The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia

We loved the Making Good: Redesigning the Everyday exhibition. It’s filled with a bunch of designers using both innovative and everyday materials to create products that are better for people and the planet. Some of the ideas are genuinely clever, some are beautifully simple, and all of them make you think about how design can solve real problems. If you get the chance, go and take a look — it’s well worth it and it’s free. I could easily go back and spend even more time there.

Highly recommend! So many great works to see! I spent the whole afternoon inside and really enjoyed it. The whole building has 3 floors, be sure to leave at least 3-4 hours when you visit!

The exhibition at the Ian Potter Centre was genuinely interesting, featuring a strong selection of valuable artworks. Although the collection is relatively small and not always organised in clear chronological or geographical order, it is still worth visiting and left a good impression. Unfortunately, our experience was significantly let down by the behaviour of a staff member, likely a security guard, who stopped us while we were quietly viewing the ground-level display. He insisted I return to the entrance and leave my small designer backpack at the cloakroom. When I asked why, I was told that “all gigantic bags that do not fit the frame must be left.” My bag is very small, serving as a purse, and clearly not “gigantic.” I politely asked to test the bag in the frame to verify the claim, but was denied without explanation. The staff member simply said, “You must leave your bag or you cannot enter,” and did not allow any discussion. To avoid creating a scene, I complied and left my bag at the cloakroom. After the visit, I returned and tested the bag in the frame myself while the staff member was elsewhere and only a cloak officer was there. As expected, it fit perfectly, even alongside a pack of disposable bags already inside the frame. I found this extremely disappointing. While I fully respect policies that protect artworks and support reasonable bag checks, these rules should be applied with fairness and common sense. The manner in which I was treated felt unnecessarily authoritarian, as if the individual was more interested in exercising power than ensuring safety. Sadly, this brief but unpleasant encounter tainted what could have been a wonderful gallery visit. I hope management reviews staff training and policies to prevent future visitors from having a similarly negative experience.

I had a great time exploring various Bark painting artworks, which are recognized as a unique genre of art. The pieces were very intuitive, making it perfect to enjoy the exhibition while having meaningful conversations with my child. As part of the special (ticketed) exhibition, we also got to see the beautiful dresses designed by Martin Grant. It was a wonderful opportunity to explain the roles of a fashion designer and a model to my child in an easy and engaging way.

Went here with my son and we paid for the Cats and Dogs art exhibition. Managed to join a tour at 1:30pm which was good, to get some more insight into some of the pieces. Stumbled upon some truly lifelike sculptures towards the end. Uncanny. Had a good time!

Amazing displays of art from Australian indigenous and non-indigenous people. We loved every aspect of this gallery. Not to mention that it was free.

Visited here to escape the crazy outside world for a bit, yesterday. It was a good choice. For the reminder of how history spills so much blood into the sand, of how beautiful objects can sometimes tell ugly stories, of how our world views change and grow – or shrink – daily, yet we are convinced that in any given moment we are fixed and eternally ourselves... And for the ability to just sink into the artworks on show, to lose myself in someone else's vision, to meditate on a different experience, a different history... As a school girl I loved the lyrical qua-realism works of the Australian impressionists and art-nouveau; they're here, and lovely. But this time I was bowled over by the indigenous work (most especially those pictured – just wow) as well as the MCM era and ... basically there's such a range of quality across the Australian story. Also, the little nooks and corners of pottery, precious metalwork, clothing; the quiet spaces to rest a moment in front of work that justified slow study ... all good.

A compact extension of the NGV located at Fed Square, this venue showcased a rotating selection of exhibitions with a strong focus on Australian art - the recent highlight being the playful and engaging ‘Cats & Dogs’ exhibition.