Bread and Roses group show at Art Space, Lydiard Street, 2024
Community Art Pathways
Ballarat Clay Collective installation at Art Space Ballarat (2024)
When you ask a creative person what they want more of, and what would help them develop a better artistic practice, many of them say they want opportunities to show their work. But many artists and creative people are at varying stages along that journey. So the City of Ballarat has developed a series of Community Art Pathways our community can join at whatever point makes sense for them. This is all part of our wider objective to help create environments where our creative community can thrive.
Here’s how to use the Pathways.
Select the avenue you think is right for you, review the terms and conditions and what’s involved, then apply! The selection process is different for every pathway, and our team of staff and community members help to decide who gets a chance to show their work.
This is not just for visual artists. We’re keen to see applications for music, performance, spoken word, dance, craft and anything else, as long as it is appropriate to the space and selection criteria. So review the terms and conditions, and application forms, closely.
We actively encourage applications from creatives of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander descent, CALD and minority groups. It is hugely important to the City of Ballarat that the complex voices from across our community have a chance to speak, create and make.
PATHWAY 1 - UNICORN LANE
Located just off busy Sturt Street, Unicorn Lane offers artists nine light boxes of various dimensions to showcase their works. It is ideal for emerging visual artists or 3D creatives and makers of small works. To assist emerging artists, Creative City Ballarat can provide financial assistance ($400) to produce new works for the dedicated space.
Applications are open all year round, please read the Terms and Conditions and review the space available before completing the online application form.
Applications are being considered for 2026
Unicorn Lane exhibition Culinary Canvas by emerging artist Mariah McDonald.
PATHWAY 2 - art space ballarat
14 Lydiard Street North
(Ballarat Mining Exchange frontage)
Art Space Ballarat is centrally located and offers the opportunity for local emerging artists a space for visual art and 3D art exhibitions, installations, as well as performing arts events. Situated in the Arts Precinct as well as a busy local and tourist thoroughfare, it is an excellent location.
Successful applicants will curate, install, market, promote and supervise the space themselves for the duration of their exhibition or event. Applications are open throughout the year with a community consultation group meeting three times a year to provide feedback on submissions.
Exhibitors are supported by a $500 artist fee to assist with the cost of exhibiting such as printed promotion, labels and catalogues. Exhibition supervisors may be arranged with the Creative City team to sit the space for 2 days of the required 5 days, to support artists.
Note: Applications are now being considered for mid to late 2026.
External view of Art Space Ballarat. Pic by City of Ballarat.
PATHWAY 3 - backspace gallery
Backspace Gallery in the Art Gallery of Ballarat presents a vibrant program of exhibitions which showcase contemporary art, craft and design and celebrates the arts in our region, providing early career regional artists with the opportunity to exhibit in a professionally supported gallery.
Applicants that have exhibited in Art Space or Unicorn Lane must wait two years until they can apply to Backspace Gallery.
Applications for 2024-25 are now closed.
Art Hub - Artist in ResidencE
The City of Ballarat’s Creative City Artist in Residency program aims to support local artists, creative micro-business and makers that live, work or study in Ballarat and surrounding region.
With Art Hub centrally located on Lydiard St North next to Art Space, Art Gallery of Ballarat and the Post Office Gallery, the successful artist/s will be visible to passing foot traffic and be in the heart of the city’s creative district
The key objectives of the Artist in Residency program is provide artists with a location and time to develop work and explore new creative ideas and encourage connections and engagement
between creative practitioners and the broader community.
APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN UNTIL 31 DECEMBER 2024.
Ballarat Arts Incubator
The Ballarat Arts Incubator, located at 36 Camp Street, Ballarat Central, has been established as a space for experimentation for creative industry and practice.
The Incubator includes rehearsal spaces for music, dedicated zones for young people, theatre development spaces for writing and workshopping, quiet zones for administration, and film studios for production.
With distinct studio spaces the following are available for booking via the licenced organisations which are:
QCTV: Look after the film studios which are available to book by community members and the private sector.
Outlet Studio: Offer a much-needed rehearsal space and music workshop.
The Rat Lab: Currently offers workshops and networking, as well as a dedicated writing room, bookable for workshop and rehearsal.
Melinda Muscat’s studio and gallery, Imaginarium, is located at 119A Sturt St, Ballarat. Pic by City of Ballarat.
BALLARAT IS KNOWN FOR ITS HISTORY OF FINE AND VISUAL ARTS.
From the Art Gallery of Ballarat’s 135-year-old motto of ‘not for self, but for all’, right through to emerging street and ephemeral artists, there is a continued thread of visual arts in Ballarat.
A wave of visual art influence swept through the city in the mid-1980s, fed by the irreverent students and teachers who passed through the doors of the-then Ballarat College of Advanced Education. Classmates of the era are still practising locally today, and the impact of their shared history continues to resonate.
Artists Tarli Glover, Steve Sedgwick & Margie Delahunty Spencer
Steve Sedgwick, Tarli Glover and Margie Delahunty Spencer share an uncanny connection in their style and treatment of paint. Each has their own interpretation, style and direction, but their works reveal a deeper common language.
“There were a lot of artist studios spread throughout Ballarat when we were at school,” explains Steve.
“There were less rules, and a lot of empty spaces. Many of our lecturers had studios in town. There was a history of space being harnessed, and we just thought it was normal.”
For Margie, it was a really exciting time: “There were always impromptu exhibitions happening.”
The trio reported that their freedom during their years of study meant that students formed groups that produced a myriad of different types of works – some groups continued on for decades after the students graduated. Other groups conducted performances, wrote creatively, created sculpture and kept the artistic expression of the city alive.
“I always felt that at the time even though there was a huge artistic pool in Ballarat, we were still pretty much underground,” said Tarli.
“Today art is a lot more out in the open.”