Art Matters #36 - Back in the studio for 2026!
Intro Track: Paprika Pony, Kim Gordon, No Home Record, 2019

Art Matters is a space for highlighting artists in our local region, out here in the hills and out to the whole Yarra ranges area and we will also look a little further abroad to keep you all inspired and up to date with what is going on in and around Melbourne and Victoria.

We take a closer look at all kinds of art forms and mediums and have really great conversations with artists about their practices, their exhibitions, their spaces, communities and overall experiences as art makers. Sometimes these conversations go places we weren’t expecting!

This year we will aim to catch up a bit more on the latest art news or issues happening now in the art world and we would invite you to tune in and send us a text while on air
We also want to our ear to the ground locally, engaging local community, council and institutions.
And of course, we will keep you in the know about upcoming grants and awards that are available to apply for.

Lots of great things to tune in for each week! 

Opportunities to apply for: (grants/awards/prizes)

Creative Australia Arts Projects for Individuals and Groups
arts-projects-individuals-and-groups

• Value:$10,000 to $50,000
• Important dates:Closes 3pm AEDT 3 March 2026

Eligibility: Only individuals and groups may apply; applicants must be an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident, and a practicing artist or arts professional

Creative Australia Arts Projects for Organisations
arts-projects-organisations

• Value: $20,000 and $100,000
• Important dates:Closes 3pm AEDT 3 March 2026
• Eligibility:Only organisations may apply, for projects that benefit practicing Australian artists, their work or Australian audiences

MAMA (Murray Art Museum Albury) - National Photography Prize, Australia’s longest running acquisitive photographic award, now offering a $40,000 acquisitive prize to the winner, named in honour of Dr Audray Banfield AM.
Every two years, the prize brings together artists from across Australia who are developing and challenging photographic language and techniques in contemporary art.
It’s free to enter, and all artists working with photography, including emerging artists, are encouraged to apply.

Applications are now open until 20 February 2026
national-photography-prize

The Bayside Painting Prize is nationally recognised as Melbourne’s premier painting prize. The finalist exhibition brings together a broad range of artists from across Australia, both established and lesser known, whose varied approaches to the painted medium conveys the breadth and diversity of painting in Australia today.

The Bayside Painting Prize features a non-acquisitive Major Prize of $25,000, a $10,000 Beckett Local Prize (acquisitive), and a $1,000 People’s Choice Award.

Important dates

• Call for entries open: Saturday 1 November 2025
• Applications close: 5pm,Friday 20 February 2026
• Selection notification:By Friday 20 March 2026
• Artwork delivery to Bayside Gallery: Wednesday 22 April – Friday 24 April 2026
• Opening event at Bayside Gallery:Thursday 30 April 2026
• Finalist exhibition at Bayside Gallery: Friday 1 May – Sunday 14 June 2026
• Artwork collection from Bayside Gallery: Monday 15 – Tuesday 16 June 2026

For further information, including terms & conditions, please visit Bayside Painting Prize.

Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize
Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2026, the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize is the highest-value art prize for women in Australia with $58,000 in prize money available across Professional Artist, Emerging Artist and Indigenous Emerging Artist categories – plus a People’s Choice Award and Highly Commended Awards.

Entries to the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize may be in any medium and must best reflect the intentions of the artist’s practice. Entries are open to all Australian women artists aged 18 years and over. To enter and for more information, visit the website.

Exhibitions/Workshops:

Contempora 2 Exhibition - 17 January - 1 February 
Berninneit Art Gallery
91-97 Thompson Ave, Cowes VIC 3922
Open Mon-Fri 9.30-5pm Sat & Sun 10-4pm 
Website

The Forge Institute Workshop:
Stage & Drag Makeup Crashcourse
Big. Bold. Dramatic. Unapologetically loud. This Stage & Drag Makeup Crash-course is your invitation to step into the world of exaggerated expression and learn how to paint a face that can hold its own under lights, on stage, or in full drag fantasy. Led by the electrifying Pompeyfress, this one-day intensive is all about pushing boundaries, celebrating identity, and learning the technical skills behind larger-than-life makeup. You’ll cover structural contouring, highlight placement for stage visibility, bold colour choices, eyebrow blocking, lash stacking, glitter handling, and how to make a face read from metres away. Pompeyfress will walk you through product selection, layering techniques, and the secrets behind crafting characters with makeup alone. Expect a mix of demo, guided practice, and hands-on experimentation. Come as you are — curious, chaotic, or keen to glow like a disco sun — and leave with a finished stage-ready look and a whole new set of skills. Perfect for performers, drag babies, theatre kids, cosplayers, and anyone who lives for dramatic transformation.
Running from Upwey/Upper Ferntree Gully. Materials: Bring what you have; optional shared kit available
Sunday, January 25, 2026
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM 
THE FORGE INSTITUTE

Todays Tracks:
Batakari, Ata Kak
Creep Heart, Ouch My Face
My Risks is Art, The Native Cats

A MASSIVE THANK YOU to all the Art Matters Subscribers:

Little Acres - Ange
Kelly K Sullivan – Collage Artist
Sing Song Ceramics - Selby
Elizabeth Gleeson – Muralist and fine artist
Shirley Dougan – Artist
Natasja - Textile artist
Rajko Grbac (sculptor)
The Forge Institute – Community Group
The Hut Gallery FERNTREE GULLY
Cheech the rescue staffy via Tass & Pottsy from Belgrave 

Please get in touch with us to let us know about your upcoming exhibitions and events.
artmatters97.1fm@gmail.com   or   @artmatters_97.1fm