The Dandenong Ranges is brimming with artists of just about every kind you can imagine from painters, to photographers, musicians and more.
Beyond the bottom line, grassroots arts keep communities together and connected, they are not optional and play an essential role in human existence.
The talented community also connects through events and 2025 saw the regular return of some classics and some new ones as well, here are just a fraction of the art that blossomed across the Ranges in 2025.
Poignant lived art in February
Underneath my Umbrella launched their ‘Black and White’ exhibition series in early 2025, bringing topics like family violence, the lived experiences of survivors and the journey they go on to heal themselves into focus.
Sitting quietly in Coonara Community House in Upper Ferntree Gully, the exhibition featured ten stories of hope and encouragement from women who have been through both intense trauma and recovery.
“This is a real woman, this is her and her truth,” said founder of Underneath my Umbrella, artist and exhibit curator Julie at the time.
Capturing the inner spirit of a musician
Reporter Shamsiya Hussainpoor spoke with Clematis artist Merryn Emms on a chance encounter on a sunny day in Emerald that sparked a connection that now hangs proudly on the wall of an aged care resident’s room and in the hearts of an entire community.
Ms Emms was walking out of the chemist when she saw Emerald Glades resident, Garry Simmons, seated with his banjo-ukulele, playing music on the street.
Something about the moment gave her pause.
“I just walked past, went back to the car, and thought, ‘Oh, I wonder, could I do it?’” Ms Emms said.
That brief meeting planted the seed for a portrait that would later become ‘The Musician’.
Aussie music platform goes live from Upwey
A local musician and radio presenter took on a mammoth task and is out to even the playing field for Australian talent, launching an all-Australian radio channel in early October.
As a musician with a passion for local talent, Freo launched the Local Australian Music Platform (LAMP) not-for-profit after noticing a lack of exposure for Australian artists and decided to do something about it.
“There’s nowhere else for people to get Australian music – so why aren’t we championing it?” he said.
“What if your local barbershop didn’t have a Spotify playlist? What if they were playing 100 per cent Australian music all the time?”
LAMP is an online radio platform, not a streaming service, but Freo said it will deliver better exposure for musicians.
“As an artist, this is where you get authentic exposure for your brand, for your product, for your music,” he said.
Freo continues to campaign for funding and get more Australian music broadcasting.
Life with Seniors in Emerald
Long-time Emerald resident and photographer, Paul Bianco, brought presence and the contribution of older community members in the exhibition ‘Life in the Senior’s Lane’.
The exhibition, showcasing a series of photographic portraits, nine individuals, five couples, and a large community group, went on show at the Fernlea Community House Hall in Emerald from 13 to 27 October in conjunction with the Senior Festival.
Literary fest launches
Hundreds of literary lovers descended on the town for the very first Dandenong Ranges Literary Festival in October.
Award-winning author Hannah Kent was a special guest for the weekend, and literary folks attended multiple workshops and panel discussions around the town.
This year, the festival’s theme – “A Sense of Place” – encouraged local and visiting authors and audiences to explore and be challenged by the past, present and future of the locales where we live, work and interact with others.
Inspired by the Melbourne Writer’s Festival, alongside other regional book festivals we can’t wait to see it again next year.
Voices from the Edge returned in Tecoma
A second time event in the hills again brought an array of voices from the edge into the spotlight to celebrate art and diversity in Tecoma.
Presenting an afternoon of musical performances, artwork, poetry, drama and facilitated discussion between First Nations, LGBTQIA+ artists, other marginalised voices and the community, the event launched at Tecoma Uniting Church in 2024 and returned in 2025.
Artistic curator Samuel said last year’s event was particularly focused on transgender and non-binary LGBT representation.
“It’s an opportunity to share the gifts that we are as people and that we are as artists to the community,” they said.
Returning for its second iteration, Voices from the Edge was borne from a need to share art from those on the fringes of society and driven by a passion to project marginalised voices.
Famous Yidaki player Ash Dargan began the afternoon in late 2025 with his iconic and beautiful Yidaki playing. Creative and courageous Stevie Wills performed her spoken word pieces and Ed Moon, queer Jazz singer extraordinaire, crooned and performed playfully.
First Nations artists Merilyn Duff and Amanda Wright had an exhibit of their artwork to enjoy and buy, along with local queer visual artist and arts psychotherapist Samuel Hardige.
Live music scene struggles
Reporter Oliver Winn spoke with Sooki Lounge co-owner Stephen Crombie on Federal grants and the live music industry, acknowledging the help but worried about the ongoing mounting costs from insurance.
In March 2024, Federal Minister for Arts Tony Burke commissioned a parliamentary Inquiry into the Challenges and Opportunities within the Australian Live Music Industry.
According to Live Performance Australia’s (LPA) submission to the inquiry, operational costs involved in touring have increased by 30 to 40 per cent.
Meanwhile, insurance premiums have increased tenfold since the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost of living has dampened patron spending, and digital platforms have swayed audience behaviours from live music.
Last year, Mr Crombie claimed insurance costs skyrocketed from $15,000 to $60,000 in the past three years, despite the venue having no claim history in its 11 years of operating.
“It’s the same old story since Covid-19 – your costs have risen by double and plus some.”
“People don’t have any money. We live in a subscription-based society, so it’s harder to get people out.
“You’ve got no domestic bands touring, and they’re not touring because they’re losing money. They’re in just as tough a boat as the venues are,” Mr Crombie said.
Podcast captures the soul of the Hills
Local station 3MDR Mountain District Radio has celebrated hitting 40 in a special way this year, with the recent launch of its very own oral history podcast.
The podcast ‘On Air: 40 Years of 3MDR’, along with dual exhibitions at the Burrinja Cultural Centre and the Yarra Ranges Regional Museum, delves into the origin story of the station and the people behind it.
Dr Nat Grant, the station’s manager, said that as an oral historian and podcast producer, they saw a great opportunity to record the station’s history as told by the people who created it.
“With over 100 interviews and many, many excerpts of archival programs and music, the 24-episode-strong podcast is a testament to all who’ve kept 3MDR thriving over the last 40-plus years,” they said.
Reaching back into the station’s vault for precious moments, the founding members and key community members who have been voices for the Dandenongs have been collected together to tell the story of how 3MDR began and evolved since 1983.
The podcast assembly process took 3MDR volunteers nearly two years to complete.
There are also physical exhibitions for 3MDR at both Burrinja Cultural Centre in Upwey with ‘ON AIR: Local Voices, Loud and Clear’ and Yarra Ranges Regional Museum in Lilydale with ‘ON AIR: Broadcasting Local Legends’ on until 8 March 2026.
‘Respect’ starts here
As the busy Christmas season broke out across the hills, three women stood up for gender based violence, creating a mural in Belgrave on ‘Respect’ as part of the UN Women’s 16 Days of Activism.
Bringing a local lens to a global issue, artist, local, and parent Laura said they saw the chance to create a collaborative piece that would bring the issue forward in Belgrave and have been working with fellow Mums, Kate and Cat
“It’s a nice project that allows us to have a creative expression and make a statement about gender based violence,” she said.
“We wanted to do something for the 16 days. We like that. It’s not just one day.”
The mural will be quite personal to Hills residents, and the artists have been inviting community members to share their ideas on what respect means to them – especially in the context of violence against women and girls.
