Coates Community Arts

SKANT ‘Obsecure’ Runway, 2025. Photo: Josh Rountos

Electronic musician stands behind table in front of seated audience — Play On presents Nick Ashwood + Eastmint DJs, 2025. Photo: Lydia Dobbin

Life Drawing 17th Anniversary Class Exhibition, 2025. Photo: Genevieve Rankin

Vinyl DJ wearing headphones listening to music selection in headphones — Play On presents Nick Ashwood + Eastmint DJs, 2025. Photo: Lydia Dobbin

A table covered with small books for sale — Glom Press 'Partworks' Launch, 2024. Photo: Laura Owsianka

A model wearing a sculptural wig, adorned with silver glitter across their face, looks directly at the camera. They are wearing an elaborate cream-coloured layered garment during an experimental fashion runway event. — BAAQIY Collection Launch with Runway and Life Drawing at PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival 2025. Photo: Lance Wilson

A fashion runway model poses in a well-lit room in front of a small audience who are using the opportunity to sketch the model and the garments. — BAAQIY Collection Launch with Runway and Life Drawing at PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival 2025. Photo: Lance Wilson

A model adorned with silver glitter across their face looks away from the camera. They are wearing a pink, shiny jacket, fake fur scarf, and a spiky black wig during an experimental fashion runway event. — BAAQIY Collection Launch with Runway and Life Drawing at PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival 2025. Photo: Lance Wilson

A fashion model dressed in a pastel pink bodice and a large red skirt is walking between audience members in a crowded, creative hub. — BAAQIY Collection Launch with Runway and Life Drawing at PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival 2025. Photo: Lance Wilson

A row of people seated in a room, against a wall that has a series of large windows. The group are holding drawing boards on their laps as they sketch the human form, which is out of the frame. — Life Drawing, 2024. Photo: Genevieve Rankin

Birds eye view of two people holding sketching boards at a life drawing class. — Life Drawing, 2024. Photo: Genevieve Rankin

A woman wearing casual clothes is in a large room at an exhibition opening — Life Drawing 16th Anniversary Class Exhibition, 2024. Photo: Genevieve Rankin

Male model poses in the centre of room at a life drawing class. A group of people surround him sketching the human form. — Life Drawing, 2024. Model: Falconeris. Photo: Genevieve Rankin

Three women standing behind a drinks table are laughing and enjoying themselves at an exhibition opening — Life Drawing 16th Anniversary Class Exhibition, 2024. Photo: Genevieve Rankin

A young woman is smiling and looking at artworks on display at a life drawing class exhibition. — Life Drawing 16th Anniversary Class Exhibition, 2024. Photo: Genevieve Rankin

Three woman are facing a wall. They are looking at an exhibition of drawings. — Life Drawing 16th Anniversary Class Exhibition, 2024. Photo: Genevieve Rankin

A room full of people are gathered at an exhibition opening. They are drinking, talking and looking at artowrks on display. — Glom Press 'Partworks' Launch, 2024. Photo: Laura Owsianka

A man looks at an exhibition of paper drawings that are hanging from string in front of a timber veneer wall. — Glom Press 'Partworks' Launch, 2024. Photo: Laura Owsianka

Melbourne Design Week ‘Beyond Profit’ Presented by Principle Design, 2024. Photo: Principle Design

Young woman leans on a black table next to another young woman who is seated during a sewing workshop. She is learning how to sew using a sewing machine. — Future Archive ‘Redesigning Waste: Pocket Politics’ Workshop as part of PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival 2024. Photo: Melanie Read

A professional photo showing the main area of Coates Community Arts with bright lights, large windows and shiny timber-tiled floors and white walls — Photo: Matthew McQuiggan

A candid photp of a man hugging a smiling child from behind at Coates Community Arts. The room is filled with racks of vintage clothes. There are other shoppers n the room are looking at the racks of clothes. — Fresh Flames Pop Up Store, 2023. Photo: Jontee Langton

A busy crowd of people fill Coates Community Arts looking at racks of vintage clothing. The people are young, they look happy, and are wearing street style fashion. — Fresh Flames Pop Up Store, 2023. Photo: Jotham Kuku

A young man directs several young people through a glass door which is the entry to the Coates Building. — Fresh Flames Pop Up Store, 2023. Photo: Jotham Kuku

a crowd of young men and some women dressed in youth street fashion line up outside the coates building which looks somewhat derelict and empty with a large 'for lease' sign stuck to the building's glass entrance — Fresh Flames Pop Up Store, 2023. Photo: Jontee Langton

Artist Sandy Caldow holidng a book and reading a poem from the book to an audience at Coates Community Arts — Poetry Readings by Collective Effort Press members π.o. and Sandy Caldow, 2023. Photo: Genevieve Rankin

A candid image of the opening event at Coates Community Arts. Standing in the room is a man who is communicating via Auslan to a woman. Seated is a man and a woman, in conversation, looking comfortable on a retro bench seat. — Opening event at Coates Community Arts, 2023. Photo: Genevieve Rankin

A crowd of casually dressed people standing quietly and listening to a poetry reading at Coates Community Arts — Opening event at Coates Community Arts, 2023. Photo: Genevieve Rankin

Coates Community Arts (CCA) is a community-driven arts space inside the Coates Building, an unrestored medical building situated at the eastern end of Collins Street, Melbourne.

Established by Louise Klerks, who has previously founded Chapter House Lane off Flinders Lane and Missing Persons in the Nicholas Building, CCA continues the direction of these earlier projects to support independent and experimental creative practice across art forms. It highlights emerging artists and designers, collaborative ways of working, and encourages participation and enjoyment by the wider community through a range of creative pursuits.

Each year, CCA participates in major cultural festivals through satellite events and programming, including Melbourne Design Week, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Melbourne Fringe Festival, and Melbourne Fashion Festival.

There are many ways to become involved in CCA, including pop-up events, workshops, exhibitions, and weekly life drawing classes.

Life Drawing: Untutored life drawing classes are held on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. No prior experience is necessary. Sessions are $22, with materials provided. Bookings are made via Trybooking, with walk-ins also welcome. Further information is listed on the Trybooking page.

Venue Hire: CCA is open to proposals, and the space is available for hire. View Creative Spaces for floor plans and hirer information.

Contact Us: For more information, enquiries can be directed to: hello@coatescommunityarts.com

Stay Connected: Follow CCA on Facebook and Instagram.

Mailing list: Subscribe to the mailing list for updates.

Location: Coates Community Arts, Suite 6, Level 4, 20 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC, Australia 3000 (Coates Building)

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Coates Community Arts acknowledges the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as the traditional custodians of the land on which we gather and create. We recognise that this land always was and always will be Aboriginal land. Sovereignty was never ceded.