Montsalvat, Artist collective in Eltham, Victoria, Australia.
Montsalvat is an artist collective spanning 12 acres in Eltham with numerous buildings including studios, galleries, halls, and residences built primarily from reclaimed materials. The structures form a cohesive artistic complex that functions as a working creative community.
Architect and painter Justus Jorgensen founded Montsalvat in 1934 as a center for artistic collaboration in Victoria. The site quickly became an established gathering place for artists and maintained this role through the following decades.
The Great Hall, built from 1938 onward using materials salvaged from demolished historic buildings, displays traditional craftsmanship techniques like rammed earth construction. These methods remain visible today and shape the character of the entire site.
The site houses active artist studios, hosts regular exhibitions, music performances, and workshops for visitors. The grounds also provide spaces for private events and ceremonies of various kinds.
The buildings combine European architectural elements with salvaged materials from Victorian structures, creating an artistic compound with medieval characteristics. This unusual building style stems from Jorgensen's philosophy of preserving historic materials from decay.
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