A wonderful museum with a collection of Asian & European arts and international collections..for…read moreFREE!! Budget at least an hour to browse through the entire gallery. Also check out the neurosis stained glass ceiling. Friendly staff at the museum store.

Beautiful museum with a main center piece from Yayoi Kusama one of my favorite artists. There was…read morea special French Impressionism exhibit there when we visited. A bunch of Monet, Renoir, and Degas. I think it goes until the beginning of October. This exhibit you have to buy a timed entry ticket for. The regular museum is free. Great spot to take pics and see some Australian history.

A celebration of lowbrow and underground art, pop culture and tiki living. Here you can grab…read moreone-of-a-kind prints and painting from around the world. Or score yourself some tiki mugs and vinyl figurines from uber cool designers. They also have some great music playing in the background to set the mood as you fantasize where to hang all those painting you wish you could buy. Simply put, this place totally reeks of awesomeness.

I went into Outré to buy a book by Edward Gory for a friend's birthday. I knew that they had…read moreseveral books by Edward Gory because I often study their window when I'm walking past on Elizabeth St. Outré specializes in multiple editions of lowbrow popular art, along with books and magazines on the subject. It exhibits artists like Shag, Mark Ryden and "other pop, lowbrow, street and alternative art". It is focused primarily on American lowbrow, limited edition prints and vinyl toys, although there are some Australian artists amongst their stock. There are two spaces, the front space has the display cases and their main exhibition the second one is up a few stairs, where there is their stock gallery. Although they have regular feature exhibition there are little exhibitions everywhere featuring the work of one artist. I always enjoy looking around the shop/gallery and the staff here knows and love their fantastic art.

On Thursday night I went to an opening at Dark Horse Experiment because it is one of Melbourne's…read moreleading contemporary art galleries where the hippest young artists hang out. There was a crowd of people drinking the home-brewed beer and clean-skin wine that was for sale a small bar under the stairwell just inside the front door. Doyle, one of the gallery directors was calling everyone 'punk' because he can't remember names. The gallery is white walled converted factory space. The cool contemporary art on exhibition was by a young emerging print maker, Joel Gailer - I won't try to describe the art because the gallery has a new exhibition opening every three weeks. Outside in the street there were projections on the gallery windows - the projections in the windows are on every night. When you visit Dark Horse Experiment be sure to see the alleyway a door down the street because it has pieces by many of Melbourne and international street artists: HaHa, Vexta, E.L.K., A1one and Drew Funk. I met E.L.K. in the alley when I was there last time - nice guy just moved down from Canberra. The reason why there is so much street art in the alleyway is that at the back of Dark Horse Experiment there is Blender Studio where a number of these artists work.

Sticky is an artist-run and focused initiative that facilitates and promotes zine culture in this…read morecity. It's an amazing concept: you can go in, use their resources, pick their brains and be blown away by the wealth of incredible artists and artisans working in the zine realm. Sticky have a lucid idea of who they are as a collective. Their mission statement says: "By bypassing the conventional gallery system, Sticky redefines the notion of a retail environment as a non profit arts space dedicated to Australian and international zine culture." And in doing these things, the institute allow the proliferation of this otherwise underground and often off-kilter art practise -- a great thing for any city. Any gripe with the place would be that it is cramped and can feel a bit exclusive at times. I've had slightly mixed experiences with staff, but they're mostly volunteers, so there's no shortage of passion.

Zines, the DIY behemoth that excites photocopiers, writers and artists alike has a home in…read moreMelbourne. Situated beneath Flinders st as one enters the train station, one will find every surface adorned with self-made paraphernalia, complete with badge machine, stapler and photocopier for the budding Zinester in all of us, Sticky is an institution.

While you can't fault the old masters, these days it seems that contemporary art is where it's at…read more Fresh and exciting, these are the artists who are forging new design concepts and innovations. Whether you adore it, or it leaves you feeling puzzled and claiming "my 3-year old could have made that", it really doesn't matter. This is what art is all about. There is no contest, the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) is easily Melbourne's best destination for contemporary artwork. Even amongst a city such as Melbourne where art galleries reign supreme, the ACCA is a special place. Showcasing works by both Australian and International artists, it is a must-see for anyone interested in art, photography and design. With five exhibitions held annually, there's bound to something to please everyone form the experienced art-lover to the gallery virgin. At the moment ACCA is showing 'Power to the People Contemporary Conceptualism and the Object in Art.' Recalling the interactive art of the sixties, that saw happenings and interactive audience projects replace traditional art work, it promises to be an interesting experience.

I'm always surprised when friends of mine who live in Melbourne tell me that they've never been to…read morethe Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Located just outside the CBD, this free gallery exhibits some really striking and impressive contemporary art, by celebrated artists from around the globe. In terms of the art on display at any given time, it can be a bit hit and miss, but I have seen several exhibitions at ACCA that have really blown me away. They also quite often have shows that are particularly good for kids (in terms of family-friendly content and accessibility). But be sure to check online before making a visit with children in tow. I see that during October they have been running nude tours of the gallery, which gives you an idea of the weird and wonderful world of ACCA.

This art gallery / art school / framing business is run by a bubbly Port Melbourne local who is…read moresuper passionate about her art and her students. I am reviewing only the framing part of the business. I came here for some framing on a couple of recent purchases. One small, one large with frayed paper edging. Both screen print style art, they came unframed but I didn't want them to just be stuck up like posters. I took them in to Port Art to get an idea of what could be done. I was nervous about the frayed one as I had a real set picture in mind of how I wanted it to look even though it was untraditional with no boarding on the edges. The selection of frames here are really nice and because the framer is also an artist, she's very particular about how she wants the final product to look. A lot of time and care was taken to pick the right boarding and frame that we liked. Framing is not a cheap exercise but I think they are well priced here. Originally for the smaller piece, we looked at the cost (almost the same as the large piece) and wondered if we would have better off saving our pennies and trying to make it work in a pre-made frame. But once we got the end result we were 100% happy that we didn't. Both turned out beautifully and I couldn't be happier with them, especially the large one. They were also taken care to be framed in a way that would last, while allowing us to change them if our tastes change down the track.

Oh my goodness this place is the bomb. Jen the owner was a veritable walking wikipedia of art. I…read morefelt like I knew her stable of artists intimately by the time she had introduced me to their work. . A real personality that totally knows her stuff helpful without being pushy. I get the idea that as soon as I have a spare wall I know where to head. Absolutely Brilliant

After walking the several blocks from North Melbourne railway station I was glad to find that this…read morecontemporary art gallery had a comfortable lounge to sit on. It was a white lounge to match with the white walls and pale abstract paintings. Sitting down in a gallery, rather than shuffling around on the concrete floor looking at the paintings, is easier on the feet and admire the art. The gallery is a large converted factory space from the 1950s with many of the original features, including round office windows. There are two main gallery spaces with two different exhibitions and a carpeted lounge space with another lounge and a selection of work from the gallery's stock room. Gallery Smith represents many established contemporary artists from Australia and South East Asia. And there are two or more new exhibitions here every month. I had a good conversation with the director, Marita Smith about one of the artists from the stock room whose work I had seen the previous year in the Basil Sellers Art Prize. Upstairs in the loft is another white walled gallery, Purgatory Art Space where they show emerging artists.

Lock up the credit cards! You're going to want just about everything in this store to make your…read morebathroom smell better, your kitchen look pretty, your bedroom feel cosy and your loungeroom more achingly hip. From the rafters adorned with leather bunting down to the floors that hold baskets overflowing with nic-nacs and gorgeous items you simply can't live without, The Shelley Panton Store is an absolute delight to explore. I love the tables filled with colour co-ordinated items, the book selection (food, design and travel genres all well represented), hand-made ceramics and the items dangling from the roof (THAT bunting, light fixtures and even feather dusters!). There's complimentary gift wrapping too, which is perfect if you're in the market for a special gift. They'll offer a variety of papers and twines to match your purchase and the vast gift card selection makes this a one-stop-shop for all your gift giving needs.

Quick! Hide your credit card when you come here! It has an amazing array of home wares and art for…read moreevery single room of the house, and every occasion you can think of. This is my idea of heaven. Seriously. OK, I admit it. Sometimes it feels like us Southsiders are a little hard done by with a lot of cool crafty places north of the river. Shelley Panton helps to fix this with an eclectic range of products - whether you're looking to buy for yourself or for a gift, you're bound to find something here that tickles your fancy. The shop is beautifully decked out - visualise baskets of good overflowing with cute little pieces, colour coordinated products lovingly laid out on tables and also friendly service. Leading into Christmas and special occasions, they will have late night trading (complete with glasses of prosecco and a cheese platter - for real) and special dinners for events such as the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Best of all? Shelley who own the place also has her own pottery for sale (visualise gorgeous plates and kitchen goods) and Jess the resident rescue dog is a beautiful black lab that often wanders around for a little bit of customer love. OK, I admit it. I want to work here. I want to be surrounded by beautiful things, play with Jess all day and lovingly wrap presents and adorn them with ribbons

I went to Sutton Gallery to see the latest exhibition by Gordon Bennett, a contemporary Queensland…read moreartist with aboriginal ancestry. I always enjoy Bennett's painting style and the thoughts behind the paintings. Sutton Gallery represents Gordon Bennett and other established Australian artists. When I arrived at Sutton Gallery as one of Gordon Bennett's large canvases, "(Abstraction) indigene" 2011, sold for $38,500. There was a small group of people talking as the gallery assistant went and stuck a small red pin into the wall beside the painting to indicate the sale. Sutton Gallery sell art to major art galleries and other public collections; I've seen a Gordon Bennett painting that I first saw exhibited at Sutton later in the Bendigo Art Galleries permanent collection. Although the address for the gallery is Brunswick Street, Fitzroy the entrance to the gallery is on the side in Greeves St. The building looks like it has been converted from an old garage or maybe a stable; there are these large doors on the side. Inside the large white walled space is divided into two gallery spaces. There is another space behind some open half doors with the gallery office. Sutton Gallery has a different exhibition every month.

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.