The Geelong Arts Centre is officially open, featuring traditional stories of the surrounding land and language woven into the building’s designs and artworks.
The four-year $140 million redevelopment project on 50 Little Malop Street opened on Saturday, August 19, and has a four-week Grand Opening Festival of free and ticketed events until September 23.
Geelong Arts Centre, Arm Architecture, the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation and First Nation artists co-designed the building to respect the local art history.
Geelong Arts Centre chief executive and creative director Joel McGuinness said having First Nations stories be a part of the “very fabric of the building” was important.
“There are these amazing First Nations stories in the fabric of the walls, carpet, woodwork, landscaping, and the paving,” he said.
“You go through each level with this cohesive narrative throughout and having that framework also wrapped around the building allowed the artists to respond in a way that was really beautiful.”
Wadawurrung Traditional Owner Corrina Eccless said First Nations people had been “coming together for song, dance and story” on the land for more than 60,000 years.
“We use the word Koling Wada-Ngal, let us walk together,” she said.
“How can we make people feel that when they’re standing here, they’re part of the stories that belong to this land and country? So, we started with that conversation.”
ARM Architecture principal architect Ian McDougall said the building design showcased the shared history of Geelong and the surrounding environment.
“Integrating Indigenous stories, particularly in Geelong with the Wadawurrung, into the building right at its core and right through really says, ‘this is about Geelong’,” he said.
“The First Nations people presented us with imagery and discussion about the actual elements that we could articulate through the building.”
