Hub established for art club duo

THE coordinators behind an art class program established last year now have a permanent space to develop their initiative.

Creative duo Leah Haynes and Erin Robinson opened the doors of their new Bridge Mall venue on Saturday, with the site to be used to expand their Art Club Hub offerings.

Previously operating out of Eastwood Leisure Complex, Haynes said having a permanent home is a gamechanger for the program.

“We were previously limited to how many classes we could have and now we can open this up to more classes and people,” she said.

“Because we were on that one-hour timeframe we would have to constantly have to pack down straight away. Now, we’ve got a workshop that can run over two weeks which is great.

“We have plans for workshops, drop-in sessions, and exhibitions, and having our own space means we can forge ahead with those ideas.”

Located at 80 Bridge Mall, the site was attained as part of the Ballarat Evolve program, which pairs creatives with vacant venues in the region.

With a retail point at the entrance for materials and art supplies, the venue also houses workshop spaces, drying racks, and an upstairs exhibition room.

“We’ve got the space to exhibit local artists’ work on a rotating basis,” Haynes said.

“At the end of the term, we’ll have an exhibition for our students as well so they have a final piece to work on. It’s something new for them to work to.”

Opened with a launch event over the weekend, Robinson said the new space is already giving Art Club Hub a greater visibility.

“It’s ben great to have the chance to have this space and to bring something to the community and to share our love of art,” she said.

“We’ve been so supported by the community. We had old students coming in for the launch and new people who just wanted to say hi and check out the space.

“There’ve been curious people who’ve wandered in and signed up on the spot for lessons.”

The venue is currently being used for classes only, and is set to be open to the public next month.