McClelland Sculpture Park + Gallery Awarded Grant to Support GreenWave Program 2025/26

McClelland Sculpture Park + Gallery Awarded Grant to Support GreenWave Program 2025/26

McClelland Sculpture Park + Gallery is delighted to announce the receipt of a significant grant of $200k from the Federal Government, Department of Communications and the Arts. This grant will support the delivery of McClelland's GreenWave Program, aimed at enhancing arts and culture education for young people in Melbourne's outer south-eastern suburbs.

For over fifty years, McClelland has been dedicated to collecting and safeguarding a rich cultural legacy and extensive art collection. The gallery presents a diverse array of indoor and outdoor exhibitions focused on contemporary spatial practice while offering innovative educational and public programs for all ages, serving as a valuable resource for schools and the wider community, addressing contemporary art, wellbeing, and the local environment.

The GreenWave Program aligns with the National Cultural Policy Revive: A Place for Every Story, a Story for Every Place, and aims to provide accessible, subsidised arts learning programs for early childhood, primary, and secondary-aged young people. The grant will expand the reach of McClelland’s highly regarded programs – Senses and Encounters and enable intergenerational participation in arts and culture through subsidised school holiday programs to continue over the next 12 months.

"We are thrilled to receive this grant, which will enable us to continue Harry and Nan McClelland's vision of fostering a vibrant artistic community," said Lisa Byrne, Artistic and Executive Director of McClelland Sculpture Park + Gallery. "This support will help us to continue to deliver innovative and inspiring arts and cultural experiences to the community, particularly young people in underserved areas."

"McClelland Sculpture Park + Gallery has long been a beacon of artistic excellence and cultural enrichment in our community. This grant will not only enhance the accessibility of arts education for young people in Melbourne's outer south-eastern suburbs but also honour the legacy of the McClelland’s. We are proud to support McClelland in its mission to foster creativity, innovation, and cultural understanding through its diverse programs and exhibitions." said Ms. Jodie Belyea MP, Member for Dunkley.

The grant will also support collaborations with arts colleagues and event producers to grow the reach of these activities through outdoor events at McClelland, including the much-loved Stellar Short Film Festival. The program will additionally see the launch of an outdoor summer music festival at McClelland in 2026.

As a charity with a mission, McClelland relies on the support of visitors and the community to conserve its collection, curate exhibitions, provide education programs and care for its sculpture park and bushland setting. This grant arrives at a time when McClelland is under considerable financial stress. Without grants like this, their work to make art and culture accessible could not continue.