For one day only, a makers market and arts festival is taking over the historic Barwon Park Mansion. Located in Winchelsea, 90 minutes away from Melbourne, you’ll find up to 120 Victorian artists, designers and makers, as well as exhibitions and installations. Stretching across the mansion, the stables, the wool sheds and the surrounding grounds, this event, known as the Manor Made Arts Festival, is presented by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) and The Rose Street Artists’ Market. It will take place on Saturday, August 1 from 10am to 4pm.
Manor Made Arts Festival
This event is part of the wider Surf Coast Arts Trail, a self-guided experience that invites you to explore and celebrate creativity around the Surf Coast.
Step inside the bluestone mansion, and see the centrepiece exhibition, Wayngurrla – To Make Good, by Aunty Marlene Gilson OAM and her family. A word meaning, “to make good” in Wadawurrung language, this exhibition features paintings that reframe Australia’s colonial history through a Wadawurrung lens. Located across multiple rooms, the exhibition celebrates the first custodians’ ancestors, and their relationship with the Austin family, who lived at the mansion. Since you’re inside, you’re also welcome to take a guided tour of the mansion.
For more art, head to the stables and see the finalists for the annual Quiet Riot Small Works Art Prize. Measuring at 30cm x 30cm, these small pieces pack a big punch! The winner for the prize will be announced on the day.
Wander over to the wool sheds for an immersive light installation by projection artist Matt Bonner. See The Shearing Shadows, a series of projections of sheep and shearer silhouettes across suspended fabric surfaces. As you walk through the space, you’ll hear an authentic wool production soundscape, complete with the ambiance of sheep and shearing blades.
Makers Market
Take a stroll around the grounds, then browse through the Makers Market. With up to 120 stallholders, you can look forward to awesome works from ceramicists, textile artists, jewellers, printmakers, woodworkers, photographers and homewares designers. Small-batch food and beverage producers from around the Surf Coast, Bellarine and Greater Geelong communities, as well as further out around regional Victoria, will also be showcasing their goods.
Key details:
📅Saturday, August 1
🕒10am to 4pm
🎫Free entry to the grounds, stables and market, although a gold coin donation is encouraged. If you’re taking a guided tour or seeing the exhibition, it’s $15 for adults, $10 concession and free for children aged 5 to 15.
📍105 Inverleigh Road, Winchelsea VIC 3241
Find out more details about the festival and mansion here, and check out their socials for updates.
