Events
My Blood Sings Old Songs
Upcoming free public programs from May to August
Storied Places
Artist talk by Dr Leyla Stevens and film screenings curated by Jenna Rain Warwick
Saturday 8 August, 12 to 4 pm
Lunch and refreshments provided
We are thrilled to invite you to a day of programming to celebrate the final weekend of My Blood Sings Old Songs. Curator Maya Hodge has developed a program of creative responses to the exhibition that extends upon its themes, including a catered lunch for all attendees!
Exhibiting artist Dr Leyla Stevens will give a keynote presentation on her practice, followed by a Q&A session for further discussion on her work. This will be followed by a delicious catered lunch, which will be a fantastic opportunity to casually chat with the artists and curator of the exhibition.
After lunch, Jenna Rain Warwick will screen the 1918 war film The Enemy Within (1918), featuring one of the earliest on-screen performances by an Aboriginal man, the renowned boxer Sandy McVae. Accompanied by the soundtrack from the hit 70s TV series Boney, the screening will highlight the significance of the Black detective archetype in the legitimisation of Australia's war propaganda and anti-communist sentiment. During the screening, Jenna will discuss the origins of both titles' Indigenous characters, including the real-life inspiration for the 1970s series, Gumbayngirr tracker Jim Boney.
RSVP is required for catering, please RSVP here.
Actions for Water II
Free public programs from August to November
The Actions for Water II public programs bring together artist activations, talks, tours and lectures exploring water, ecology, climate awareness, cultural knowledge and shared resources.
Wax carving workshop with Sao Sreymao
Friday August 14, 2–4 pm
Join exhibiting artist Sreymao for a hands-on and relaxed workshop. Participants will carve small houses from wax, with each sculpture becoming part of the live performance opening the exhibition.
To participate, please email a.wallin@latrobe.edu.au
Exhibition Opening Celebration and Performance
Friday 21 August, 5–7 pm
Join us for the exhibition opening celebration, featuring a performance and activation by Cambodian artist Sao Sreymao, exploring the effects of climate change, depleting fish stocks and dam construction on communities along Tonle Sap Lake and the Mekong River.
The Bureau of Water: Nomadic Library
Hosted at Bendigo Library from 20 August to 8 November
Sharmila Wood’s The Bureau of Water is a nomadic library inspired by Kerala’s vaayanashalas, gathering interdisciplinary texts on water, ecology and collective care.
Who Owns the Water?
Sir John Quick Memorial Lecture with Yoorrook Commissioner Travis Lovett
Monday 15 September, 5–7 pm
The Capital Theatre, Bendigo
Post-event drinks and nibbles at the La Trobe Art Institute
Drawing on Traditional Owner voices and Travis' own reflections, this lecture articulates three pathways towards Indigenous water justice: improving water efficiency, formally establishing Indigenous water rights, and embedding these rights in Treaty negotiations. Throughout, the lecture emphasises that genuine reconciliation requires redistribution of rights and resources, enduring symbols of First Peoples' knowledge, resilience and rightful sovereignty.
Free, bookings essential. More details to be announced.
Djaara-led Tour
Saturday 8 November, 11 am–12.30 pm
To close the exhibition, you’re invited to join a Djaara-led tour of Wanyarra Dum (the Frog Ponds) on Yaram Yaram Manya (Bendigo Creek), a culturally significant site where ecological restoration has renewed a chain of interconnected freshwater habitats.
Free, bookings essential as places are limited.
To register, email a.wallin@latrobe.edu.au with a brief note explaining why you would like to participate.
Music Image Time Lab
A monthly meeting of artforms in time-based media, MIT Lab is a space for sharing work-in-progress, experiments, new ideas, or new work in a supportive community setting. Everyone is welcome to contribute work.
Click the link above for further information.
2026 MIT Lab dates:
8 March
12 April
3 May
7 June
5 July
2 August
13 September
4 October
8 November
16 December – end of year event
Since 2006, we have delivered a robust residency program with international guests. Founded on exchange and research, we prioritise creative processes over predetermined outcomes. This model has proven deeply generative for artists, for our curatorial research, and for our wider program.
Our place-responsive residency program is driven by solid partnerships with First Nations led organisations in Victoria and key partners in the Asia Pacific region. Guided by the Djaara seasons, our residencies are grounded on Country and informed by the principles of self-determination, place and reciprocity. Rather than set outcomes, national and international artists are offered the opportunity to connect with place and community, to seed ideas and explore new directions. This program centres global First Nations artists and Indigenous ways of knowing.
Forthcoming public programs associated with artists visiting us and sharing knowledge will be listed below.
Wax carving workshop with Sao Sreymao
Friday August 14, 2–4 pm
Join exhibiting artist Sreymao for a hands-on and relaxed workshop. Participants will carve small houses from wax, with each sculpture becoming part of the live performance opening the exhibition.
To participate, please email a.wallin@latrobe.edu.au
Sculpture Park – Melbourne Campus
Ongoing
Follow our map of the Sculpture Park [PDF 1MB] to explore more than 20 public sculptures in the bushland setting of the La Trobe Melbourne Campus. Works by artists including Charles Robb, Inge King, Robert Klippel, David Wilson, Karen Ward and Reko Rennie reflect key movements in contemporary Australian sculpture since the mid-1960s.