​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.

As part of Craft Contemporary 2023 we are presenting: 

Soil Clay, by Vivian Qiu 

The Soil Clay Project is an ongoing exploration of the artist’s jewellery designs through her experience living and studying in China, Australia and Sweden.

Vivian uses her observational insights and collection of natural materials and common objects to mould into wearable artworks. She incorporates soil, fallen leaves and flowers, grass and rice to act as a binding agent for her work.

She establishes a connection between the wearer to place, time, and culture through materials and the ancient symbolism of oracle bone script.

Artworks from Vivian’s residency in Sweden will be on display.

@vivian_qiu_studio

Check out our other exhibit Are you Procrastinating? by Carol Yang 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.}

Catherine Opie has an international reputation as one of the leading photographers of her generation. The exhibition at Heide combines key works from across her oeuvre with a focus on notions of affiliation.

It traverses Opie’s early, most recognisable works exploring constructions of gender and sexuality, through alternative conceptions of the nuclear household—chosen family portraits that transcend traditional familial ties—to more recent musings on solidarity and collective action in the face of proliferating global crises.

In 1994, Heide exhibited eighteen of Opie’s portraits in the exhibition Persona Cognita, curated by Juliana Engberg. That exhibition represented Opie’s first showing in Australia, and now almost three decades later Heide will host the first survey of the artist’s work in this part of the world. 

Catherine Opie - Oliver in a Tutu. Image courtesy of the artist.

Phoenix Theatre Company Inc is excited to announce their production of "I Wish".

This one-of-a-kind show invites passionate and talented individuals to step into the spotlight, performing the iconic roles they’ve always aspired to play - even those they’ve never imagined auditioning for. 

From classic showstoppers to contemporary hits, “I Wish” celebrates the joy of musical theatre, showcasing a diverse array of performances that reflect the dreams and aspirations of its cast. 

Join us for an unforgettable weekend where dreams take centre stage and come to life in the most dazzling way possible!

Director/Choreographer: Renee Maloney and Ally Denovan

Music Directors: Simon D'Aquino and Ben Noble-Saroto

Presented by Phoenix Theatre Company.

Meeting Date: 28 June 2022
Meeting Time: 7.00pm 
Location: Council Chamber, Civic Centre 699 Doncaster Road, Doncaster.          

Council meeting livestream

Agenda item timestamps

Meeting Date: 13 October 2020
Meeting Time: 7.00pm 
Location: Virtual Council Meeting via Facebook Live            

Council acknowledges that in the lead up to its general elections, it will not make any decision that would, or could be perceived to, inappropriately bind an incoming Council or affect the outcome of the elections.

As per our Election Period Policy, Council will hold an Ordinary meeting in October to consider routine administrative matters and the Annual Report. There will be limitations on the conduct of the meeting such as no public question time, tabling of petitions and Councillor question time.

Council meeting livestream

Getting There

By car

Parking available at Manningham Civic Centre

By bus

Manningham Civic Centre bus stop:

Bus route 907 City to Mitcham via Doncaster Rd
Bus route 902 Chelsea to Airport West
Bus route 295 Doncaster SC to The Pines SC via Templestowe

Meeting Date: 23 November 2021
Meeting Time: 7.00pm 
Location: Virtual meeting. You can watch the livestream on this page or on our Facebook page.          

Other temporary changes to our Council meetings:

Public Question Time – At this time, anyone wanting to ask a question of Council should submit their question via email by 5.00pm on the Monday before the meeting. As you cannot be present in the chamber, your question will be read out at the meeting by the CEO. For more information visit the Council Meeting Procedures page.

Meeting Date: 26 July 2022
Meeting Time: 7.00pm 
Location: Council Chamber, Civic Centre 699 Doncaster Road, Doncaster.          

Council meeting livestream

Agenda item timestamps

Meeting Date: 27 September 2022
Meeting Time: 7.00pm 
Location: Council Chamber, Civic Centre 699 Doncaster Road, Doncaster.          

Council meeting livestream

Agenda item timestamps

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. 

Come along to see 55 youth from two Veneto choirs coming together as one.

Direct from Italy to Australia, the choir will perform popular Italian and English songs with new age and religious lyrics.

Entry includes a glass of soft drink or prosecco.

Doncaster resident Al Turley will be offering a staged reading of his new musical.  

With music by Jason Whatt and direction by Beth Mondragon Williams, this is a story of love and mayhem when two bachelor residents of Sunnyside Retirement Village are captivated by a new female occupant.

Let's face it. Parenting is challenging. Would you benefit from some time out to focus on yourself? Facilitated by skilled therapists and counsellors and based on evidence based positive psychology, topics explored during the four sessions will include:

• the importance and different methods of self-care
• learn to recognise the signs of having a low tank and the effect on your parenting
• explore the values and aspects of thriving
• identify hopes and dreams as parents
• build your resources to thrive

Booking: For more information and booking visit Doncare's website or contact Andrea De Rauch at Doncare on 9856 1500 or email doncare@doncare.org.au

Getting There

Located on Doncaster Road between Westfield and the Manningham Council Civic Centre, MC2 is conveniently accessible by public transport. There is ample parking spaces on site including free 4-hour parking underneath the building. You can access level 1 via the lift or via stairs in the front foyer.

​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.

PEP's One Act Wonders is a series of eight short plays. 

Each play was carefully selected by our panel and includes only Victorian playwrights. This is a celebration of the local talent that we have in this amazing state.

Each performance includes the following eight plays:

Directed by Jennifer Pacey

• The Learning Curve by Jennifer Pacey

• Women of the World by Emma Wood

Directed by Sarah Tierney

• Tacenda by Cat Tregillis

• Let's Get Personal by Louise Hopewell

Directed by Justin Cleaver

• Two Minutes and Counting by Jennifer Pacey

• The Black Spot by Louise Hopewell

Directed by LB Bradley

• Me Time by Jennifer Pacey

Directed by Julia Lambert

• Un-TIT-Led by Julia Lambert

Directed by Jennifer Pacey, Julia Lambert, Justin Cleaver, LB Bradley and Sarah Tierney.

If you don’t know who you are and you don’t know where you’re headed, you might find yourself spiraling in ever-tightening circles until you come to rest in a nondescript part of town in a crummy two-star hotel, where the service is churlish, the lift doesn’t work, the toast is burnt and the pot plants set off your allergies.

But keep your expectations low, really low, and, who knows? – you might be pleasantly surprised by how everything works out. 

Life without Me, by the much-awarded playwright, Daniel Keene, is a funny, honest and heart-warming story that invites us to question life, or at least our own. A mix of drifters, set in a hotel lobby, capturing the emotional truth of the almost absurd characters in search of the concept of happiness.

Presented by PEP Productions.

Discover the joy of watercolour painting, lead by Janece Calloway.

Unlock your creativity with our beginner-friendly watercolour art class.

Whether you're picking up a brush for the first time or looking to refresh your skills, this relaxed and supportive class will guide you through the basics of watercolour painting such as brush techniques, colour mixing, creating beautiful, flowing artworks.

Take a break and find your flow, slow down and explore simple techniques that let you connect with colour, movement, and creativity.

• No pressure, no rules — just a calming space to relax, paint, and enjoy the moment.
• Perfect for beginners or anyone looking to unwind.
• No experience needed, just bring your enthusiasm!

You will receive your own 18-pallet Watercolour Starter Kit along with brushes and a watercolour paper pad.

(Note: the cost is inclusive of all six sessions)