Meet our mentees! This is @theartoftamar and her mentor Andrea. Tamar was an artist in residence at @yarrasculpturegallery last year.
Arts Access Victoria can find an arts mentor for you, too! Find out more about our Mentoring Program on the AAV website.
Video description: Two people in an arts studio sharing their work.
#ArtsAndDisability #DisabilityArts #Mentoring #ArtisticDevelopment #NDIS #YarraSculptureGallery
Music credit below.
Music: Feelings by Qlowdy /qlowdymusic
License: Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: .co/qlowdy/feelings
Music promoted by Audio Library: https://youtu.be/pHbuEZ_bsLg
Don't miss Icing on the Cake at @southsidefestivalfrankston ! 🎂
When: Saturday 16 May
Schedule:
Performance (Audio Described): 1 – 2 pm
Tactile Tour with Audio Description: 2 – 3 pm
Open Studio: 3 – 4 pm
Where: Frankston Arts Centre Peninsula Room, Davey St, Frankston.
More info on the Arts Access Victoria website.
Image description: Photos from Get Out! Studio's Icing on the Cake. Crafty cake sculptures with art supplies on a table. Paintings and artworks on a wall. People in colourful costumes made from fabric. The colours are bright, sparkly and festive.
Join us at the Opening Party for the Urban Campfire Autumn Exhibition. At the Neighbourhood Justice Centre as part of Victorian Law Week.
Lisa Pownall, Zoo and Frank Iaquinto (AAV Mentoring Program) will be showing their works with other artists.
Performance by local musicians.
Where: Neighbourhood Justice Centre, 241 Wellington St, Collingwood
When: Thursday 21 May
When: 1 - 3 pm
Light refreshments will be provided.
Presented by the Neighbourhood Justice Centre and Belgium Avenue Neighbourhood House.
Image: Ngarrindjeri Sheild, Kurly, 2025 (detail)
Embrace is a new exhibition featuring works from six artists from Arts Access Victoria’s Arts Mentorship Program. With @daxcentre 💖
Allison Miles
Diane Moore
Donata Uncanin
Jas Streten
Zoo/LHF
Patrick Tonks
Using painting, drawing, installation, and mixed media. Stop, talk, and find yourself in each other’s stories.
This exhibition is a collaboration between Arts Access Victoria and The Dax Centre.
Exhibition dates: Friday 5 June – Friday 4 September
Opening Event: Thursday 11 June 6 – 8 pm
Where: Dax Centre, 30 Royal Parade, Kenneth Myer Building, Parkville
Access: Wheelchair Access, Accessible Toilet, Auslan, Audio Description, Relaxed Event, Quiet Space.
Free exhibition, no booking required.
More info on the AAV website!
Image: Jas Streten, "Travel", acrylic on canvas, 2025.
We are excited to be partnering with @stkildafilmfest this year! Join us for a Disability-led inclusive storytelling event where you will get to enjoy the presentation of Lesley Hall Arts and Disability Scholarship 2026. Followed by a screening of short films by Deaf and disabled filmmakers. Also, a Q&A panel session.
Tickets are free – just make sure to register to reserve your spot online via TryBooking. Find out more info on the St Kilda Film Festival website.
Screening Program:
Dark Matter: 2024 (10 minutes 10 seconds)
Director Leo Berkeley / Writer: Leo Berkeley
Producer Leo Berkeley
So Beautiful: 2025 (9 minutes 2 seconds)
Director @bolshiebird / Writer: Sofya Gollan
Producer Rebecca Janek
The Bear Hunt: 2025 (12 minutes 30 seconds)
Director @lilsdrummond / Writer: Lily Drummond, Natalie Orrico
Producer Sarah Moulton
Where: St Kilda Town Hall, 99a Carlisle Street, St Kilda
When: Sunday 7 June, 1 – 2:30 pm (duration 90 min)
Tickets: Free
Access: Open captions, Auslan interpreted, wheelchair access, quiet space, accessible toilet. More access details to come.
ID: Lesley Hall Protesting at Beauty Quest 1981 #TOFF #TheOtherFilmFestival #SKFF #StKildaFilmFestival #FilmFestival #DisabilityFilm #DisabilityArts #DeafArts #CityOfPortPhillip
Applications are now open for the Lesley Hall Award.
The 2024 recipient Irene Holub said, "There are so many people dedicating themselves to arts and advocacy, often giving countless hours of unseen and unrecognised work because they believe in creating change.
I encourage others to apply for this award, because recognition matters. It reminds us that our work has value, that our contributions are seen, and that the passion we bring to our communities deserves to be celebrated."
Apply before Monday 25 May at 5 pm.
Information on the Arts Access Victoria website!
Image: Irene Holub headshot and "Deaf Am I" (2025).
We have a special program planned for Get Out! Icing on the Cake at @southsidefestivalfrankston .
Performance: Get Out! Artists will be walking the red carpet and performing in costume as the latest characters they’ve been developing in the studio. Expect lots of singing and dancing to classic hits, and elaborate sculptural costumes.
Open Studio: Artists in costume will be in the space to talk about their new characters, and their works being exhibited in Icing on the Cake, with interactive artmaking activities.
Schedule
Saturday 9 May
Performance: 2 – 3pm
Open Studio: 3:30 – 4:30 pm
Saturday 16 May
Performance (Audio Described): 1 – 2 pm
Tactile Tour with Audio Description: 2 – 3 pm
Open Studio: 3 – 4 pm
Join us at South Side Festival! Frankston Arts Centre Peninsula Room, Davey St, Frankston.
More info on the Arts Access Victoria website.
Image: Get Out! Performance at The Collective 50th Anniversary, 2024.
Join an Open Mic night like no other. Brought to you and hosted by AuDHD advocate Nat Bartsch. With thanks to the Bakehouse Artist Residency program.
This is a supportive environment for neurodivergent musicians. Celebrate the extraordinary music made by neurodivergent creatives.
With Bernadette Butterworth (Satellite Fingers), Hannah Comrie-Weston and Dark Lantern.
When: Saturday 9 May, 6 - 9 pm
Where: Scrap Museum, Bakehouse Studios, Richmond
Tickets online via TryBooking.
For more information about Bakehouse Studios, including accessibility, head to their website. A visual story will be sent to ticketholders and performers before the event.
Artists can register in advance so the hosts can learn how they can support you.
Image: created by Dark Lantern
Arts Access Victoria (AAV) response to Minister Mark Butler’s plan for NDIS reforms.
Minister for Disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Mark Butler recently announced some changes to the NDIS.
Arts Access Victoria firmly believes that all Deaf and Disabled people have the right to equitable access and full participation in society. These cuts risk undermining Australia’s commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Funding cuts to Social and Community Participation (SCP) is a significant concern for our community. The arts and cultural sector support a large proportion of Deaf and Disabled artists through SCP supports. Without this Australia’s arts and cultural industries will suffer. It will affect our nation’s rich and diverse cultural identity.
Read the full statement on the Arts Access Victoria website.
Image: Arts Access Victoria logo feature image.
Applications are now open for the Lesley Hall Arts and Disability Scholarship!
This program supports a Deaf or Disabled artist, arts workers and creatives living in Victoria who use their creative practice to advocate for Deaf and Disabled people.
Apply before Monday 25 May at 5 pm.
More information on the AAV website: .au/lesley-hall-2026
Image: Lesley Hall Protesting at Beauty Quest, 198.
Ready to play, explore, and get immersed in creativity? ✨
Arts Access Victoria: Icing on the Cake transforms the Peninsula Room into a vibrant sensory playground — filled with artwork, spontaneous performances, and interactive moments waiting to be discovered.
Created by Get Out! Studio, this inclusive space celebrates Deaf and Disabled artists, where art becomes a shared language and everyone is invited to experience, connect, and create at their own pace. 🌈
📅 8–16 May
📍 Frankston Arts Centre
All ages welcome (children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult).
Step inside, explore freely, and see what surprises you find. 👀✨
