Artbank will launch its new Collingwood premises by opening its doors to all on Saturday 24 March, offering the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes and view one of the largest collections of contemporary Australian art in the world.

The Artbank Open House is designed to promote the accessibility of the Artbank collection and to provide the opportunity to see some great examples of contemporary Australian art.

"We are very excited to be launching our new facility in Melbourne" said Artbank Director Tony Stephens. "It gives us the opportunity to grow our engagement with Victoria and the southern states of Australia. The Artbank Open House is a great way to kick things off. We're all about accessibility and engagement and this event truly reflects the shared ownership of the Artbank collection" Tony Stephens said. 

“We also want to reinforce the notion that this is a democratically available collection, so everything we do, from how we design our spaces to how we engage with our audiences, reflects this. Accessibility is a key consideration for all of Artbank’s activities and physical sites,” Mr Stephens said.

The new facilities, designed by award-winning Collingwood architecture studio Edition office,use the steel-framed racking system, which holds a portion of Artbank's vast collection of Australian art as a central design-element. Usually, confined to the backroom, these large-scale art-storage units will become significant architectural objects in themselves. Visitors can move around and within the storage areas, catching glimpses of thousands of the artworks held within.

The Artbank Open House event is on Saturday 24 March from 11am - 4pm at 18-24 Down Street, Collingwood and offers a mix of art, music, artist, architectural and curatorial talks, and free street food (until it lasts)!

About Artbank:

Established in 1980, Artbank is an Australian Government arts support program, and a key component of the government's support for visual artists. The program aims to increase the sustainability and accessibility of Australian contemporary art: to support Australian contemporary artists; and to encourage engagement with and appreciation of Australian contemporary art by the broader community.

More information: 

Artbank