Creative Advantage in Highett as creatives show the way

Behind the gritty industrial doors of Highett’s Advantage Road is a hidden community of creative types. In this unexpected setting, artists, sculptors and fashion designers are rubbing shoulders with welders, boilermakers and mechanics.

Slowly, over the years, the road has evolved into an artistic hub. Drawn by reasonable rents and warehouses with space and light, artists have gradually moved in and set up studios.

You’ll see an odd sign here or there pointing to some of the 25 different creatives dotted along this small patch. As well as artists, the list includes milliners, textile artists and printmakers, and there are also workshops for art and pottery.

A bigger canvas

Artist Graeme Altmann was one of the early arrivals when he moved into a studio with some friends about 10 years ago.

“It’s a really nice place to be as it’s got that good quiet little secret vibe,” Altmann says. “That sense of discovery is a real part of its integrity.”

Inspired by his love and fear of the sea, Altmann has been painting for 30 years. Advantage Road has allowed him to work on bigger canvases and invite clients into a commercial space. When he realised the road was home to so many other artists, he organised a group exhibition about five years ago.

In 2019, Bayside Council held a successful open studios day, which was enthusiastically supported by the local community. Unfortunately, the 2020 event had to be cancelled due to the pandemic.

Altmann says he enjoys having a proper workspace, meeting other artists and picking up on the vibe of the place.

“The creative people are fantastic: they’re entrepreneurial, they take risks, they really have a crack at it.”

Another world

Sculptor Emma Davies, who creates delicate woven vessels, appreciates the mix of arts, crafts and skills on the road.

“I enjoy seeing boilermakers coming out in their old blue overalls that have black all over them because they’ve been welding all day,” she says. “Looking into their factory is like looking into another world.”

In fact, after she mentioned her interest, the welder next door left a note on her windscreen, offering to teach her to weld.

The award-winning artist, who makes objects from polypropylene (the stuff used for packaging), says there are many advantages to working near different makers.

“You get to catch up with other creative people and bounce ideas off them,” she says. “We’ve formed lovely longstanding friendships.”

Davies, who taught children’s art classes for many years, was overwhelmed by the interest shown during the open studios day and says her work is continual experimentation.

“You get bigger commissions by constantly doing things and proving you can pull it off,” she says.

Doggy days

There’s a steady demand for studio space on the road, according to designer Kate Sellars-Jones, who really loves being part of a creative community.

“It can be quite a lonely pursuit being an artist and I’ve always been thankful I’ve been able to share a space,” she says.

Sellars-Jones says there’s a constant tug of war between commercial and purely artistic work. As well as painting, she has designed scarves, homewares and bespoke wallpaper under the label thingsareelectric.com.au.

Interestingly, it was her fascination with the dog show scene and dog portraits that took off last year.

“During the lockdown, people’s relationships with their pets flourished,” she says.

As Highett becomes more gentrified and housing density increases, places such as Advantage Road may come under pressure.

“I believe the semi-industrial part will move out and more boutique businesses will move in,” Sellars-Jones says. “We’re just waiting for a little cafe with a coffee machine to open.”

Most of the Advantage Road studios are open by appointment only.

bayside.vic.gov.au/take-trip-down-advantage-road