional and institutional. These forms of expression frequently draw inspiration from the existing natural and artificial landforms, built environments, belief systems and values which shape who we are - our local, regional and national identities.

Connected Culture has been developed in three theme areas: People & Place (vibrant places, heritage & environment), People Involved (diversity valued, opportunity to engage), People Innovating (creative industries, leadership & energy) with a range of priorities set in each theme area for the coming four years.

Priorities and plans for the next four years include:

• Undertaking a feasibility study into the development of an Art Gallery within Banyule.
• Reviewing existing festivals and events and developing three year plans for each event to ensure they continue to be high quality, innovative events for Banyule and the wider community.
• Engaging the community in locally-based projects that will create and sustain vibrant places.
• Reviewing the historic Boulevard Lights and developing a five year plan for the event.
• Creatively documenting places of social and cultural meaning to the people of Banyule, such as public art, character buildings, trees and recreational spaces.
• Promoting and celebrating Banyule's culturally diverse community in a range of innovative ways with the Banyule community, including celebrating Cultural Diversity Week.
• Developing a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Communications Strategy to increase CALD groups' overall awareness of Council's role and service provision and deliver opportunities for CALD communities' involvement/engagement with the Banyule community.
• Developing a Cultural Reference Group to help Council in its strategic direction for arts & cultural development within Banyule.

If you would like a copy of the Connected Culture Cultural Strategy 2007-2011 call 9490 4222 or download a copy here.

PROPOSED IMPRESSIONIST LAB

Banyule City Council, in partnership with the Heidelberg School Art Foundation and Lateral Projects are working toward building the Impressionist Lab, a purpose built gallery celebrating the region's rich arts and cultural history.

The idea for the Lab, with a proposed location in Yarra Flats Park near the corner of Banksia Street and The Boulevard in Heidelberg, was developed from the 2008/2009 Gallery Feasibility Study, which involved extensive community consultation.

The gallery and education centre, with dedicated space for exhibitions, public programs, education and research, will celebrate the contribution of the Heidelberg School artists (including Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts, Louis Buvelot and Walter Withers) in the area that inspired them, as well as explore the relationship between people and the Australian environment. It will borrow works, which complement the setting and explore connections between landscape and cultural identity, from state, national and private collections.

Cultural Precinct

The plan is to connect the new gallery to Heidi Museum of Modern Art by an upgraded Artists' Walking trail and new pedestrian bridge, which will create a high standard cultural tourism precinct and day-long visitor attraction.

Visitors will have the opportunity to see wetlands in full bloom and reflect on the environment through the eyes of artists.

Yarra Flats Park

The Impressionist Lab is one of three proposed projects for Yarra Flats Park, with more information available in the Yarra Flats Master Plan developed by Parks Victoria in partnership with Banyule City Council and Melbourne Water.

Construction would involve the highest standards of design, sustainability and conservation. The proposed building would keep its footprint to a minimum, ensure sightliness into the park is considered, feature external lighting that is sensitive to fauna within the park, and promote alternative transport options such as the Main Yarra Trail and Smart Bus to minimise car parking.

Project Objectives

1. Build a dedicated space to showcase the best Australian impressionist art.
2. Develop a major cultural precinct, with gateways to Australian impressionism and modernism.
3. Foster community pride and cohesion by promoting links between the Heidelberg School artists and the location where their art flourished.
4. Explore ways of seeing our environment by demonstrating the ways Australian art, from impressionism to today, interprets Australian landscape.
5. Strengthen Victoria's cultural industry by providing a site for professional development, innovation, experimentation and collaboration.
6. Diversify public use of green space by capitalising on the environmental and heritage assets of Yarra Flats Park.
7. Increase economic benefit from cultural and environmental tourism, with increased employment and skills in cultural and related industries.

Impressionist Lab - Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Impressionist Lab?
The Impressionist Lab is a working title for a purpose built art gallery and education centre celebrating the Heidelberg School artists who worked in the area. It will provide dedicated spaces for exhibitions, public programs, education and research. Using this artistic and cultural heritage as a starting point, it will also explore the relationship between people and the environment.

Who owns this project?
It is a joint project between Banyule City Council and the Heidelberg School Art Foundation, which are working closely with Parks Victoria, Melbourne Water and consultants, Lateral Projects. Banyule City Council and the Heidelberg School Art Foundation undertook a Gallery Feasibility study in 2008/2009, which recommended creating the Impressionist Lab.

Who will fund the Lab?
Funding is proposed via local, State and Federal governments as well as private partnerships and philanthropic support.

When will the Lab be built?
We expect that once full funding has been secured and planning approval received, construction will start in 2015/2016.

How much will the Lab cost?
Approximately $19 million.

What will be the Lab's opening hours?
10am-5pm, with the possibility of extended hours for special events.

Why is impressionism important to Banyule?
Australian impressionist art is nationally and internationally recognised. The Heidelberg and Eaglemont area captured the attention of artists such as Arthur Streeton, Charles Condor and Jane Sutherland, and was the epicentre of the earliest phase of the Heidelberg School. In July 1891, art critic Sidney Dickenson reviewed the works of Melbourne-based artists Arthur Streeton and Walter Withers and declared them the ‘Heidelberg School'. These artists were inspired by the beautiful landscapes of the Yarra and the unique light that typifies the Australian bush.
Since then, the Heidelberg School has taken a wider meaning, covering Australian artists of the late 19th Century who painted open air in the impressionist tradition. Their works can be found in the National Gallery of Victoria, the National Gallery of Australia and the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery.

What are the planning requirements and restrictions for this development?
The Yarra Flats Park is within a Public Conservation and Resource Zone and is covered by an Environmental Significance Overlay and Land Subject to Inundation Overlay under the Banyule Planning Scheme. Use of the land needs to be consistent with the provisions of the planning scheme and planning approvals will need to be obtained.

Why build in a flood area?
Banyule Council has worked with Melbourne Water for over 18 months to ensure the proposed facility will meet strict requirements. We believe the engineering solution and design principles will meet planning guidelines and the Inundation Overlay.

Why will the Lab be built on green open space in a park?
The site is directly linked to where artists camped and painted. Parks Victoria has given in principle support for the project as it meets its Healthy Parks Healthy People philosophy of developing and supporting a diverse range of facilities and experiences within parks.
The facility will provide a new way for the local community and visitors to access, view and engage with the park. It will use a very small percentage of public open space (approximately 0.2% of the overall 850,000m² Park) and will provide new experiences to encourage more people to use and enjoy the Park.

How big will the building be?
While the design and exact size of the building are yet to be determined, it will be between 1,600-2,000m² including indoor and outdoor spaces comprising gallery, café and educational studios.

How high will the building be?
To minimise impact of flooding and meet Melbourne Water requirements, the building will sit on a 2.6m platform, designed so people can see into the park and framing the landscape. The total height will be between seven to nine metres (a standard two storey building) and will not exceed the height of trees in the immediate vicinity.
The building on the corner of Banksia Street and The Boulevard, which is adjacent to the proposed Impressionist Lab, is higher than a standard two storey building and at least one metre higher than the proposed Lab.

How big are the proposed moveable education pods?
The open air education pods are about the size of an average picnic shelter and will be used for groups and individuals to discuss and explore programs related to the Impressionist Lab. Parks Victoria and Melbourne Water will also be able to use these pods to run education programs.

How many car parks are being proposed for the Impressionist Lab?
Parks Victoria is proposing a Wetlands and Tree Based Eco Facility in Yarra Flats Park, which along with the Impressionist Lab, would increase car parks from the current 160 to 300 within three areas designed to reduce the overall impact of car parks within the Park.

How will plans for a wildlife corridor at Yarra Flats Park be affected?
The Yarra River is an important wildlife corridor, allowing local native birds and animals to move between habitats in urban Melbourne. The Yarra Flats Master Plan proposes strengthening vegetation in the corridor via revegetation and weed control. The Lab is located on the boundary of the Park, well away from the River.

How will traffic and parking issues be managed?
A full traffic management plan will be created, which will include consultation with local residents.

Does the proposal include a coffee shop/café/restaurant?
Yes, it is proposed to have a café and small shop.

What other facilities will be affected by this development?
As part of the project budget, $1.5 million dollars will be allocated for overall improvements at Yarra Flats Park. This may include improving and developing pathways, improving facilities such as public toilets and picnic areas, and increasing biodiversity through revegetation. The scope of this work would be determined in conjunction with Parks Victoria as part of its Yarra Flats Park Concept Plan.

Can the three projects proposed for the Yarra Flats Park - The Impressionist Lab,
Wetlands and Tree Based Eco Facility - go ahead separately?
Each project has its own feasibility study, budget and project team. While each project can stand alone, the aim is for all to go ahead, creating an exciting, interesting, environmentally sustainable and accessible range of activities for the community.

Why not co-locate the Impressionist Lab with Heidi Museum of Modern Art?
Heidi Museum of Modern Art is walking distance (900m) away from the proposed site. Heide was founded by John and Sunday Reed and their collection of modern art forms its core. In keeping with the Reeds' support of the artists of their time, Heide promotes the work of living artists and modern and contemporary art, not impressionism. Co-location at Heide is therefore inappropriate.
The development of the Lab at a new site adds to the cultural capital of the region and will draw more visitors to Heide rather than competing with it. Both facilities will have a greater chance of attracting local, national and international visitors to Heidelberg because the range of visitor experiences will justify a day or overnight stay, which will also benefit the local economy.

Why will the Impressionist Lab be more successful than Banyule Homestead, another local arts building which closed in 1985 because it was unsustainable?
Banyule Homestead is a historical residence tucked away in a suburban street in Heidelberg, which was neither designed nor intended as an arts facility. It had poor public access, with no proximity to public transport or main roads.
The preferred location for the Impressionist Lab has high visibility and is easily accessible from Banksia Street and close to Heidelberg Railway Station and Smart Bus Route 903. It is also on the Main Yarra Trail and in walking distance of Heide Museum of Modern Art.
The proposed facility will be purpose built, with engaging and innovative programs and a marketing strategy.

Why can't you build the Impressionist Lab at the building opposite to the proposed site?
This building was explored as a possible location but was unsuitable and cost prohibitive because of the amount of redevelopment required to meet requirements for a museum standard gallery exhibiting significant works of art from galleries and private collections. The building is also disconnected from Yarra Flats Park and as the Impressionist Lab aims to explore links to the environment it is important that it is inside the Park boundaries.

Are there other places you could build the Impressionist Lab?
A number of sites were researched as possible locations for the Impressionist Lab As part of the Gallery Feasibility Study undertaken in 2008/2009 other locations were scoped but Yarra Flats Park was identified as the most suitable and viable option.

How can I get more information or ask questions?
Email arts@banyule.vic.gov.au