Description

Next Wave is a leading not-for-profit arts organisation dedicated to supporting early-career artists working across multiple art forms. We creates spaces for gathering and exchange, ambition and experimentation, and meaningful community connections from our home base at Brunswick Mechanics Institute.

Brunswick Mechanics Institute is a heritage-listed building. Constructed in 1868, the building was part of a 19th-century movement dedicated to adult education, public lectures, and community learning. It was converted into a performing arts venue in the late ’70s. Next Wave took over operations for the building in 2017 with the support of Merri-bek City Council.

Today, the Institute remains an active cultural venue within Melbourne’s north. Its layered history, from educational hub to performance space, makes it a rare example of living heritage architecture as a building that has continuously adapted while retaining its historic character and strong community presence.

Under the theme of Generous City, Next Wave invites visitors to join us on Friday for a curator-led walking tour of moving image works in Around the Block, and on Saturday for an archival exhibition offering a glimpse into Next Wave's 40-year history. Located in the heritage-listed Brunswick Mechanics Institute, Next Wave is a non-profit arts organisation supporting early-career artists across multiple art forms.

What's On

On Friday night, join a curator-led walking of the Around the Block, an outdoor exhibition of moving image works presented in collaboration with neighbouring galleries, activating the street as a shared cultural corridor.

On Saturday, the building will be open to all, inviting visitors to explore its historic spaces. An archival exhibition tracing Next Wave’s work from 1984 to the present will offer insight into the organisation’s artistic evolution and impact.