MC Square offers a variety of meeting rooms for hire. Located on Doncaster Road between Westfield and our Civic Centre, it is conveniently accessible by public transport. There are ample parking spaces on site.
For information on services running at MC Square, please contact the relevant organisations directly. For more information on library services, visit the Whitehorse Manningham Libraries website.
MC Square also provides services on health, education, welfare, community, arts, cultural and heritage. See below for a complete list of the organisations located at MC Square.
From boardrooms, to meeting spaces with all the audio visual, kitchen and accessibility requirements, find a space that suits you.
This is great venue for private functions. It also caters for dance, martial arts or art classes. Small group meetings can be held in one of the smaller rooms containing a whiteboard, television and comfortable seating. This venue is conveniently located to Jackson Court Shopping Centre and limited off street parking is available.
The three meeting rooms can hold between 12 to 30 guests.
Hosting a birthday party? Our facilities cater for children aged 12 years or under and adults aged 22 years and above.
Take our virtual tour of Doncaster Senior Citizens Centre.
We have a pricing structure to suit your needs. Bookings during the week are for a minimum of 2 hours, and 4 hours during the weekend.
If you book more than 10 times during a year, you are eligible for the regular hirer rate.
| Community | Commercial | |
|---|---|---|
| Main Hall - Casual Hirer | $69 per hour | $112 per hour |
| Main Hall - Regular Hirer | $31 per hour | $35 per hour |
| Meeting room - Casual Hirer | $37 per hour | $52 per hour |
| Meeting room - Regular Hirer | $26 per hour | $31 per hour |
A set bond will be required two (2) weeks prior to your event date. The amount varies per venue and further information will be provided upon booking. All bond refunds are processed within ten (10) business days post event.
Make sure that you and your attendees are covered by public liability insurance. We can help to organise this for you.
Take our virtual tour of Doncaster Senior Citizens Centre, or contact our friendly staff with your questions on 9840 9458 or venues@manningham.vic.gov.au.
River Peel draws on the local heritage and surrounding landscape, imitating the Yarra River as it bends and turns through the area.
The sculpture also represents the peel of an apple to relate to the history of orcharding in the areas of Doncaster and Templestowe.
In 2001, River Peel was awarded the Joseph Reed Award for Urban Design.
Originally located at the Fitzsimons Lane and Porter Street roundabout in Templestowe, the work was relocated to the current site in 2022 as part of a Major Road Projects Victoria upgrade.
Bellemo and Cat is a Melbourne-based architect/artist partnership. The multi-disciplinary team was established in 1998 by Michael Bellemo and Cat Macleod. Based in Northcote, in inner urban Melbourne, the work of the firm varies widely in both scale - from domestic to the public, and location - from the urban to the rural.
The work of Bellemo and Cat is a wandering line of inquiry back and forth. From the construction of a house to the twisting of a sculpture. It enables them to carry the methods and results of experimentation in both the fields of architecture and sculpture back and forth like busy ants. Resulting in sculptural architectural works and pragmatic approaches to urban design.
Find out more about Running/Walking (moving forward) by Warren Langley, 2007. ...
Running/Walking (moving forward) can be viewed during the day or night.
The concertina-shaped walls have been fabricated to form a series of copper and glass components. By night, the LED lighting brings the artwork to life.
The human figures are representations of members of the community that transcend ethnicity and evoke the sense of a progressive, forward moving populace.
Light art and glass art are terms commonly applied to the site specific public art of artist Warren Langley. In a career spanning over 40 years, the past 20 years has seen an increasing use of light as a principle design element to create public art interventions which undergo day to night transformations.
Langley’s ouvre addresses the notion of sight/site, both visual and contextual. His 40 year portfolio of artworks for the built environment span all manner of materials and processes, but he is most well known for his large scale works in light and glass.
Spontaneous in form, Halperns’ sculptures are created in a style that recalls visions of Gaudi, Picasso and the playful surrealism of French sculptor Niki de Sant Phalle. Yet the works have become distinctly Halpernesque in their ability to delight and surprise.
We acquired the sculptures Big Cat and Water Creature in 2011 to commemorate the opening of MC Square. The sculptures were installed in preparation for the official opening in September 2012.
Deborah Halpern is known for her wildly colourful mosaic work.
Creator of many of Melbourne’s most loved public sculptures, Halpern’s works exude an innate vitality and alluring simplicity.
Halpern is a multi-disciplinary artist who explores the mediums of sculpture, painting, pottery, glass blowing and printmaking. Her work can be exuberant and whimsical but is also imbued with a deep artistry.
Over her 33-year career, Halpern has produced an extraordinary body of work and through her numerous public sculptures, and has become well known and respected within the community.
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:
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.
Find out more about the Warrandyte Community Centre mural by Angharad Neal-Williams, 2023. ...
It was great to get input from a wide range of community members who helped inform the design through the series of workshops.
Common themes that were explored included the river, the natural environment and the experience of walking along and looking across the river to the other side.
The design captures these themes whilst incorporating bright colours that will sit within, and complement the surrounding environment.
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.
Sporting clubs play in important role in our community. They can be important places of social connections and support, as well as influential structures where attitudes and behaviours, including those towards women and girls, are formed and upheld.
Sporting clubs also have an important responsibility to ensure all members are safe and free from discrimination and harassment. This can be achieved by creating and supporting fair, inclusive and respectful sporting environments on and off the playing field.
Active Bystander training seeks to support fair, inclusive and respectful sporting environments through skilling participants to not only identify and challenge sexism, but other forms of discrimination such as racism, ableism, homophobia and transphobia. Active Bystander training equips participants to step in when they see or hear sexist or discriminatory language, jokes, behaviours or practices across a range of sports settings and scenarios.
Research shows that promoting bystander action across your sporting club can support a range of benefits. Some examples of this include:
Spots in this workshop are limited so book your spot as soon as you can.
Registrations are essential. Refreshments provided.
This workshop is being delivered in partnership with Women's Health East and made possible thanks to Change Our Game - Community Activation Grants program.
This workshop is being delivered in partnership with Women's Health East and made possible thanks to Change Our Game - Community Activation Grants program.
This exhibition is no longer showing in the Manningham Art Gallery.
Nani Puspasari is a Chinese-Indonesian visual artist based in Naarm (Melbourne). Her latest exhibition Childhood Cheeks, Grown-Up Madness is an emotive exploration that beckons viewers into the subtle interplay between innocence and experience.
The canvas unfolds as a vibrant narrative, with expressive paint strokes sharing tales of enthusiasm and introspection, while whimsical clay forms add a tangible layer to the storytelling. This artistic journey transcends mere observation, offering a profound reflection on the paradoxical nature of the path to adulthood.
The installation stands as an emotional proof to the delightful chaos inherent in the shift from carefree childhood to the intricate realities of grown-up life. It urges individuals to embrace the enduring beauty found in the inherent madness of growth and self-discovery, even within the complexities of life, creating a space for a heartfelt exploration of the multifaceted layers of personal evolution.
Image courtesy of the Arts Manningham. Photo by Charlie Kinross.
This exhibition is no longer showing in the Manningham Art Gallery.
I Fall to Pieces brings together artworks by two Naarm-based artists, Matthew Harris and Nicholas Currie. The exhibition traverses topics of mental health and healing.
Rich and differing First Nations materials and processes are deployed along with key tenants of Western Abstraction, offering conceptual and immediate encounters with paint and form.
Matthew Harris, of mixed European and Koorie descent, debases dominant hierarchies through socially critical painting and sculpture. Nicholas Currie is an emerging artist, curator, and descendant of the Mununjali clan of Yugambeh people of Brisbane and Beaudesert.
Matthew Harris is represented by FUTURES. Nicholas Currie appears courtesy of FUTURES.
Image credit: Nicholas Currie, Big Purple, 2023, acrylic on linen, 200 x 250 cm. Courtesy of the Artist and FUTURES.
Manningham Art Gallery is excited to present Gosia Wlodarczak's A Space of Facial Deconstruction.
Over a five-day onsite performance, Gosia will create a large-scale drawing installation spanning across the interior of Gallery One.
The gallery environment and self-portraits submitted by Manningham residents are translated into shapes through Gosia’s senses. In a continuous process of meeting, overlapping and collision - in endless movement, the ongoing change and exchange will create a drawing installation over the period of the performance.
The result will be a stunning group portrait of the Manningham community.
View the performance
View the completed artwork
During your visit to the gallery, you can also explore A Fragment of the Infinite Magnificence by Zahra Marsous in Gallery Two.
For further information on submitting your self-portrait and getting involved, please visit Gosia Wlodarczak: A Space of Facial Deconstruction.
Photo Credit: Longin Sarnecki
This piece represents joy, life, culture and connection to country and community.
It is a new story being told in this space, one of rejuvenation and new life. These totems are the new protectors of this space, the spiritual protectors of gathering and community.
Through this tough time, our spirit is still strong, and our community is there.
The art aims to bring life and colour to the street and features three local Manningham animals – the black swan, platypus and wombat.
Robert says the idea is that “the activation of creativity and art in this space helps to bring the community together”.
This project was funded by Manningham Council and the Department of Jobs, Regions and Precincts COVID Safe Outdoor Activation Fund.
Robert Michael Young, Keedan Rigney and Lukas Kasper are the three artists behind the footpath artwork at Templestowe Village.
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:
Thursday 16 November:
Friday 17 November:
Saturday 18 November:
Wednesday 22 November:
- 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."
In this stunning new exhibition by visual artist Katrin Koenning, she intimately explores connection and belonging through a deeply personal and immersive constellation of images drawn from the artist’s archive across time and space.
Artist Biography
b. 1978. Dortmund, Germany. Lives and works in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia.
Pursuing intimacy and interconnection, Koenning's work centers practice as relational encounter, exploring themes such as community, kinship, grief and love. In extended image-dialogues, Katrin uses fragments and slippages to suggest narrative spaces and communities that are allied, fluid and multiplicit. Many of her series render non-human human entanglement.
Her work is regularly exhibited in Australia and internationally including in presentations at the National Gallery of Victoria and the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra; Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne; Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney; the Museum of Australian Photography, Melbourne; Ishara Art Foundation, Dubai; Chobi Mela, Bangladesh; and Paris Photo. Her work is held in numerous institutional and private collections and has been published in The New Yorker, Vogue.com, Zeit Magazine, The Guardian, Esquire Italy, Der Spiegel, Yucca Magazine, California Sunday and many other places.
Katrin Koenning, yanakie (one), 2021, archival pigment print, 40cm x 30cm, Ed. 1/6 +2AP. Image courtesy of the Artist.
Find out more about Let Us Walk Together, Kol-ing-wod-ong-gnul by Wathaurong Glass Pty Ltd, 2001....
Let us walk together depicts aspects of the characteristics, history and development of the municipality.
The overall form of the panels is curved along the upper edge, which symbolises the rolling hills of the area visible to the north and east, while the staggered lower edge represents the city skyline and the municipality’s built environment.
To find out more about the commissioning of this artwork, view the video produced by Message Stick.
Scar Tree Shields
Scar trees have had their bark removed by First Nations people.
The removal of bark does not kill the tree but leaves a clearly visible and generally symmetrical scar. The symmetry of the scar is one way of telling whether the scar was caused by human action rather than of natural causes. Scars can range in length from thirty centimetres to five metres. The size of the scar provides a clue as to whether the bark was used for a container, shield, a canoe or a slab for making a shelter.
There are a number of scar trees in the area of the Bolin Bolin Swamp along the Birrarung.
This work was commissioned to celebrate the Centenary of Federation and the building of the City’s Function Centre. It was supported by the Federal Government through the Federation Community Projects Fund.
In 1998 Wathaurong Glass was formed to express Aboriginal art in glass. The techniques used to produce their products include the use of kiln forming (slumping glass), sandblasting or any other technique they feel is suitable to achieve the desired result.
The name “WATHAURONG” (wathawurrung or wadda wurrung) is a recognised tribe, it consisted of 25 groups (clans). The boundaries of Wathaurong are from Geelong, north to Werribee River, northwest to Bacchus Marsh, south west to Cressy, south east to Colac, east to Lorne and north back to Geelong, encompassing the Bellarine Peninsula.
Progeny is a collection of dynamic works, spanning video, sculpture, painting, and digital media by Edwina Green. The works collectively highlight Green’s creative practice and research interests across recent years (2019-2023).
Progeny in its direct meaning is to be ‘the descendants of a person, animal or plant; offspring’ and pulls from the artists continued connectivity between ancestral lines, intergenerational discourse, and concurrence of being both ancestor and descendant.
Informed by her identity as a Trawlwoolway First Nations woman, motifs of weaving, hand harvested and sewn bags, kelp, spoken word, organic movements on canvas, images of home, and oysters communicate a delicate ancestral tribute, and the current dance in which Green is choreographing with her multidisciplinary, experimental practice.
Progeny interrogates introspection, historical association, vulnerability, and an ability to invest in the artist's practice with a sense of intentional curiosity and closeness.
Edwina Green, Oyster. Image by Jordan Halsall.
As part of Craft Contemporary 2023 we are presenting:
Are you Procrastinating? by Carol Yang.
Using waste produced by the fashion industry, Carol creates wearable and functional sculptures that highlights the procrastinator as the protagonist.
Carol’s work demonstrates the feelings and activities of procrastination visually in a humorous way, while exploring the emotional state of procrastination.
@carol_yang_
Check out our other exhibit Soil Clay, by Vivian Qiu or explore the full Craft Contemporary program guide.
This exhibition is part of Craft Contemporary 2023, an annual festival delivered by Craft Victoria – the largest celebration of craft and design in Victoria. The festival brings together practitioners, educators, industry, and craft lovers to explore material practice as it is today. See, touch, experience and be inspired by 150+ art experiences, including exhibitions, talks, demonstrations, workshops and open studios.
Pages of Me is a new multimedia project by Beci Orpin, exploring the journey of finding happiness through individuality and embracing one's unique self.
Drawing from her textile-focused background, Orpin delves into mascot culture, crafting a larger-than-life mascot set within a large textile structure. The textiles will feature oversized pages from her sketchbook, blending bold patterns, random imagery, and messages of realistic optimism.
In addition to celebrating positive individualism, the work touches on themes of future nostalgia, luck (both good and bad), and femininity. Together, these elements create a visual representation of Orpin's metaphysical self—both weird and wonderful.
The exhibition will also invite viewers to get involved, encouraging them to create their own mascots based on the qualities they appreciate about themselves, fostering pride in their identity.
Image courtesy of the artist.
UPDATE: Due to the circuit breaker lockdown restrictions, this event has been cancelled. If you have already booked into this session, we will contact you with information on how to reschedule.
As part of Manningham Council's Community Training Program we invite members of community organisations to find out more about Council's Community Grants Program.
This session will provide information on the Community Partnership Grant funding that is available to not-for profit organisations operating in Manningham to achieve longer term community and cultural development outcomes. Funding is for up to $50,000 per year to a total of $200,000 over 4 years.
Interested representatives from established and experienced community organisations including community and children’s services, sports clubs, recreation, leisure, arts and cultural groups are encouraged to attend this information session. There will also be an opportunity to receive early advice regarding your proposed activity from Council officers.
The session will cover:
Bookings: Bookings are essential and limited to 2 people per organisation. All bookings must be made through Eventbrite.
More information: Please contact the Grants Team on 9840 9333 or email grants@manningham.vic.gov.au. You can also download the
We will be running multiple information sessions. If you would like to attend but can't make this session, please view the full list of available dates on our Community Training Program page.
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.
