Who We Are

Arts House is Melbourne’s home for contemporary performance.

With a year-round program of dance, theatre, music, sound, new technologies and community projects, Arts House is one of the major forces shaping Melbourne’s cultural and social landscape. We cultivate diverse new audiences for independent artists’ ambitious new work, and we build relationships at both local and international levels.

This is a house where change happens. From the crisis of extinction to the rapid transformations of technology, we know that the futures of humanity and art are entwined. We want to be hopeful.

As part of Melbourne’s cultural landscape, Arts House expresses the deep forces that shape that terrain. Our programming pays respect to Traditional Owners and the land on which our work takes place, and reflects Australia’s ongoing history of migration and displacement.

Arts House also seeks to ask questions about power: who has the power to speak, and what is the power of listening? We explore new ways of distributing curatorial power, and commit to an artistic vision that is transparent and connected.

Arts House is a key project for the City of Melbourne, complementing programming at sister venues Artplay and SIGNAL, at the city’s First Nations festival YIRRAMBOI and in our libraries and hubs.

What We Do

What goes on in here falls into three areas: Research, Create and Present.

RESEARCH is our laboratory stream: artists conduct experiments and explore new ideas. The outcomes are open, and what matters is that artists have the freedom and confidence to go wherever their investigations lead them. They’re often surprising to everyone involved. Have a look at our Makeshift program to find out more.

CREATE is where ideas are transformed into practice. We run two streams, calling for new projects once a year. CultureLAB helps independent artists and companies fashion the strongest work they can with the best support available. These programs are the primary way that Arts House programs new work in our seasons, major projects and festivals.

PRESENT is how we share new contemporary art with the community. Our reach is broad, and we have a particular commitment to making sure that the people who walk through our doors are as diverse as the city itself. At the core of our work is partnership: we collaborate with individuals, festivals, co-commissioners and other groups both in and outside the arts world. Take a look at what’s coming up, and our major projects.

Sustainability

“Set out from the very beginning of a project to articulate some environmental guiding principles with your team, so everyone understands that these considerations are tantamount to the art, or indeed, that an environmental thinking can co-exist with art-making.’
– Nicola Gunn, SANS HOTEL

At Arts House we are guided by a deep commitment to sustainability. We consider environmental impact in the creation, administration and delivery of every work you see within these walls and beyond. Over the course of many years we have adopted greener alternatives across the venue and promote sustainable thinking and action in all of our activities and business practices.

Meeting Our Vision

For Artists
A milestone in Arts House’s shift toward sustainability was 2014’s Greenie-In-Residence Program, which saw Matt Wicking from Tipping Point spend time with us to facilitate a year-long program of workshops, consultation and networking events based on greening the arts. Since then we have there have been ongoing initiatives to maintain a focus on our role within a dynamic ecosystem, be it the compost kept very healthy by staff and Arts House artists, an edible garden on the Arts House terrace, or the care we take in our policies towards waste and recycling.

For Patrons
Some of the key sustainability initiatives visible to Arts House patrons include:

• A paperless ticketing system
• Paper-free show programs, which can all be viewed online

Our latest Environmental Action Plan and the Global Goals

Arts House has committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which provide a roadmap to address the world’s most pressing challenges by 2030, including climate change, inequality and education. This commitment is reflected in our Sustainability Action Plan, which supports global efforts to safeguard our natural environment.

For more information on Arts House’s approach to sustainability, read our plan or get in touch. We’d love to chat.

More information

City of Melbourne Green Our City Strategic Action Plan 2017–2021
City of Melbourne Climate Change Mitigation Strategy to 2050
City Of Melbourne Emissions Reduction Plan
EcoArts Australia 

Our Venue

Arts House is located in North Melbourne, on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Eastern Kulin nation. North Melbourne Town Hall was built in 1876, and repurposed for its current use as a contemporary arts space after a long campaign from key leaders in the North Melbourne community. 

Our Partners

Arts House is a key program for the City of Melbourne. Our program is made possible by the following government, academic, philanthropic and arts partners. 

The Arts House program is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its principal arts funding advisory body.