This is a pretty amazing arts space and they show a consistent stream of local and international…read moreart (mostly photography). We were lucky enough to attend a salon with Patti Smith there a few years back and man was I blown away. She was touring at the time and the centre was showing a collection of photographs of Smith's things taken by a documentary film maker that had been documenting her work. The large room there was the perfect place to chill on the floor and absorb the work while Smith regaled us with stories of her artistic and personal life. It's something I'll never forget. What was even cooler was that when we were leaving, Patti cruised past in the back of a car, wound down the window and said hello. We thanked her for being amazing and she bid us a great afternoon. Check this space out. It looks a little serious from the outer, but it's a treasure trove of corners and little maze-like rooms inside.

I regularly visit the CCP to see good photography exhibitions. It is Melbourne's premier gallery…read morefor photographic art exhibitions featuring exhibitions by local and international photographers. Often are three exhibitions on at this gallery at any time, two small exhibitions and one large exhibition in the main gallery space. The CCP is a not-for-profit gallery aimed at exhibiting photography and education. The photographs on exhibition are not for sale, although there is a small shop in the reception area that does sell photography books and Lomo cameras. The elegantly designed gallery is wheelchair accessible, unlike so many of Melbourne's galleries. Photo based art has changed in the last decade; there are a lot more video art on exhibition and the exhibitions have become noisy with video soundtracks mixing together in the spiraling space of the CCP galleries.

Mia, our guide at the Koorie Heritage Trust, did an amazing job of sharing information about the…read moreFirst Nations peoples of Australia. Her own great grandmother was part of the 'stolen generation,' Aboriginal and mixed-race children who were forcibly taken from their homes by the authorities and sent to orphanages and other homes between 1910 and the 1970s to 'erase the black.' Mia also led us on a walk alongside the Yarra river outlining the Aboriginal history and culture of Melbourne. Amid the soundscapes returning traditional language to the landscape we marvelled at the River and Pepper gums (Eucalyptus trees) as we walked towards the River Yarra or Birrarung - river of mist and shadows. Stopping momentarily at the scar tree, observing the patterns male (jagged edges and female round/smoother circles) embedded in the eels, Mia outlined the meaning of indigenous art in this part of the country. We learned that Koorie refers to Victorian first nations peoples. The 5 nations - Boonwurrung (Boon-wur-rung) - Dja Dja Wurrung (Jar-Jar-Wur-rung)- Taungurung (Tung-ger-rung)-Wathaurung (Wath-er-rung)- Woiwurrung (Woy-wur-rung), commonly known as Wurundjeri. Recognising the 5 nations were symbols of 5 around the precinct. 5 Spears, 5 Trees, 5 Diamonds (embedded in the eels) and 5 Totems or message sticks. Back inside the trust Mia presented a returning boomerang, # 7 boomerang, fighting shields and possum fur cloak, before explaining her ongoing connection (and disconnection) to her family's first nations background. In the attached picture, Mia stands in front of 5 artistic renditions of hunting spears, each with a unique point depending on the spear's intended prey. The far left was for catching fish, the far right for catching sharks, the middle one for eel, and the second from right for kangaroo

The Koorie heritage center and trust Isn't it beautiful and prominent new building in federation…read moreSquare. The Koorie aboriginal people were in Melbourne for thousands of years.

It is always interesting to look at what is on exhibition at Arc One. The art is always of a very…read morehigh quality, I may not always like it, but I never have any doubts about the quality of the art. Arc One is a serious commercial gallery that represents some major Australian artists including Imants Tillers, Lyndell Brown and Charles Green. This is art museum quality work that is way beyond my finances to buy but it is free to look at it. This time when I went in there was an exhibition of paintings by a notable local artist. In the past I've seen sculpture and photography on exhibition in Arc One's large gallery. The large gallery space is a white walled, wooden floor and a high ceiling. There is a large office space off to one side - the gallery staff in the office don't pay that much attention to the casual visitor like myself, they don't even say hello. Not that I care I don't want to be distracted from looking at the paintings.

After driving past the building that hosts Artbank a few times, I finally managed to break up my…read moreday and stop for a visit. What is Artbank? It's an art rental establishment which was established in 1980 by the Australian Government as an arts support program. We're sold already! Part of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Office for the Arts, Artbank promotes the diverse Australian culture and offers everybody the chance to enjoy Australian art by offering the collection for rent. The revenues from the rentals are then reinvesting back in to the collection. Sweet! Walk through the sunlight filled space and you'll find a large group of artworks by emerging artists from paintings and photography, to contemporary craft, sculpture and Indigenous art. (We hear the whole Artbank collection has over 10,000 contemporary artworks for rental) And even though we'd love to have more art at home, our walls don't have the space for it right now. Just in case, we found out the costs involved anyway and were pleased to discover that rental fees start from $110 per artwork, with the minimum contract total of $550 per year. And for businesses, fees are 100% tax deductible.

I stumbled across this new gallery space while exploring South Melbourne this weekend and fell…read moreinstantly in love. Prints on Stone does what it says on the label - mounts prints and photos on stone. I wish I had taken a couple of snaps because that description doesn't really do it justice. The photos show great depth and look great stacked together, I am eyeing off a couple of the prints for home. Probably shouldn't have posted a review until I snapped them up ;) I'm definitely going to go back and get some of my photos done, they're really quite impressive. The owner is lovely - this place is definitely worth stopping by for a chat and getting some of your favourite artwork taken care of.

A quaint little shop with a broad take on its theme, Alice & Co is a self-proclaimed "purveyor of…read morelanguage and other wonders". Locally themed and published books, prints of classical illustrations, postcards, notebooks and other literary themed art are all displayed on dark wood tables and bookshelves. There's a whole shelf of different Alice in Wonderland illustrations on postcards in pigeon holes for $2.50 each, but not everything in the shop is directly associated with Lewis Carrol novel. Small prints of fairy tale stills and tarot deck illustrations go for between $15 and $30 each, it's a good place to stock up on things for your walls that aren't just band posters stripped from poles around Melbourne. Alice & Co also plays host to exhibits from illustrators, readings and book launches, as well as classes in humanities and languages. It's also been known to host puppet theatre. The proprietor is friendly and obliging, and lovers of literature will enjoy the general feel of the place.

As i have said before, i enjoy a colourful window display. Alice & Co is an Art space that focuses…read moreon language arts, book arts. illustration and is the street front for Littlefox Press. The window display right now is quite epic. There's variety of art all themed from Alice in Wonderland (I guess they wanted the window art to match the name of the gallery). The last time i managed to swing past Alice & Co was when they had an exhibition from a much admired photographer Ari Fainchtein. The small space is quaint and cosy but after a while in Alice & Co, it was time to move on, a coffee just around the corner finished off the visual feast. Alice & Co host a range of Book Launches / Openings, Exhibitions and even runs some classes for languages and social sciences.

West Space has recently relocated to their new inner city digs, befittingly one of Bourke st's…read morebetter art-deco buildings. The entrance is by intercom which promptly opens when buzzed, then up a flight of stairs to the landing which opens out to the West Space gallery. Given the historical nature of the building the gallery space is open, bright and inviting. Galleries can seem a little snobbish (particularly when you have to be buzzed in) but West Space is free from pretension and consistently shows interesting exhibitions. This gallery is artist run and not for profit, theres a distinct communal vibe and is apparent in the lack of price tags. The works are conceptual and can border on the bizarre (art outsiders opinion remember!) which I think is a benefit when artists are free from the restraints of commercialism. Philosophy aside the gallery is SO central its worth poking your head in to soak up some local culture.

When I arrived at Fehily Contemporary the guy behind the desk offered me a cup of coffee or tea;…read morethat was the first time that I've been greeted in such hospitality at a contemporary art gallery. However as it was the first destination in my day I declined. It was the first time that I've been to Fehily Contemporary, a new commercial gallery in the growing Collingwood gallery scene. It is located down a narrow lane amidst the wholesale fashion warehouses around Wellington St. The gallery is a well-designed warehouse conversion with a main ground floor gallery with a high ceiling and a small loft gallery above office/storage space. American artist, Angela Ellsworth was exhibiting in the main gallery. Upstairs, in the 'loft', there was a small exhibition by a Chinese artist, Chen Fei and the Bhutanese Textile Project. On the first Thursday night of the 3 week exhibitions there are exhibition opening events.

My favorite gallery in Melbourne!!! Everyone here is super awesome and the art is so cool!!!read more