CBR Trails: The art lover’s itinerary
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Take a day to immerse yourself in culture, from contemporary art to architecture, craft, photography, print, design and cuisine.
You may be surprised to find that some of the most stunning and creative spaces in Canberra are its under-the-radar gems. Here is our suggested itinerary for an artful day in Canberra.
8.30am A monster breakfast
Fuel up for your journey with breakfast at Monster kitchen and bar. Admire the buildings interior, the quirky furnishings, considered use of sustainable materials and, of course, the art, so much art! It is a place like no other.
Monster kitchen and bar
Hotel Hotel, 25 Edinburgh Avenue, NewActon
9.30am Discover NewActon
Now that you’re fuelled up, grab a coffee to go and wander through the weird and wonderful art precinct that is NewActon. You’ll discover fascinating sculptures, large-scale metalwork, communal gardens, street art and more in every pocket of the precinct (even the elevators).
10.15am The imaginists
RCB Starclouds, by Claire Pendrigh. ‘Innerspace’ exhibition at CCAS
Head north-east to Canberra Contemporary Art Space (CCAS)Gorman Arts Centre, Braddon. Here you’ll find contemporary art exhibitions by emerging local, national and international artists. CCAS aims to provide audiences with imaginative, innovative and daring visual art as well as performances between exhibitions. For visitors, this means variety – you’ll never get tired of ‘the same old’ here.
CCAS Gorman Arts Centre
55 Ainslie Avenue, Braddon
11:15am Let us shop
Make your way a couple of blocks over to The Hamlet on Lonsdale Street. It’s a cultural hub of local foodies—now’s the time for another caffeine hit or a snack from one of the street food vans parked out front. Head in to Kin Gallery and check out the stunning contemporary jewellery and objects by local artisans.
If you’re looking for those one-of-a-kind designer items, you’ll love the shopping in Braddon. Take a stroll a little further along Lonsdale Street to the sculptual Ori Building—almost a work of art in itself. Here you’ll love checking out the gorgeous homewares, jewellery, furtniture and more of Hive, Timber & Tailor and handsomepretty.
Kin Gallery
16 Lonsdale Street, Braddon
ORI Building
30 Lonsdale Street, Braddon
12:30pm Suburbia
Take a drive on the suburban side, all the way over to Beaver Galleries in Deakin, filled with fascinating Contemporary Australian art. Of all the privately owned galleries in Canberra this one is the largest and most diverse – meaning that there’s something here for all tastes.
Within the four galleries you’ll find various exhibitions showcasing everything from ornate ceramics to vibrant paintings and in the garden you’ll see captivating, chunky sculptures and intricate metalwork. The quality of wares in the gallery shop is outstanding and if you’re an art collector you’ll be pleased to know that the gallery has plenty of stunning pieces of art for sale.
Beaver Galleries
81 Denison Street, Deakin
1:30pm A palatable lunch
For lunch, you need only walk through to the Palette café. Set within the contemporary gallery space, the Café offers a sophisticated menu that won’t disappoint. Enjoy the downtime while you can, a world of art awaits you.
The Palette Cafe
Inside Beaver Galleries,
81 Denison Street, Deakin
2:30pm stay Southside
Art and photography lovers alike will enjoy a stop at PhotoAccess in Manuka. It’s the leading destination for viewing contemporary photo and media based art in Canberra. With three intimate gallery spaces, PhotoAccess can be showing multiple experimental and innovative exhibitions at a time.
Manuka Arts Centre
Corner Manuka Circle and
New South Wales Crescent, Griffith
3:00pm Megalo
At the heart of Kingston lies Megalo Print Studio and Gallery, exhibiting and facilitating the practices of etching, lithography, relief painting and screen-printing. See artists at work, noting the extraordinary process of printmaking. Take in the up-close detail and texture of a screen-printed piece and marvel at the vibrancy of layered paint on paper.
Megalo
21 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston
3:30pm Craft in the City
Head to Civic and make your way to the Craft ACT art gallery on London Circuit. Check out the amazing talent that this city has to offer in all of its forms, from textile design to metalwork through to glasswork, jewellery design, ceramics, furniture and object making.
Craft ACT
Level 1, North Building,
180 London Circuit, Canberra City
4:00pm Sip and chill
It’s been an art-tastic day, but you’re still up for more? Spend the afternoon relaxing with a drink or two (or more) while you sit back and absorb local art at the gallery-bars of Canberra’s CBD. Get your culture and Mexican food fix at Beach Burrito Civic – be sure to try their sangria, it’s delicious, fresh and fruity.
When you’re ready, make your way over to Honkytonks, where the atmosphere is as thick as the incense. Try an interesting beer, or sip on a Margarita and spend the night chilling, listening to and admiring yet another one of Canberra’s alternative creative spaces.
Beach Burrito Company
181 City Walk, Canberra City
Honkytonks
Garema Place, Canberra City
Photography by Javier Steel. With special thanks to George Rose, Cohen Gum, Matt Tindale and Vanessa Wright.
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