Why ‘suburban’ is no longer a dirty word

The evolution of our cities has resulted in the rise of arts centres in the very same suburbs that artists were once desperate to escape.
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Bunjil Place in outer suburban Melbourne; a $125 million arts precinct that has attracted over 4.37 million visitors since opening in late 2017. Image supplied.

A love-hate relationship with suburbia has long been a defining trait of Australian art, although that relationship has evolved in recent years.

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Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts