Creative Places Shopfront Activations

Liew Ceramics is an ode to Rue Liew's family and heritage. Liew is a multidisciplinary artist who practices their cultural crafts as a way of connecting to their homeland. Their current main practice includes ceramics, lino printing, calligraphy, spray painting and paint on canvas.

Through the Creative Places program, Liew will facilitate and run a pop-up studio in Footscray. The studio will feature handbuilding workshops and courses for community to participate in, with a shopfront where Liew will sell their ceramic wares. They will also use the space as their own studio to collaborate with other artists of other mediums. 

Liew’s shopfront is located at Shop 32 - Metro West Shopping Centre, 136 Nicholson Street, Footscray, accessible via the Albert Street entrance. To stay updated with their opening hours, events and activities, follow Liew Ceramics on Instagram. 

The Rest of Us (TROU) is a Melbourne-based arts organisation dedicated to empowering emerging creatives and amplifying underrepresented voices. TROU organises regular poetry night and artist showcases in Footscray, creating inclusive spaces for artists to share their talents. By blending education, community-building, and live events, TROU champions diverse creative expression and builds pathways for emerging talent to thrive.

TROU will use their time in the Creative Places shopfront space to continue and expand the creative programs delivered to the community. These activities include workshops covering various art forms such as drawing, DJing, and music. They will host several art exhibitions over their tenancy, which showcase diverse artists from the western suburbs. Displayed artworks will remain available for purchase. Monthly poetry nights will also be a highlight, alongside occasional artist showcases. The space will serve as both an operational hub for planning and delivering programs and a gallery for public viewing of installations and exhibitions.

The TROU shopfront is located in Shop 25 - Metro West Shopping Centre, 136 Nicholson Street, Footscray. (Located via Paisley Street entrance.) To stay updated with their opening hours, events and activities, follow TROU on Instagram.

Conduction will be operated by Debris Facility, using the shopfront space as a gallery, workshop, library, performance space, and retail area. Conduction offers a library of art, culture, theory books and audio for community use, an evolving gallery program, and a curated selection of retail items. Affordable workshops will cover various topics, allowing participants to share and display their work. The aim is to provide accessible cultural activities in a dedicated space that will enrich the local community.

Debris Facility is both an independent artist and organisation that works collaboratively and responsively to context. With 17 years of professional experience in Narrm/Melbourne, the organisation has contributed to over 70 exhibitions, 20 publications, and 17 performances nationally and internationally. Debris Facility’s technical skills include sculpture, installation, sound, video, printmaking, graphic design, costuming, lighting, jewellery, make-up, curation, event design, publications, editing, assemblage, writing, and performance, supported by strong research and conceptual understanding of these fields. Their work is focused on environmental and social issues, particularly questions of value and waste.

Debris Facility's shopfront, Conduction, is located at 251 Barkly St, Footscray. To stay updated with their opening hours, events and activities, follow Conduction and  Debris Facility on Instagram.

World’s Worst Wagga Guild works to democratise art making, foster community connections, promote wellbeing, reduce textile waste and increase people’s creative confidence. The Guild was named after the ‘world’s worst wagga’ which is a quilt that was declared the worst in the world, but is now an important piece of Australian quilting history.

As part of Creative Places, Fiona Waters and Ruby Hoppen will be running a scrap quilting intensive, ’bring your own project’ sessions to help people finish their outstanding creative pieces, and free drop-in quilting sessions. There will also be quilts on display in the window and a pop up exhibition!

World’s Worst Wagga Guild’s shopfront is located in Shop 37 & 38 (Level 1) - Metro West Shopping Centre, 136 Nicholson Street, Footscray, accessible via the Albert Street entrance and up the escalators. To stay updated with their opening hours, events and activities, follow World's Worst Wagga Guild on Instagram.