Saturday 6 December 2014

MONTSALVAT, ELTHAM

Montsalvat is an artist colony in Eltham, Victoria, Australia, established by Justus Jorgensen in 1934. It is home to over a dozen buildings, houses and halls set amongst richly established gardens on 48,562 m2 (12 acres) of land. The colony of Montsalvat has a detailed history that reflects the life of Jörgensen and his friends and family; there is also a legend behind its name, while its buildings and gardens are steeped in the art and culture of Melbourne and its surroundings.

Visitors can pay a small fee to walk throughout the colony's historical gardens, artists' houses/workshops and explore the surrounding buildings. All of the buildings on the site were designed and built by residents with locally available materials, from various sources. The Great Hall offers an extensive network of spaces from extravagant halls and vast exhibition spaces, to small corridors and tiny balconies overlooking the gardens.

Currently Montsalvat's grounds and buildings are mostly used for exhibitions, performances, conferences, seminars, weddings and receptions; however, many artists (such as luthiers, jewellers, painters, sculptors and a writer) continue to reside in Montsalvat. Several classes on various disciplines of art are offered year round by the resident artists.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Weekly TopShot meme,
and also part of the Photo of the Week meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.







5 comments:

  1. I love the different buildings and gardens, and am happy to take overseas and interstate visitors to walk around the complex. It is nicely combined with wine tasting in Yarra Valley :)

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  2. All very creative shots! Beautiful!

    Happy Weekend,
    artmusedog and carol

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  3. I love Montsalvat. It's a beautiful and interesting place. Great way to spend a Sunday, having lunch and a stroll there.

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  4. how lovely! thank you for sharing the gorgeous photos and introducing this unique destination...

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  5. I found that even walking around this beautiful place was inspiring... I went straight home and writing tumbled out...So many unusual buildings create a wonderful atmosphere.

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