The ATW opened on Saturday 30 July 2022 as part of Open House Melbourne for the first time since 2019. It was wonderful to be able to finally welcome visitors in person after two years of only being able to offer digital programming to audiences due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The ATW occupies a heritage-listed building in South Melbourne, one of the finest examples of commercial buildings of the 1880s in inner suburban Melbourne and a distinctive example of Victorian Free Gothic architecture style. Visitors will have special access to the tapestry studio floor and can observe weavers working on large-scale contemporary handwoven tapestries. Galleries feature completed tapestries and contemporary textiles, and visitors can view the colour laboratory where the yarns are dyed for production.

Alongside access to the historical building and to the tapestry studio floor, the ATW ran a range of free talks and workshops to allow visitors to engage with weaving at a hands-on level. ATW held four talks by our volunteer guides and weavers Tim Gresham and Leonie Bessant, one of which was Auslan interpreted. Artist in Residence Isabel Deakin/Kin Workshop ran three Felt Necklace workshops and we offered special weaving for kids and 'weaving play,' an activity for everyone where visitors could experiment with wool offcuts and recycled materials to create playful woven creations.

We look forward to Open House Melbourne next year and we invite you to attend our weekly in-house guided tours of the ATW held on Wednesdays at 11am and Thursdays at 2pm. Bookings essential, call +61 9699 7885 or email contact@austapestry.com.au.