Making space for Ballarat’s creatives

From avant-garde headdresses to Victorian bonnets, Rose Hudson’s millinery practice is both imaginative and disciplined.

However, having adequate space to create has been a challenge for Rose at times, having designed and constructed one of her award-winning headdresses “in the dining room during the tail end of lockdown”.

The issue of studio space is a challenge many artists and creators face.

That’s why the City of Ballarat has opened the Art Hub Ballarat for artist residencies, in which selected artists can use the space as a personal studio.

Rose, who is currently working out of the Art Hub Ballarat, is the second artist in residence there. 

While some of her time in the Art Hub Ballarat will be used for “artistic endeavors”, Rose also hopes to use her time in the hub to recreate some rare and fragile Victorian bonnets in collaboration with the Gold Museum.

Replicating these bonnets as accurately as possible requires precision — something Rose developed during her five-year millinery apprenticeship, which she began at 16 years old.

While the apprenticeship was a “hard flogging”, Rose describes it as her “greatest education”. Her subsequent 10 years working in the Melbourne Theatre Company’s costume department further cemented her love of her work.

“I worked on hundreds of productions and learned so much from everyone I worked with,” Rose says.

“I loved every minute of it.” 

Rose is thrilled to be working out of the Art Hub Ballarat for six months.

“It’s such a fantastic thing that the City of Ballarat decided to open the art space up,” Rose says.

“I have the freedom to make what whatever I want without the stresses you would normally have, like rent — it’s wonderful!”