While my gorgeous girl was at Sovereign Hill learning all about being a school student in the 1850s, I headed into the centre of Ballarat to visit the Ballarat Art Gallery. They were showing a special double header exhibition entitled Morris and Beyond. The exhibition showcased the work of artists from the era as well as contemporary artists inspired by the work of Morris. This exhibition was so popular that they sold out of the exhibition catalogue within a couple of weeks as people from all around Australia ordered their copies!

It’s the first time I have seen the past and present exhibited in art in this way and it was great to see the art works in this context. Fashion designers like Alexander McQueen drew on the past in their clothing and I really enjoyed seeing sculptures, installations and fabric being displayed alongside paintings. How could you not, given that Morris was heavily into the Arts and Crafts movements (you could even say he was a huge driver of the revival) dabbling in furniture design and wallpaper among other things.

But the best thing about this visit was all the wonderful people I met who were working there. From the man who opened the door, to the ticket seller and the gift shop attendant, they were all super happy to chat and spend some time with a visitor.