The Victorian Government is breathing new life into underutilised buildings across the state, providing local art and creative communities with reimagined spaces to perform, produce, create and deliver works.
Supporting artists and the communities around them, underutilised buildings from Myrtleford to Mildura will be transformed for use by local creatives, businesses and communities through grants of up to $150,000 from the million-dollar Creative Neighbourhood Infrastructure Support Program.
“We’re transforming underutilised buildings across the state into vibrant creative hubs, supporting local creatives with fit for purpose workspaces while reinvigorating local communities across the state,” said Minister for Creative Industries, Steve Dimopoulos.
“Home to more than 300,000 creative workers, Victoria’s creative industries are the envy of the nation and this program is just one of the ways we’re encouraging the growth of the industry to deliver more jobs.”
One of eight spaces across the state that to be transformed as part of the program, Myrtleford’s iconic memorial hall in Northern Victoria will receive a $150,000 grant to breathe new life into the space which has sat dormant for over 10 years.
The funding will enable Alpine Shire to bring the hall up to current building and accessibility standards, refurbish the auditorium and upgrade the digital infrastructure – transforming the much-loved building into a creative hub for the local arts community.
“Creating a hub for our regions talented creatives in the Myrtleford Memorial Hall will be a welcome addition to the town, not just for our local artists but a space for the whole community to enjoy,” said Member for Northern Victoria, Jaclyn Symes.
The Creative Neighbourhood Infrastructure Support Program provides artists and creatives with facilities where they can create or present their work, providing new opportunities for them to earn an income – while enlivening spaces and returning them to the community.
Other funding recipients span regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne – from the activation of a former energy plant building in Dandenong, to the rejuvenation of the Jubilee Hall in Horsham, to converting a shipping container into a mobile exhibition and performance space for the Strathbogie region.
The Creative Neighbourhood Infrastructure Support Program is an action of the Government’s $288 million Creative State 2025 strategy – delivering fit-for-purpose, accessible and secure creative workspaces, while creating vibrant creative hubs across Victoria. For more information and a list of recipients, visit: www.creative.vic.gov.au for details.
Image: Myrtleford Memorial Hall – courtesy of the Victorian Heritage Database