Contemporary art & theatre in a wonderful setting…read more Went west to catch a highly rated play "Cain & Abel" which whilst disturbing was a revelation. But this isn't a review of the play, the theatre space was fantastic (an aisle on the right of the stage would be handy as you have to hop over other patrons legs), seating a lot but every seat with a view. Stage massive and could suit large productions. Gallery space downstairs fantastic with a number of rooms able to show works by different artists. Again a great use of an old building's space. Bar a little ordinary with one red & 2 whites to choose from & your standard fare, wine only average at $8 a glass. Wonderful space I'll be visiting again.

The substation is an iconic building of Melbourne's west. If you've ever tracked by rail through…read moreNewport, you've seen it. When I was growing up, it was derelict and home to many homeless and winos. And of course the fascination to kids all around. All the "cool kids" would break in to throw rocks at the window, or so my cool older sister would tell me. I was too busy at trombone practice. Newly renovated to resemble a New York loft, the substation is opened for business. Ideal for many functions, current uses are performances, art shows and markets. I do believe they can host wedding, though I'm not sure they have kitchen facilities. All in all, it's a modern building with multiple uses. The only (major) downfall is there is no aircon. Meaning during summer it can and does get extremely hot. And for that reason, it's 3, not 4 stars.

I went down to the Incinerator Gallery today for the first time and I really liked the place…read more It is a friendly place and the friendly, smiling curator was very down to earth. It does not come accross as a snobby pretentious place like many galleries - instead it is welcoming, inclusive and relaxed. They offer art classes and a number of rooms with different exhibitions. At the moment there is an exhibition of art created by VCE students in a number of local high schools and next week an exhibition with an African theme will begin. Out the front is an interactive piece - a large house made of the wire from bed mattresses - I really liked that for some reason. In any case, this is a gallery seriously worth checking out - particularly for people who are new to art and may feel a little bit intimidated by the people in most galleries.

From the owner: The creation of a state of the art facility for the community, the performing arts, social and…read morecorporate activities.

I like to visit this artist run space in Brunswick they have a variety of exhibitions from emerging…read moreartists. It is the closest art gallery to my house and a few years ago I had an exhibition there. It is a converted factory with a large ground floor space and a mezzanine balcony space. This balcony space gets very hot in the summer. There are a couple of flexible wall systems that allow for a slightly different layout of the gallery. The gallery is run by a committee of artists; some of who live in the house at the back the gallery (or the front, it depends on how you look at it) along with Winchester, the gallery's cat. Every three weeks there is a different exhibition, with an opening party. The gallery has a license to sell beer and wine at the exhibition openings and the other events that they hold: performances and film nights. Brunswick Arts has been going for several years but I wonder for how much longer as all the area all around it is being redeveloped. Little Breeze Street looks like it the parking lot of Alaysa Turkish Restaurant's delivery trucks but further down the narrow lane way there is a gallery. Little Breeze Street is not well lit at night and because of the bluestone-lined roadway it could be dangerous tripping over the uneven surface in the dark.

On Thursday I went to the opening event of the most recent exhibition at Counihan Gallery. The…read moregallery is located in a building next the Brunswick Town Hall and is run by the Moreland City Council. It was named after a notable, local artist, Noel Counihan and the gallery has a large number of his prints and paintings in its collection - although these are rarely on exhibition. It is a purpose built art gallery with movable walls that can divide the large gallery space into a few different configurations. Their exhibitions of contemporary art are generally of a high quality and professionally curated. The exhibitions often have a socially progressive theme to them; this time the art had a focus on sustainability issues. The gallery has a permanent staff and there is plenty of information about the arts in Moreland available at the gallery desk. There is a new exhibition every month with free wine and some nibbles, so it is an event worth attending even if there are a few boring speeches, this time from the Mayor of Moreland. I look at it as an opportunity to get some value from my rates, meet other locals interested in the arts even if I don't especially like the art on exhibition. Often there are other events associated with the exhibition: artist talks or workshops.

Next door to the Brunswick Town Hall building, this medium-sized art gallery showcases established…read moreand emerging artists with new exhibitions each month. I'm fond of the Counihan Gallery for giving me my first opportunity to see a Ron Mueck larger-than-life sculpture in all its looks-so-real-it-is-spooky glory. That's right - even before the NGV brought a whole gang of Mueck's eerily human sculptures to the masses, the Counihan brought it to Brunswick. The standard of the other works in the same exhibition was evidence of a talented and professional curator with his or her finger on the contemporary art pulse. Lucky are we in Brunswick to have such a high calibre of art dropped in our laps like this. I'm looking forward to their annual Womens Salon exhibition showcasing the creations of women artists, designers and craftworkers from the Moreland area, which opens on 17th November.

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