​Join us this NAIDOC week for a special screening of the Unfinished Business Documentary at Doncaster Library.

This moving documentary tells the stories of 30 First Nations people living with disabilities. Their deeply personal stories are complex and intertwined with Australia’s political and social history, which has resulted in today’s unacceptably high rates of disability in Australia’s First Nations Communities.

Their stories are also featured in the Unfinished Business exhibition, which is showing at Manningham Art Gallery until Saturday 29 July.

Following the screening, there will be a Q&A with Uncle John Baxter: Latja Latja/Narungga man, Board Member Reconciliation Victoria and First Peoples Disability Network, Aboriginal Partnership Coordinator - Brotherhood of St Laurence/NDIS, participant and creative collaborator of Unfinished Business. 

Attendees will also have the chance to view the exhibition at their own pace.

The Unfinished Business Documentary is a creative collaboration between brothers, Liam and Dieter Knierim, Belinda Mason Knierim OAM, and participants.

This is a free and accessible event. Bookings not required. Refreshments will be provided.

Warning: First Nations peoples should be aware that this exhibition contains images, voices, or names of deceased persons.

Taking its name from the unofficial description of the present day epoch which has seen human activity dramatically impact the earth's climate and ecology, this exhibition is the expression of four artists' efforts to record, reflect upon and potentially enact change in how humanity views and interacts with the world.

Shifting the Anthropocene features the work of Lesley Duxbury, Ruth Johnstone, Rosie Weiss and Stephen Wickham, who have variously photographed underwater ecosystems and stunning 400 year old eucalypts, and collected and drawn remnants of plants destroyed by bushfire, amongst other creative acts.

The works are descriptions of the immediate and personal effects of climate change as the artists have witnessed them. They also pivot to celebrate instances where individuals and communities have saved endangered species or enacted changes in environment laws through collective effort, thereby giving a hopeful and positive tenor to the exhibition overall.

Installation view of artworks by Lesley Duxbury. Photo by Charlie Kinross.

Enjoy reduced family entry prices on Thursdays during the school holidays.

Valid all day at Aquarena!

As part of the Warrandyte Community Centre outdoor upgrade, a mural will be designed and installed by artist Angharad Neal-Williams.

Warrandyte residents are invited to join Angharad for a series of free, community-based workshops to collectively contribute to the thematic development of the mural.

Experience a range of different ways to create, contribute and brainstorm together and explore your favourite things about Warrandyte.

Catering will be provided.

Bookings essential via the registration link.

About the artist

Angharad Neal-Williams is an Illustrator, muralist and graphic recorder based in Melbourne. Her work combines strong line drawing with controlled colour and shape to create thoughtful, fun and conceptual drawings.

She utilises both digital and traditional mediums to ensure outcomes feel natural and expressive through quirky imperfections in the simple line work. Her style is distinctly optimistic and focuses strongly on the importance of composition and line.

In 2023 she was awarded Nillumbik Shire Council's Young Creative Leader of the year.

Photo credit: Fluid Imagery

At Manningham we want to ensure everyone feels supported and included. If you require any support to improve your experience, please send a confidential email to Emily Sweeney (Public Art Officer) at arts@manningham.vic.gov.au.

Lara Chamas and Hootan Heydari present a selection of recent work in our main gallery, titled Retrace Your Steps!

This exhibition brings together two remarkable artists, each with unique styles and practices. 

While each artist approaches their mediums in distinct ways, their work shares a profound connection through the exploration of themes such as home, familial memory and generational migrant experiences of leaving their home countries due to war and political upheaval.

Their works are both poetic and poignant, speaking to both personal stories and broader political histories.

Lara Chamas is a Lebanese artist, born and raised in Naarm (Melbourne). Her work comprises of sculptural objects and installations that reflect on family, memory, and domestic life.

Hootan Heydari is an Iranian-Australian artist, who predominantly works in sculpture and photography. His art captures connections between the past and present, distilling echoes of history into contemporary expressions. Heydari is represented by Futures Gallery.

This exhibition contains artwork that explores themes of war and violence, which may be difficult for some visitors. Please speak to our staff if you would like more information before attending. We thank you for your understanding.  

_{Photo credit: Lara Chamas, Pestle that He made, Jido (mama), for crushing garlic, Hummus; Chickpeas; Knife that He made, Jido (mama), for chopping parsley, tabouli; Corer that He made, Jido (mama), for hollowing zucchini coosa mahshe; and Mould that He made, Jido (mama), for filled biscuits, ma’amoul; 2021, cast bronze objects, variable sizes. Image courtesy of the Artist.} 

JamFactory ICON Angela Valamanesh: About being here is Angela Valamanesh’s exploration into the interconnectedness of life on earth – between human, animal, and plant beings. This life view, first felt intuitively by the artist; is reinforced through her ongoing research at leading libraries and scientific institutions both in Australia and abroad. 

“I believe that art like science can help teach us about who we are, what we are made of and in doing so show us the importance of recognising that we are part of a whole.” Angela Valamanesh

Inspired by the symbiosis between science and poetry, Angela Valamanesh’s artworks elicit intrigue and a strong sense of personal investigation as she manipulates seemingly familiar anatomical, botanical, and parasitic forms in beguiling and unusual ways.

Primarily known for her biomorphic ceramic sculptures, this exhibition also celebrates the artist’s evocative drawings, watercolours, and mixed media works from her developing style of the late 1990s until present.

Historically, links have been made between the human form and plant species, not only structurally but also through language: the family tree, our roots, or a severed limb, while early medicine made connections between plants that resembled parts of our bodies and their therapeutic effects on those body parts.

About the exhibition

JamFactory’s Icon series celebrates the achievements of South Australia’s most influential artists working in craft-based media.

JamFactory ICON Angela Valamanesh: About being here will tour to 14 venues nationally and is accompanied by a 40-page catalogue featuring images by Michael Kluvanek with essays by Dr. Mike Lee and Wendy Walker.

Other public programs

Artist Talk with Angela Valamanesh

Saturday 3 September, 2.00pm to 3.00pm.

Free event.

Find out more and register online. 

Ceramics Workshop with Holly Phillipson

Available sessions:

• Friday 2 September, 10.30am to 1.30pm
• Saturday 3 September, 3.00pm to 6.00pm

Tickets: $40 general admission, $30 concession.

Find out more and book online.

About the artist

Angela Valamanesh was born in Port Pirie, South Australia in 1953 and currently lives and works in Adelaide. Angela holds a Diploma in Design in Ceramics from the South Australian School of Art (1977), a Master of Visual Arts from the University of South Australia (1993), and a PhD from the University of South Australia (2012).

Her drawings, ceramic objects, and watercolours are the result of an incredible depth of research, referencing complex scientific, historic, and philosophical ideas. Angela’s imagery stems from micro- and macro- biology, historical anatomical and botanical illustrations, natural history collections, and rare books.

Valamanesh’s oeuvre is populated with the animal, vegetable, and mineral with glimpses of microbes, bacteria, pathogens, and spores. Valamanesh’s works elicit ambiguity and present a strong sense of personal investigation. In the artist’s own words:

“It is important that the work is not prescriptive but offers the viewer the opportunity of personal engagement with the work and time to reflect on their own personal experiences.”

Instrumental in Valamanesh’s bourgeoning visual arts practice was her Samstag Scholarship undertaken at the Glasgow School of Art. This residency resulted in the seminal work For a long while there were only plants, 1997, and is the point of departure for this exhibition. This artwork – a watercolour, pen and ink work on paper and dipped in wax – is a repository for images and ideas that have fuelled Valamanesh’s practice ever since.

Presenting partner
JamFactory

JamFactory ICON Angela Valamanesh: About being here is a JamFactory touring exhibition.

Government partners
Australia Council for the Arts
The Visual Arts and Craft Strategy
Department for Innovation and Skills

JamFactory ICON Angela Valamanesh: About being here has been assisted by the South Australian Government through the Department for Innovation and Skills and the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, Contemporary Touring Initiative.

Angela Valamanesh acknowledges the assistance of the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts.

Angela Valamanesh is represented by GAG PROJECTS, Greenaway Art Gallery, Adelaide and Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert, Sydney.

Photo credit: Michal Kluvanek.

Hysteria runs rampant in Puritan Salem, Massachusetts. A group of young girls and a slave were found dancing in the woods and conjuring spells. After one of the girls falls ill, the town suspects it is the work of the devil and local witches. However, all is not what it seems. John Proctor, a local farmer, suspects that the local witchcraft is not witchcraft at all, but the invention of a scorned teenage girl. Neighbour turns on neighbour as Proctor fights to restore sense to the town and save many from the hangman’s noose.

Presented by Saga Productions Theatre

Written by Arthur Miller

Directed by Raquel Gardener & Alexandra Runge
 

For their 2022 Gala Event, Manningham Concert Band is presenting the multimedia extravaganza Last Night of the Proms!

Join them for a night of multiple and exciting guest performers and soloists.

Featuring music from the UK and her colonies, including all the sing-along British classics. 

Kaleidoscope of Characters comprises nine cabaret acts across a season of 7 performances. Each night will feature a group of performers each presenting their self-devised cabaret.

Performance Schedule:

Wednesday 15th November:

• Brotherband with their EP "Little Fish" and Support Act: Charlie McCosh

Thursday 16 November:

• Emily Dingle in Self-Fulfilled Prophecy
• Imogen Whittaker in The Last Word

Friday 17 November:

• Lady Whisper in The Art of Seeking Attention
• Emma Blake in Basic Witch
• Pas x Rory in These Gays, They’re Trying to Murder Me

Saturday 18 November:

• Helmet Von Püsh in Püsh Presents “Taste.”
• Jenn Biggs & Jess May in Body of Work
• Pas x Rory in These Gays, They’re Trying to Murder Me

Wednesday 22 November:

• Emma Blake in Basic Witch
• Latecha Khairy in How Did I Get Here?

- Jenn Biggs & Jess May in Body of Work

Thursday 23 November:
- Imogen Whittaker in The Last Word
- Emily Dingle in Self-Fulfilled Prophecy

Friday 24 November:
- Helmet Von Püsh in Püsh Presents “Taste.”
- Latecha Khairy in How Did I Get Here?
- Lady Whisper in The Art of Seeking Attention."

All day volleyball session for children aged 10 to 16 years.

Volleyball skills, games and activities.

No prior experience required.

Registrations are essential.  Contact Manningham Stadiums on 8841 4555 to secure your spot or to find out more. 

Active Manningham will be running a free mat Pilates class.

Focus on improving flexibility, strength, core stability and body awareness. Low impact, repetitive moves for a full body workout.

Due to limited spaces registration is essential.

In her site-specific project Lumina, Izabela Pluta builds on her ongoing interest in temporality and place, using photography as a dynamic process to investigate the fluid intersections of time, memory and impermanence.

Come and see this art exhibition at Heide Museum of Modern Art until 5 October 2025.

Visit the Heide website for opening hours and information about how to plan your visit.

Painted Country presents the work of five Australian First Nations artists - Nellie Ngampa Coulthard, Brenda Napaltjarri, Clara Napurrula, Rene Sundown and Adrian Jurra Tjungurrayi.

Drawing upon their rich artistic, cultural, and ancestral knowledge, each artist paints unique depictions of Country, refracted through memory and lived experience. Using restrained colour palettes, the artists each capture the subtle shifts of light, native flora, ancestral stories, and culturally significant sites across the vast desert regions of Western Australia, South Australia, and the Northern Territory.

Presented together, these diverse artistic perspectives and practices converge to reveal a rich and nuanced portrayal and understanding of the Australian desert landscape. Atmospheric and harmonious, these works transcend naturalistic representation, evoking deeper resonances.

Working from Iwantja Arts in South Australia and Papunya Tula Artists in the Northern Territory, the artists uphold and carry forward ancestral and artistic traditions through their practice and deep cultural knowledge.

With special thanks to the Artists; Iwantja Arts, South Australia; Papunya Tula Artists, Northern Territory; and Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, who partnered with Manningham Art Gallery to curate this major exhibition. 

Adrian Jurra Tjungurrayi is an emerging Pintupi artist whose rhythmic, tessellating compositions recall his familial cultural and artistic lineages and herald the bold future of Papunya Tula painting. Tjungurrayi paints Yunala, the name of both a desert flora with an interlacing root network and a significant site on his ancestral Country, expressed in meandering lines and geometric forms. Adrian's soft tonal gradations conjure the salt lakes of his Country, resulting in a highly sophisticated and contemporary aesthetic.

Brenda Napaltjarri is an emerging Pintupi artist from Walungurru (Kintore), in the far west of the Northern Territory, Australia. Napaltjarri’s powerful practice recalls the concentric and inwardly focused energy of her father’s work, the late Shorty Lungkata Tjungurrayi. Refining her father's practice further, the elegant simplicity of Napaltjarri’s radiating circles emanate a visceral energy, undulating with hypnotic motion.    

Clara Napurrula is an emerging Pintupi artist from Walungurru (Kintore), in the far west of the Northern Territory, Australia. Napurrula is recognised for her precision and elegance, painting fields of finely dotted lines that shimmer and surge across the canvas. Napurrula is the daughter of renowned Pintupi artist Wintjiya Napaltjarri (c. 1932 – 2014) a pioneer of the women’s Western Desert art movement. As a second-generation Pintupi artist, Clara Napurrula’s practice serves as an important continuation of the women’s Papunya Tula art movement.

Nellie Ngampa Coulthard paints the landscapes of her childhood, Yankunytjatjara Country near Oodnadatta, South Australia. Coulthard’s paintings are refined in technique and composition, accenting bold pinks, golden browns and burnt oranges and defined by the outstretched linear branches of the Acacia Murrayana Wattle that sit at the heart of her compositions. 

Rene Sundown is a senior Yankunytjatjara artist from Indulkana, in far north South Australia. Sundown paints delicate fields of cream and gold that recall the subtle shifts in colour of the Ngura Tali, Sand Dune Country near Erldunda in the Northern Territory where she was raised.
Her refined palette evokes the shifting dunes and sun-warmed grasses of the central desert, intersected with bold linear compositional markers delineating sites of cultural significance.

Image Credit: Nellie Ngampa Coulthard, Tjuntala Ngurangka - Country with Wattle (Acacia Murrayana), 2023, synthetic polymer paint on linen, 152 x 167 cm (detail). Courtsey of The Artist, Iwantja Arts and Alcaston Gallery.

A 6 week art therapy group for kids in grades 5 and 6, who have experienced or witnessed family violence.

Making art can help us to tell our stories and make sense of our experiences. Plus, it is a fun creative way to get to know ourselves better as well as others in the group. Helping us to appreciate who we are, our special talents and gifts, and to see these gifts in others too.

Art therapy helps us to:

• express thoughts, ideas, and emotions
• manage difficult feelings, like anger and worry
• learn to problem solve and build resilience
• grow confidence and self-esteem
• improve social skills

A fun, safe and supportive space that encourages listening and caring.

Participation is free and all art materials will be provided. No artistic skills necessary!

This program is provided by Doncare in partnership with Anglicare Victoria.
 

​Deborah White is a Melbourne-based artist who works across performance-based photography, video and mixed-media installations. 

Everlasting Happiness entertains the utopian idea of love as a political concept. The underlying philosophy of this aspiration is to love the most distant. This is not a sentimental notion of love. It is a robust kind of love with a revolutionary power. Viewing the actions of love as a deployment of force, this work intertwines supernatural wonder with the spectacle of war.

The playful and vibrant performance-based video depicts an anarcho-mystic quest battling against the pathology of the post-truth world. Featuring fictitious characters that defy the rational world, the video is infused with flower power, music and animal warriors that open the heart to hope and joy. All the characters are performed by the artist—serving as a self-reflection on the internal struggle to love unconditionally.  This work strives for the idealistic desire of a utopian non-place of the imagination. (Sound design is by Jamie Coghill.)

Video still from Everlasting Happiness (2023).
HD digital video, 11:15 mins, 1 or 3 channel, looped, variable dimensions.

Image courtesy of the Artist.

Join us to acknowledge Sorry Day and learn more about First Nations People and cultures.

This event will feature:

• a video of Aunty Doreen Garvey-Wandin's Sorry Day address
• a Cultural Regeneration Workshop with Alana Marsh
• closing comments by Manningham CEO Andrew Day
• a viewing of the Manningham Art Gallery Exhibition Serving Country

Catering will be provided by Mabu Mabu. Please advise if you have any dietary requirements by Monday 23 May by contacting spcs@manningham.vic.gov.au.