For almost thirty years the communities of Nillumbik have campaigned for an industry standard arts venue at the Old Shire Offices site of 895 Main Road Eltham. This arts venue would be a permanent home to exhibit and store the Nillumbik Shire Council art collection, as well as providing much needed exhibition and studio space opportunities for artists from across Nillumbik, as well as hosting significant touring exhibitions sourced from other galleries around Australia.

The current proposal for a Nillumbik Art Museum (NAM)— proposed by the NAM Committee — is based on three decades of community endeavour by individuals, community groups, arts organisations and several iterations of local Council, to build a dedicated, industry standard art venue on the community owned site at 895 Main Road Eltham.

The location of this specific site offers high accessibility via train and multiple bus routes, and is the perfect size to provide sufficient industry standard exhibition spaces and storage for Nillumbik’s art collection, as well as professional exhibition spaces for Nillumbik’s artists and the ability to host touring exhibitions from other art institutions, all supported by an arts education program aligned to the Art and History curricula of local primary and high schools. In addition there is space for seven artist studio workspaces for artists who are emerging, mid-career, established or indigenous from each ward within Nillumbik.

The Nillumbik Art Museum committee believes in the unique qualities of the community owned site at 895 Main Road Eltham as being the ideal location to establish the Nillumbik Art Museum, which can celebrate, support and showcase the significant artistic heritage of Nillumbik, while offering unique creative experiences for audiences from beyond Nillumbik.