Ballarat

Ballarat Arts

Ballarat’s creative life invites people to make as well as watch: sing in a community choir, join an orchestra, learn a new dance style, shape clay, write with fellow authors or develop theatre in a rehearsal room. The city and nearby suburbs also support working artists, custom jewellery, photography opportunities and hands-on workshops in traditional and contemporary craft.

Whether you are looking for a first class, a community group, a commission or a practical space for creative work, these local organisations offer varied ways to take part, share skills and meet other people making things in Ballarat.

🎶 Music & Singing

Ballarat Centre of Music & the Arts

This performing-arts school combines group classes with private tuition. Students can explore musical theatre, ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, contemporary dance, acrobatics, speech and drama, or take individual lessons in voice, piano, guitar, violin, viola, drums and percussion. Preschool, school-age and adult streams are available, while some ensembles and development classes are by invitation.

Ballarat. Contact details are available through the school’s official classes page.

With One Voice Ballarat

This community choir, run through Creativity Australia, brings people together to sing in Ballarat. The choir page explains how to join and includes Try A Choir opportunities, making it possible to experience the group before deciding whether to become involved more regularly.

Ballarat. See the official choir page for joining information.

Ballarat Symphony Orchestra

Ballarat Symphony Orchestra presents classical music concerts and welcomes prospective players to register their interest. Its player-selection policy describes rehearsal-based assessment and the musical requirements for participation, so instrumentalists can understand the process before approaching the orchestra.

Ballarat. Player enquiries are made through the orchestra’s official website.

Pinarc Music & Arts Programs

Pinarc’s disability-support programs use music and the arts in practical, social activities. Participants may learn band songs, experiment with iPad improvisation, play percussion, listen to music, and take part in dance and movement. Access sits within Pinarc’s support services for people with disability and their families.

222 Otway Street South, Ballarat VIC 3350. ☎ 1800 746 272 — general enquiries and referrals.

🩰 Dance

Ballarat Dance Works

Based in Lake Wendouree, this dance school offers classes from preschool through to adult level. Styles include ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, musical theatre and funk, giving dancers room to build technique or try a different form. The broad age range also makes it a place where younger and adult dancers can pursue their own interests.

3A Burnbank Street, Lake Wendouree VIC 3350. ☎ 0407 348 250.

🎭 Theatre & Performance

Ballarat National Theatre

This not-for-profit volunteer theatre company produces plays from Australian, British, American and Shakespearean traditions, alongside original works. Participation extends well beyond acting: members can contribute to directing, writing, costumes, props, sets, lighting and sound. Current membership is required for people taking part in shows.

Ballarat. See the company’s official get-involved information for participation details.

Ballarat Lyric Theatre

Ballarat Lyric Theatre is a community musical-theatre company staging licensed productions. Its work also connects with practical theatre-making through costume hire and sets, which are available by appointment. The company’s contact page is the place to ask about its productions and these supporting services.

882 Humffray Street South, Mount Pleasant VIC 3350. Costume hire and sets are by appointment.

The Rat Lab

The Rat Lab develops theatre and performance work through workshops, networking and a dedicated writing room. Its Arts Incubator space can also be booked for workshops and rehearsals, giving writers and performers a place to test ideas, work collaboratively and continue a project beyond the first draft.

36 Camp Street, Ballarat Central VIC 3350. Space access is arranged through the Arts Incubator.

🎨 Visual Art & Studios

Sturt Street Gallery & Art Classes

This Alfredton art-teaching space offers adult, teen and young-artist classes in drawing, painting and other media. Young artist classes are for ages 7 to 16. The gallery is open during class times and otherwise by appointment, linking practical learning with the opportunity to see work in a gallery setting.

1867 Sturt Street, Alfredton VIC 3350. ☎ (03) 5334 1217. Gallery access outside class times is by appointment.

The Art Club Hub

At its Ballarat Central venue, The Art Club Hub runs art classes and workshops for primary-school-age children, teens and adults. Casual canvas-painting sessions, school-holiday activities and group functions add flexible ways to create, whether someone is attending a regular class or planning a shared making session.

80 Bridge Mall, Ballarat Central VIC 3350. ☎ 0493 777 901.

Steph Wallace

Working on Wadawurrung Country in Ballarat, Steph Wallace explores the land around her through ceramic work. The practice offers a local example of place-responsive making, with the material qualities of ceramics used to consider the surrounding environment.

Ballarat. Visit the artist’s official website for current practice and contact information.

🧵 Craft & Making

Studio Ceramics Ballarat

In Black Hill, Studio Ceramics Ballarat teaches wheel-throwing, hand-building and guided sculpting. Beginners can start with introductory sessions, while multi-week pottery tuition supports people who want more time with the material and a chance to develop their making across several classes.

Black Hill, Ballarat. Class information is available through the studio’s official website.

The Pottage

The Pottage offers several ways to work with clay: paint-your-own pottery, wheel throwing and studio hire. Group bookings are also available, bringing a shared activity into the studio alongside individual ceramic work.

67–69 Bridge Mall, Ballarat Central VIC 3350. Group bookings and studio access are arranged through The Pottage.

Jessica Larm Jewellery

Jessica Larm works from a Ballarat studio in metalsmithing and lost-wax casting. The practice is suited to people seeking a custom jewellery piece, with the studio accepting enquiries about individually made work rather than offering only ready-made designs.

Ballarat. Custom jewellery enquiries can be made through the artist’s official website.

Fiona & Jac Jewellery

Fiona & Jac create bespoke jewellery using new and repurposed metals and gemstones. Their Delacombe studio welcomes visits by appointment, allowing custom work to be discussed directly with the designers.

Delacombe, Ballarat. Studio visits are by appointment.

Australian Centre for Rare Arts & Forgotten Trades

This hands-on workshop centre brings artisan and heritage craft into active learning. Current workshop areas include weaving, leatherwork, ceramics, millinery, paper cutting, indigo, upholstery, printmaking, bookbinding, metalwork and stone carving. Individual sessions may have their own age, clothing or experience requirements.

383–389 Bradshaw Street, Ballarat VIC 3350. Check the workshop information for the requirements attached to each session.

📷 Photography, Film & Digital Arts

Ballarat International Foto Biennale

Ballarat International Foto Biennale presents a biennial photography program and creates opportunities for artists and supporters to be involved. Its Open Program welcomes emerging and established photographers to exhibit work in Ballarat, while prizes and education activity extend the organisation’s role beyond exhibition presentation.

12 Lydiard Street North, Ballarat VIC 3350. ☎ 03 5331 4833.

✍️ Writing & Storytelling

Ballarat Writers

Ballarat Writers is a grass-roots writing organisation serving the Western Victorian region. Members can meet at monthly members’ nights, join critique groups, attend workshops and enter writing competitions. The mix supports both the solitary work of drafting and the useful conversation that comes from sharing writing with other authors.

Ballarat. Membership and program information is available through the organisation’s official website.

🛠️ Creative Spaces & Stagecraft

Ballarat Arts Incubator

The City of Ballarat’s creative hub brings together music rehearsal areas, theatre-development space for writing and workshopping, quiet work zones and film studios. Access is provided through resident organisations or by arrangement for particular spaces. The film studio is available for short- and longer-term hire, subject to requirements.

36 Camp Street, Ballarat Central VIC 3350. Space access and film-studio hire are by arrangement and subject to requirements.

Across these organisations, creative participation can mean a weekly class, a rehearsal, a commissioned object, a shared writing night or a carefully developed performance. Audiences can support the work by attending concerts, productions, exhibitions and photography programs, while makers and artists can connect through workshops, studios and local opportunities.

Are you a Ballarat artist, maker, teacher, company, community group or arts-support business? You are warmly invited to add or update your listing so local audiences and creative practitioners can find your work and connect with it.

⚠️ Accuracy Note: We do our best to keep this information useful and up to date, however details can change over time. If you notice anything that appears incorrect or out of date, please let us know and we will review it. Local business owners and community leaders can also help keep local information accurate by logging in and creating or managing their own listing and useful content on ballarat.city.