Arts news watch: this week’s trending topics

Stay up-to-date with our weekly summary of the most-read arts news stories on ArtsHub. Today: how artists are funding their work beyond grants, head tenant appointed for Circus Centre Australia and more.
A photograph of a fair-skinned hand holding up a camera lens in front of a stark, misty winter landscape of bare trees, moorland and a river. The landscape is reversed in the lens. The photo is illustrating ArtsHub's weekly arts news watch column.

Each Saturday, we summarise ArtsHub’s most-read stories of the week in order to bring you up to speed with the latest arts news you may have missed. Here are the news stories – both industry oriented and public facing – reviews and career stories that caught our readers’ eyes over the last seven days.

This week’s top arts news stories

Flying Fruit Fly Circus appointed head tenant of state-of-the-art circus centre in Melbourne

The former Circus Oz training and rehearsal centre in Collingwood, renamed Circus Centre Melbourne, is expected to open its doors in October, with the Fruities keen to stress that “this is an expansion, not a relocation”. 

Man Ray and Max Dupain exhibition coming to Heide

Man Ray’s influence on Max Dupain – and the significant roles their respective partners, Lee Miller and Olive Cotton played in each artist’s creative practice – will be explored in the new exhibition.

triple j launches Hottest 100 of Australian songs for 50th birthday celebrations

To mark its 50th anniversary, triple j is launching a one-off Hottest 100 countdown celebrating the Australian songs that have shaped the nation’s sound.

From Kahlo to Keys of Gold, the joys of Bendigo in winter (sponsored)

There are some cities that are worth a visit all year-round. But Bendigo in the colder months is especially full of charm.

More arts news

Top reviews for the week

ArtsHub uses a five-star rating system. These are the week’s most read reviews from around the country:

Exhibition review: French Impressionism from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, NGV International ★★★★

The NGV’s Winter Masterpieces exhibition brings beloved old masters to Melbourne.

Festival review: Dark Mofo 2025 Week One ★★★★

Dark Mofo returns to the embrace of an enthusiastic crowd after a one-year hiatus. Here are the top 2025 highlights.

Book review: The Good Daughter, Kumi Taguchi ★★★

The SBS journalist’s memoir about her struggle to understand her Japanese heritage.

Theatre review: The Spare Room, Belvoir St Theatre ★★★★

Based on the Helen Garner book, this play is a study of terminal illness from the point of view of both patient and carer.

Book review: Heart Lamp, Banu Mushtaq ★★★★★

This year’s Booker Prize winner, Heart Lamp, certainly deserves the accolade.

More recent reviews

Career and education chatter this week

The new money: how artists are funding their work beyond grants

With traditional funding sources tightening, Australia’s creative workers are turning to alternative revenue streams – but not without cost.

What I learned from 12 years at Sydney Fringe Festival: Kerri Glasscock

As she leaves Sydney Fringe to take up the reins as Executive Director of Create NSW, Glasscock shares some of her key learnings from her time at the Fringe with ArtsHub.

10 expert tips on how to be a ghostwriter

Ghostwriting isn’t just writing for someone else. It’s shaping their story, capturing their voice and helping them say the things that matter most.

More careers articles

Video spotlight

Have you checked out our Education and Student News landing page? It’s a great feature to make it easier to find career stories.

Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts