About
Located on Dja Dja Wurrung Country in the foothills of Liyanganyuk Banyul, Castlemaine Art Museum (CAM) is a leading regional institution in the sphere of bold curation, bringing art and objects from the past and present into multilayered conversations, creating a dynamic, inclusive platform for new voices, community connections, reflections and ideas.
Founded in 1913 through community subscription and located within a heritage-listed art deco building since 1931, CAM houses a nationally significant and unique collection of Australian artworks, including important First Nations cultural material from across Australia and a collection of historical artefacts reflecting the early history of the region.
CAM is committed to providing professional exhibition and development opportunities for local artists across Central Victoria. CAM brings together artists and communities of this region and beyond, creating a lively arts institution of national relevance.
Our collection
Castlemaine Art Gallery & Historical Museum (1913)
The Museum houses a nationally significant and unique collection of Australian artworks, including important First Nations cultural material from across Australia and a collection of historical artefacts reflecting the early history of the region. Its permanent art collection is recognised as one of the most important in regional Victoria, with strong emphasis on traditional landscape painting and works by women artists. The Museum’s holdings of Tonal Realism paintings are of national significance. More recent modern and contemporary artists are also represented, along with a significant number of Central Victorian artists. The art collection's focus on Australian art extends beyond familiar media such as painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing to include graphic arts, especially illustration and cartooning, as well as ceramics. In recent years, CAM has initiated prizes in contemporary art and printmaking that seek to reinforce the Museum’s original attention to living Australian artists.
The social history collection includes photographs, costumes, decorative arts and artefacts that provide an insight into Indigenous and colonial histories, including the Shellwork slippers (La Perouse); costumes; porcelain; and relics of the gold mining era, including significant material culture associated with Chinese migration. With this distinctive beginning, and an unwavering commitment to Australian art & historical artefacts from the region, the Museum is unique in the Australian cultural landscape.
