Make a Date for Melbourne Festival…
Art & Architecture Trail
Time flies and Melbourne Festival went by with a blur on 19 & 20 September 2026 and the countdown has started for next year!
This year we hosted 175 Regional Artists in 65 Host Venues and nearly 6,000 visitor came to Melbourne for the Art & Architecture Trail. Melbourne Festival is a fantastic event thanks to the support of our hosts, helpers, volunteers, and artists. The event puts art at the heart of South Derbyshire, if you missed the 2026 Festival make sure you follow us on social media to ensure that you don’t miss any of the exciting activities, events and celebrations for “Melbourne Festival Coming of Age” on 18th & 19th September 2027!
Come and see for yourself!
Thank you to all artists who supported Melbourne Festival Art & Architecture Trail in 2026. If you would like to find one of our Artists look no further than the “Meet our Artists” page!
TIMELESS
at Creative Melbourne Gallery
Creative Melbourne is the home of Melbourne Festival.
Drop into the new Exhibition at Creative Melbourne Gallery to enjoy …
The end of summer saw us celebrating the 21st anniversary of Melbourne Festival, a lively weekend of fun, music, and art. Now that we’ve dusted away the confetti and packed up the bunting, we think it’s time for a change as autumn falls into view. Our new exhibition TIMELESS opens on 30th September and invites you to embrace the changes that a new season brings, from the shift of colour in the landscape to the new visitors to your back garden.
Introducing our new exhibition, TIMELESS! Opening this Wednesday, 10am - 4pm, and running until 7 November.
TIMELESS explores texture, colour, light, and perspective. Kathryn Borg joins us with her rock pool inspired ceramics: tactile and intricately detailed, they transport you back to coastal walks and a chilled breeze. Landscape artist Robin Mason has a knack for capturing beautiful moments most of us would miss. We’re delighted to have his paintings on the gallery walls this autumn.
Following her debut at Melbourne Festival, we are welcoming textile artist Suzy Ager to the gallery. Her works may appear effortless, but every stitch is intentional and distinctive, making for pieces that create maximum impact. While Suzy’s work embraces the narratives of nature, embroidery artist Tracey Coverley packs a punch with her pop culture inspired portraits. Simultaneously modern and classic, Tracey’s pieces capture the figures that soundtrack our lives.
Printmaker Kate Brooks adds a pop of colour to the gallery with her screen prints inspired by the natural world around her in Derbyshire. Kate observes the ever-changing environment to design pieces that reflect the landscapes, trees, flowers, and hedgerows. She is joined by Steve Mcloughlin, a landscape artist who uses acrylic to interpret the scenery around him, prioritising light and colour in his mesmerising canvases. Peter Watson completes the line-up with pieces capturing Derbyshire in the autumn, from canal boats clattering on the river to country lanes muddied by rainfall.
Open Wednesday - Saturday, 10am to 4pm
We look forward to seeing you at
Creative Melbourne, Church Street DE73 8EJ soon!
Find out more on our website, www.creativemelbourne.co.uk.
Creative Melbourne is at the top of Church Street, just off Melbourne Market Place so why not make a day of it - visit the gallery, the fabulous independent shops & cafes in the Market Place and pop down the hill to Melbourne Pool see Melbourne Church.
HUMANITY, NATURE & CREATIVITY
JOIN US TO CELEBRATE MELBOURNE FESTIVAL COMING OF AGE THIS SUMMER WITH THE 21ST FESTIVAL !
During 2026, thanks a National Lottery Project Grant from awarded by Arts Council England, Humanity, Nature and Creativity has taken inspiration from the work of Ronald Pope a famous 20th Century Artist, Sculptor and Poet who lived & worked in Melbourne & Ticknall for most of his adult life.
We Would like to introduce the first of our Humanity, Nature & Creativity Commissions - SHARED LINES a unique sculpture in steel and glass by STEVIE DAVIES.
SHARED LINES has a steel frame depicting three life-size figures, the figures were fabricated by Acres Creative Engineering in Melbourne and each figure has coloured fused glass panels inserted, each glass panel was handmade by one of the Creative Melbourne Gallery Volunteers in a workshop led by Stevie Davies.
THE SECRET SCULPTURE GARDEN
SHARED LINES was displayed as part of THE SECRET SCULPTURE GARDEN at Melbourne Hall during August & September, it will be at The Museum of Making at the end of November when it will move to a permanent home where it will be permanently accessible to the public.
In addition to our Sculpture Commission MARK LANGLEY was awarded the Commission for an Established Artist. Mark’s piece COLLECTIVE HUMANITY was unveiled at Melbourne Festival, a break from his usual style into a contemporary piece inspired by the clean, spare lines of Ronald Pope’s paintings and sketches.
As part of our commitment to nurturing Emerging Artists two bursaries were given to Emerging Artists both of who showed their finished pieces and sketchbooks alongside Mark Langley’s piece in The Billiard Room at Melbourne Hall during Melbourne Festival.
ISABELLA BLUE’s piece THE PLACES WE HAVE BEEN, inspired by Ronald Pope’s clean minimalist style, maps of the local area and the colours of the local landscape. NATASHA OPACIC’s piece THE ROAD TO SALVATION was inspired by Humanity coming together to repair the world which we have mistreated and abused.
All of the pieces will be shown at Creative Melbourne Gallery in April 2027 before being permanently exhibited in a public space in Melbourne.
We would like to thank Arts Council England for Awarding Creative Melbourne a National Lottery Project Grant to fund the Commissions and Creative Community Workshops which make up Humanity, Nature & Creativity.
HUMANITY, NATURE & CREATIVITY COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS
Our mission is to provide opportunities for local people to enjoy creative community workshops and develop skills they didn’t know they had! Thanks to the National Lottery Project Grant we have received from Arts Council England we are delivering 40 workshops in 2026 /7. This Summer our programme has included figure drawing, photography, willow sculpture, raku pottery and much more.
THE SECRET SCULPTURE GARDEN
Like all good secrets The Secret Sculpture Garden has disappeared as quickly as it appeared! We have been working in partnership with The Gardens at Melbourne Hall to bring together 10 regional Artists to showcase their work in the Secret Sculpture Garden during the Summer of 2026.
JOIN OUR VOLUNTEER TEAM!
Would you like to meet new people, learn new skills, or feel you could help in some way??
You may have an interest in art or would like to be part of an organisation that helps the local and wider creative community.
We are looking for new volunteers to expand our friendly team of volunteers who help at our Creative Melbourne Gallery and at Melbourne Festival. Flexible hours morning or afternoons, one session a month or more! Full training will be given.
Or just call 07765 819 428, email us, or drop into Creative Melbourne Gallery
SPACES TO CREATE…
Creative Melbourne Gallery and Studio launched Spaces to Create, a new mentored artist development programme, in 2023. The programme aims to promote the creative industries in South Derbyshire by supporting creatives in becoming self-sustaining small businesses.
Spaces to Create is open to creative people who can utilise the hotdesking space and benefit from supported development. We have now launched Phase 4 Applications. This opportunity is not solely for visual artists.
The six artists who participated in the Pilot Project took up hotdesking residence in our newly launched space above the Gallery. This opportunity is not solely for visual artists; you could be a writer, digital creative, photographer, game designer, or producer. We are open to creative people who can utilise the hotdesking space and benefit from supported development.
Spaces to Create aims to promote the creative industries in South Derbyshire by supporting creatives in becoming self-sustaining small businesses. Please contact us at info@melbournefestival.co.uk if you would like to find out more!
We would like to thank South Derbyshire District Council for their support for Spaces to Create.
Thank you for visiting our website. Melbourne Festival & Creative Melbourne are both part of Arts Melbourne CIC