List of Exhibitions in Hobsons Bay
Art and classes venues include the Louis Joel Arts and Community Centre, the Altona Theatre, the Finnish Society of Melbourne Hall, the Altona Beach Pavilion and the Fourth Altona Scout Hall.
There are many public art exhibits and sculptures through Altona. These include the Pier Street Murals, Seaborn in front of Altona Pier, Requiem for a Champion at Altona Coastal Park, Time Beacon at Truganina Park, etc.
At the Altona Treatment Plant, there is a living art sculpture named “A Forest for Australia“ by Agnes Denes, an internationally-renowned Conceptual Artist and a pioneer of Environmental Art., whose art works are often monumental in scale. In 1998, she planted 6000 endangered trees of varying heights (Red Gum, She Oak and Paperbark) into 5 intersecting spirals at the Altona Treatment Plant. The tallest trees were planted in the centre of each spiral, followed by the medium-height trees and the shortest trees towards the outer edges, thus forming each spiral into a step pyramid. Her spiral design considers the height and forms of each tree type when fully grown and overcomes the problem of land erosion and desertification at the site.
Art in Public Places is coordinated by Hobsons Bay City Council and is held in conjunction with the Bayside and Williamstown Festivals to exhibit the artwork of western region artists in businesses and various venues across Hobsons Bay. The project aims to strengthen the community through building stronger partnerships between artists and businesses in the local community. A diverse range of locations become gallery spaces as part of Art In Public Places, including cafés, restaurants, salons, bars and professional rooms.
Vibrant Villages aims to enhance the physical, economic and social activities in neighborhood centres by upgrading facilities and creating a site specific artwork. An artist is engaged by the Hobsons Bay City Council to produce an artwork designed, developed and constructed with community participation. The Vibrant Villages artwork becomes part of the Hobsons Bay cultural collection, and can help to create a profile for the area. It becomes an expression of identity for the local communities. The “Colourful Pasts – Vibrant Futures” Vibrant Villages Artwork was created in Harrington Square, Altona in 2006.
Mount St Joseph Girls’ College in the western part of Altona has a Performing Arts Centre and offers subjects such as Drama, Media, Music, Textiles & Design Multimedia and Visual Communications. There are a number of shops in Harrington Square that sell merchandise catering to the performance arts such as performance clothes and accessories.
The Summer Sounds concerts are organized by Hobsons Bay City Council in Altona’s Logan Reserve and Williamstown’s Commonwealth Reserve every summer.
Altona Men’s Shed (AMS) is a community group that provides a place for men from all ethnic and social backgrounds to gather and participate in a wide range of activities, including making friends, learning/sharing their skills, contributing to communities, etc. The AMS activities include computer recycling, production of the ‘Around Altona’ community newsletter and the Altona Men’s Shed Novelty Band, which plays without charge at nursing homes and community functions throught Hobsons Bay.
