Welcome to our creative city

Ballarat is working to become the city of the sustainable and resilient practitioner, and we’re supporting all forms of artist, maker, creative and producer. Whether you are seeking to develop a fine arts practice and devote yourself to being a professional practising artist, or wanting to grow your creative business, the City of Ballarat wants to see you succeed. Designated a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts & Folk Art we’re steadily working towards economic resilience through support of the micro and artisanal.

Here you’ll be able to find opportunities for makers, creatives and artists alike. We’re working to create a clearinghouse of opportunities - expressions of interest, open jobs and other briefs - and support networks you can call on. You can also find out what kind of happenings are going on around town, perfect for the local creative. We profile our growing community of artists, makers, performers and producers, building a better city for all.

Ballarat’s heart of creativity

Over two years the City of Ballarat was focused on the development of it’s Creative City Strategy. This strategy is one that embraces the energies of makers, crafters, artists, innovators, entrepreneurs and problem solvers, linking them closer to the engine room of the city’s heart.

We know that a creative city is one that can wear the changes in economic forces, delivers new ideas, drives businesses to grow and delivers greater community cohesion and wellbeing. The creative sector in Ballarat is crucial to our prosperity, helping create better people and better places to live and work. It is creative thinking that helps all sectors to blossom, and underpins a healthier, happier and wealthier city. The City of Ballarat is dedicated to embedding creativity within its very fabric.

MASTERCLASSES in Projection ART

The City of Ballarat invites local artists to apply for a 6-month paid masterclass program with the Centre for Projection Art. Enhance your skills in site-responsive projection art through workshops and practical experience. Showcase your work in a public exhibition!

Ballarat Empty Plinth Program

Multicultural Arts Victoria in collaboration with the City of Ballarat invites individual artists or teams to submit an Expression of Interest for a temporary 3D/sculptural artwork at the Empty Plinth in Ballarat's Intercultural Gardens. Engage the community and enrich Ballarat's cultural heritage. Submit your ideas today!

PROMOTING YOUR EVENT

The Creative City team is here to help you to promote your event, activity, launch, product and more. We want to assist you in compiling an Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) listing which circulates your event details to tourism bodies in Ballarat and beyond. Check out our trial where we help you compile a listing, or complete your own.

LIVE ARTS RESIDENCY OPEN

Punctum and the City of Ballarat are pleased to announce the successful live arts and contemporary performance artists for the 2025 Seedpod residency. A 2025 Seedpod residency offers the successful artists time, funding, resources, and space to test ideas, push the boundaries of their creative practice, and understand how their work makes meaning with members of the public.

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CREATIVE STRATEGY ACTIONS

LIVE GIGS, OPPORTUNITIES AND GRANTS

OUR CREATIVE COMMUNITY