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Dreaming of your own art exhibition? Apply for the 2026 Town Hall Gallery Community Exhibitions Program for the chance to publicly exhibit your work with guidance and support from our professional curatorial team.
You'll be applying for an exhibition period between January and December 2026. Each exhibition is on display for 4 to 6 weeks. There are up to 12 exhibitions scheduled per year.
Key dates
The 2026 Community Exhibitions Program runs from January 2026 to December 2026.
Applications open: 9 am, Monday 21 April 2025
Information session: 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, Wednesday 7 May 2025
Application deadline: 11:59 pm, Sunday 15 June 2025
Notification of outcome: by Monday 25 August 2025
Free information session
Attend our free in-person information session to:
- learn more about the application process
- hear tips and advice to prepare your application
- understand what to expect if your application is successful
- ask questions directly to the curators.
Bookings are essential. Click the tile below for more information and to register for the information session.
We recommend you read the Application Guidelines before attending this session.
2026 Community Exhibitions Program: Information Session
7 May 2025, 5:30 pm
Free
Hawthorn Arts Centre
About the program
We are proud to offer this free program each year to artists, community groups and schools from the community as a wonderful opportunity to improve professional skills and confidence in a supportive environment. These exhibitions proudly showcase the diversity and depth of creative talent in the community.
We are proud of this program and the ensuing support offered to local artists and creative organisations since its inception in December 2013.
Since 2013, the Community Exhibitions Program has exhibited over 3,200 artworks created by more than 740 artists. The program has:
- received over 690 attendees annually to exhibition openings
- welcomed 8,000 online visitors
- averaged over 900 visits to each individual exhibition.
The Program has also helped provide over $178,000 in sales directly back to artists of Boroondara.
Types of community exhibitions
Each exhibition is on display for 4 to 6 weeks, and there are up to 12 exhibitions scheduled per year.
The Town Hall Gallery Curatorial team curates the exhibition program. The annual Community Exhibitions Program consists of 4 exhibitions:
- solo exhibitions
- group exhibitions by application
- curated group exhibitions
- the Boroondara Summer Salon.
Solo exhibitions
An exhibition allocated to an individual artist, based on the body of work proposed in their application.
Group exhibitions by application
An exhibition consisting of a group who have applied via a single application. This includes a group of artists or a community group.
Curated group exhibitions
An exhibition including multiple artists based on the complementary themes and concepts submitted in their individual applications. The Curatorial team selects the featured artists and the theme of the exhibition. You can choose to have your application considered for a curated group show.
The Boroondara Summer Salon
The Community Exhibitions Program concludes each year with the Boroondara Summer Salon. This is a large, curated group exhibition including a single work from each applicant. This exhibition is an excellent option for artists who are emerging or have a small body of work available.
You can submit multiple works for consideration to the Boroondara Summer Salon, but only one work per artist will be selected. Applicants to the Boroondara Summer Salon won’t be considered for a solo or curated group exhibition.
If you aren’t selected for a solo or group exhibition, you can choose to have your artwork considered for the Boroondara Summer Salon.
Application eligibility
To be eligible for our Town Hall Gallery Community Exhibitions Program, you must be one of the following:
- an emerging artist living in Boroondara or with a studio in Boroondara
- a practicing artist not represented by a commercial gallery living in Boroondara or with a studio in Boroondara
- students at a school/institution located within the City of Boroondara
- a School, University or TAFE group based in Boroondara
- An historical group or community group based in Boroondara
- An arts organisation or arts community group based in Boroondara
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who live, work or study in the Eastern Metropolitan Region on Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Country (Boroondara, Monash, Manningham, Whitehorse, Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges).
At Town Hall Gallery, we're particularly committed to uplifting the voices of:
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples
- people from multicultural communities
- people from the LGBTQIA+ community
- people with disability and people who are D/deaf.
City of Boroondara employees are not eligible to exhibit. Family members of staff and council volunteers are welcome to apply.
Previous applicants
Artists and groups who have exhibited in the Community Exhibitions Program in the last 2 years will only be eligible for the Boroondara Summer Salon. Community groups may still submit a proposal for the Community Exhibitions Program if the majority of the artists featured haven't exhibited in the past 2 years.
Selected applicants to the Boroondara Summer Salon will be eligible for future opportunities to exhibit with the Community Exhibitions Program.
How to apply
To apply, you'd need to complete an online application through the Smarty Grants portal.
In the form you'll need to provide:
- Your contact details and demographic information
- A description of your artistic practice
- Proposed exhibition title
- List of who’ll be involved
- Description of the exhibition, and what it’ll look like in the space
- Brief outline of the works to be displayed (mediums, sizes, number of works.)
- Description of how the exhibition relates to the community
- Brief outline of how this project will benefit you or your organisation
- Whether any of the works will be for sale
- Any months in 2026 that you are unavailable to participate in an exhibition.
- Support material (uploaded as part of the form):
- Images – at least 3 images if submitting an exhibition proposal, or 1 image if submitting only for the Boroondara Summer Salon. You can include up to 8 images. All images must be JPEGs and must be titled 'Artist Name_Title of work_Date of making.jpg'. For example: Jane Jones_Happy Sky_2019.jpg
- CV, if appropriate
- Other relevant information about the proposed exhibition.
If you're applying for a solo or group exhibition in the Community Exhibitions Program, you may elect to have your work considered for the Boroondara Summer Salon if they’re unsuccessful in receiving a solo or group exhibition.
For more information about terms and conditions including copyright, gallery floorplans, exhibition criteria and sales, please read the application guidelines.
Accessibility
If you have any access requirements and need support, contact the Curatorial team on 03 9278 4770 or [email protected].
For information about the accessibility of our venues, visit our Town Hall Gallery page.
Please contact us before the due date if you can’t complete the application on time due to unforeseen circumstances. A short extension may be possible.
Download the application guidelines
Selection criteria
The Curatorial team will assess applications against the following criteria:
- Connection to community, including working with Boroondara community
- Clarity of theme/concept of the exhibition
- Appropriateness of the exhibition to the space and available resources
- Innovation, excellence, or diversity represented in artistic practice
- Quality of documentation provided. This includes good-quality images that are indicative of the proposed exhibition or artwork.
More information
For any assistance, please reach out to the Curatorial Team on (03) 9278 4770.
For more information about the Community Exhibition Program, email [email protected] or call us on (03) 9278 4770.
You can see past community exhibitions on our Online exhibitions page.