Ground Level
Opened in July 1991 on the first floor of NGV International, the Access Gallery offered a dedicated space for community participation. Established through a NGV Public Programs initiative to encourage greater public engagement, the gallery invited community groups and organisations to curate exhibitions that celebrated the cultural life of Victoria. In August 1993 the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation began sponsoring the space, which was then renamed the VicHealth Access Gallery. The gallery ran from 1991–99, closing in line with the temporary closure of NGV International for a major renovation led by Mario Bellini Architects.
10 plus 10, 12–28 July 1991, presented by Arts Access
Side by Side, 31 July – 29 August 1991, presented by the Latvian Artists Association
The Bulletin Mumm Cordon Rouge, 3–30 September 1991, presented by the Bulletin Mumm Cordon Rouge acquisitive award
Head First, 7–30 October 1991, presented by National Gallery of Victoria
Macedonian Popular Art, 1–10 November 1991, presented by the Pan-Macedonian Association of Melbourne and Victoria
Celebration of Two Cultures, 15–26 November 1991, presented by the Caulfield Arts Festival
Tradition and Cosmopolitanism, 19 November – 12 December 1991, presented by the Serbian Artists Association
The Art of Making Do, 15 December 1991 – 14 January 1992, marking the centenary of the Australian Labor Party
Old Skills in a New Culture, 18 January– 16 February 1992, presented by the Chinese Artists Association
Signature Quilts, 20 February – 12 March 1992, presented by the Australian Red Cross
Neophytes, 16–29 March 1992, presented by Antipodes Festival
Innovation and Invention in Everyday Life, 3–19 April 1992, presented by Arts Access
Tibetan Culture, 24 April – 11 May 1992, in conjunction with the ‘Fourteenth Dali Lama’ tour
Crash Course, 15–31 May 1992, presented by Next Wave Festival
Beginnings, 4–18 June 1992, presented by the Croatian Visual Arts Project
Confined Creativity, 22 June – 8 July 1992, presented by the H. M. Melbourne Remand Centre
Off the Wall, 13 July – 2 August 1992, presented by the Victorian Association of Youth in Communities
Inside Out – Inside In, 6–13 August 1992, presented by Arts Project Australia
The Hidden Imagination, 5 September – 18 October 1992, presented by the Community Arts Alliance
Masks of Kalimantan, 23 October – 15 November 1992, presented by the Indonesian Arts Society
Experimenta, 18–29 November 1992, presented by the Modern Image Makers Association
Class in Action, 9 December 1992 – 6 January 1993, presented by Ballam Park Secondary College
Dislocations: Body, Memory, Place, 9–31 January 1993, presented by Midsummer Festival
Tramworkers, 5–28 February 1993, presented by the Australian Tramways and Motor Omnibus Employees Association
45’ Storeys: A Retrospective of the work of Jewish Architects from 1945, 1–28 March 1993, presented by the Jewish Festival of the Arts
Nicholson – Cartoons and Rubbery Figures: The Exhibition We Had to Have, 1 April – 2 May 1993, presented by the Comedy Festival
Can’t See for Lookin’: Koori Women Artists Education, 5–29 June 1993, presented by Koori Women Artists, the Women’s Art Register, and Victorian Aboriginal Education
Egyptoria, 2 July – 1 August 1993, presented by the Committee of Egyptian Arts in Victoria
Against the Flow – Into the Current, 6 August – 5 September 1993, presented by the Mallee Fringe Artists
Pacific Harmony, 10–26 September 1993, presented by the Wharerongo Pacifica Association
Gone to PAC, 1 October – 7 November 1993, presented by the Perkin Art Centre
Second Landing, 12 November 1993 – 9 January 1994, presented by the Erasmus Foundation
Chinese Contemporary and Traditional Arts, 14 January – 13 February 1994, presented by the Australian Association of Chinese Artists
Domain of the Other – An exploration into Community Arts by 10 Women Artists, 18 February – 13 March 1994, presented by the City of Melbourne Cultural Development Branch
Celebrating Women 1994, 18 February – 21 March 1994, presented by the Women’s Art Network and the VicHealth Access Gallery, in association with the exhibition Creators and Inventors: Australian Women’s Art in the National Gallery of Victoria and Domain of the Other and with International Women’s Day
Kurdish Art, 18 March – 3 April 1994, presented by the Kurdish Art Project
Our World of Art, 8–24 April 1994, presented by Main Street Art Works and Moe Life Skills Community Centre
The Thousand Handed Hydra: Artists from Four Continents, 29 April – 15 May 1994, presented by the Footscray Community Arts Centre
Next Wave Festival, 20 May – 3 July 1994, presented by Next Wave Festival
From Artwork to Book Cover, 8–13 July 1994, presented by the 6th international Feminst Book Fair
Theoretical Voguing, 2 September – 2 October 1994, presented by the VicHealth Access Gallery
Beyond Words, 7–30 October 1994, presented by Arts Project Australia
Interactive Technosuck: Experimenta 1995, 4 November – 4 December 1994, presented by Modern Image Makers Association
Serial lives under monochrome bridges: Art from Cracow in the 1980s, 9 December 1994 – 29 January 1995, presented by Latrobe Regional Gallery
Postcards and souvenirs, 3–26 February 1995, presented by the Phillip Island Artists and Artisans Group
Bias binding: Women’s Art Register 1975–1995, 3 March – 2 April 1995, presented by the Women’s Art Register
Neo Geo comestibles, 1–30 April 1995, presented by the VicHealth Access Gallery as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Arab Palestinian costumes and culture, 7–30 April 1995, presented by the Victorian Arab Palestinian community
Schizophrenia: Artists speak out, 5 May – 4 June 1995, presented by the Schizophrenia Fellowship of Victoria
Starting Out: VCE Top CATs 1994, 28 May – 18 June 1995, presented by the VicHealth Access Gallery, the Art and Craft Teachers Association, and the National Gallery of Victoria Education Services
Through the eyes of children, 9 June – 2 July 1995, presented by the Tottenham Language Centre
Gems of Russian Culture, 8–30 July 1995, presented by Russian Ethnic Representative Council
Soaring Solo, 4–27 August 1995, presented by Council of Single Mothers and their Children
Native, 2 September – 1 October 1995, presented by the Migrant Resource Centre Inc.
Windows of the Mind, 7–29 October 1995, presented by Prahran Mission
Our Parents’ Children, 3 November – 3 December 1995, presented by the Italian Historical Society, CO AS IT
The Way We See It, 8 December 1995 – 28 January 1996, presented by the Art Craft Teachers’ Association, and the National Gallery of Victoria’s Education Services
Midnight Sun: Vietnamese-Australian Artists, 3 February – 3 March 1996, presented by the Footscray Community Arts Centre
More Than Just a Look: Works by artists who are blind or vision impaired, 9–31 March 1996, presented by the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind
Holiness of Beauty: Ecclesiastical Heritage, 5–28 April 1996, presented by St Peter’s Church, Eastern Hill
Steppes across Ukraine, 4 May – 2 June 1996, presented by the Association of Ukrainians in Victoria in conjunction with the SURMA Ukrainian-Australian Artists Association
Starting Out: VCE Top CATs 1995, 9 May – 23 June 1996, presented by the VicHealth Access Gallery, the Art and Craft Teachers Association, and the National Gallery of Victoria Education Services
Perception and Perspective, 10 May – 17 June 1996, presented by Next Wave Festival Inc.
Textile Journeys: African Refugee Women’s Project, 8–30 June 1996, presented by the City of Melbourne, and the Doutta Galla Community Health Service
We Iri – We Homeborn, 6 July – 4 August 1996, presented by the Koori Cultural Arts Unit, and City of Port Phillip
Recovery, 10 August – 1 September 1996, presented by the Australian Drug Foundation
Mixed Platter, 7 September – 6 October 1996, presented by the Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa Foundation of Victoria
Hispanic-American Artists: Cultural Legacy, 12 October – 3 November 1996, presented by the Committee for the Spanish Festival
Domestic Disturbances, 9 November – 8 December 1996, presented by the Experimental Media Arts Festival 1996
Bridging the Gap, 13 December 1996 – 19 January 1997, presented by the Australian Assyrian communities
Room for Paper, 25 January – 23 February 1997, presented by Papermakers of Victoria Inc
Auto Art, 1–30 March 1997, presented by the VicHealth Access Gallery
Neophytes, 5 April – 4 May 1997, presented by Antipodes Festival Inc.
On the Wall, 9 May – 1 June 1997, presented by the Victorian Association of Youth in Communities
Hurry Up and Wait: Contemporary Philippine Prints, 7 June – 6 July 1997, VicHealth Access Gallery, presented by the Filipino Community Council of Victoria, and the Cultural Centre of the Philippines
One Step Further, 12 July – 3 August 1997, presented by the Victorian Quilters Inc.
Cancer – The Journey, 9–31 August 1997, presented by the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria
Pure Expression, 6 September – October 1997, presented by the Early Childhood Association (Victorian Branch Inc.)
Anatolian Visions, 11 October – 4 November 1997, presented by the Multicultural Arts Victoria and Australian Turkish Artists Group
Protective Posters, 8 November – 7 December 1997, presented by the VicHealth Access Gallery
Heart and Flare, 13 December 1997 – 11 January 1998, presented by the POL-ART Festival of Polish Visual & Performing Arts
New Q, 17 January – 15 February 1998, presented by the Midsumma Festival
Arabesque, 21 February – 22 March 1998, presented by the Middle East United Fine Artists and the Arabesque Art Committee
Tattoo, 28 March – 26 April 1998, presented by the Professional Tattooing Association of Australia
Dragon, 2–31 May 1998, presented by the Australian Association of Chinese Artists
Matchsticks and Solitary Confinement, 6 June – 5 July 1998, presented by the Melbourne Assessment Prison
Faith Works!, 11 July – 9 August 1998, presented by the Centre for Creative Ministries
Awakening, 15 August – 6 September 1998, presented by the Lebanese Artists’ Association of Victoria
The Cask: An Aussie Icon, 12 September – 4 October 1998, presented by the Melbourne Fringe Festival
SNAP: Family Portrait, 10 October – 8 November 1998, presented by the VicHealth Access Gallery in association with the Australian Family Project and Icom 98 (International Council of Museums Conference)
Autistic Eye, 14 November – 13 December 1998, presented by Autism Victoria in association with Mansfield Adult Autistic Services
Ukranian Echoes 1948 to 1998, 19 December 1998 – 24 January 1999, presented by the Association of Ukrainians in Victoria
The A Show, 30 January – 28 February 1999, presented by the Down Syndrome Association of Victoria in conjunction with Arts Project Australia Inc.
Laughter, the Universe and Everything: Cartoons by Judy Horacek, 6 March – 11 April 1999, presented by the VicHealth Access Gallery as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Seize, 17 April – 16 May 1999, presented by the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria
Cultural Journey, 22 May – 20 June 1999, presented by the Timorese Association of Victoria in association with the North Richmond Community Health Centre