Living Space studio gallery
By Melissa McDevitt Weston and Alisoun Neville
Living Space is the studio gallery we have co-created. It holds our artworks and artist-designed products alongside works by First Nations artists invited by Melissa – and the creative and healing practices that ground us both in community. And if you can visit, we hope you’ll spend some time and sense the story and presence of our vision and collaboration. We have comfy chairs, coffee and tea, and lots of lovely stuff to explore.
Located on Bunurong / Boon Wurrung Country at:
6 Forrest Avenue, Newhaven (next door to Island Healing).
Opening Hours
Wednesday to Sunday, 9am to 2.30pm
You’ll find art works by Melissa McDevitt Weston, a Bunurong / Boon Wurrung and Yorta Yorta woman and artist who lives locally, alongside artworks and artist-designed products by Alisoun Neville, an artist/arts therapist with a commitment to land and social justice, together with a range of creative offerings shaped by art, healing, and our relationships with place.
We are excited to come together with a shared vision for what the space can be. We each maintain our own independent artistic and professional practice, including authorship, income streams, and ethical responsibilities.
Island Healing is adjoined to Living Space, which is an independent clinic offering natural health services including naturopathy, acupuncture, and massage therapies. We're grateful to Rachel, as the owner of Island Healing and our very welcoming landlord, for her enthusiasm, steady support, and the role she has played in making this work possible. We are honoured to share the work of other First Nations Artists — Casey Sweetman, Daniel Church, Laurita Thomas, and Lizzie Dalton. This is coordinated through Melissa, as an independent First Nations led business.
Living Space names how the space is held and offered within an active, living relationship with each other. We welcome all communities into respectful engagement with art, making, and ways of knowing that honour the beauty of Country and each other.
Being in profound relationship to place changes everything about you — your voice, your smell, your walk, your morality.
Tyson Yunkatorpa
Workshop Programs
As part of our vision, Living Space will host a program of workshops and events that bring together creative practice, community gathering, and shared learning in a beautiful, reflective setting. We will do this gently, at our own pace, taking care of ourselves and our capacity as we test community interest in attending workshops in this space.
See below for some of our offerings or visit my Workshops and Events page for more details on the program.
Date: Saturday 28 November, 2.30pm - 4.30pm
Facilitated by: Alisoun Neville and Melissa McDevitt Weston
Location: Living Space Studio Gallery, 6 Forrest Avenue Newhaven
Price: $45 Full / $35 Concession (Health Care Card)
$35 Children and Young People (under 16 years)
Spend an afternoon with Melissa and Alisoun making your own linocut and playing with some prints. You can take your prints home, whether to frame for yourself or to share as Xmas cards or gifts.
You will also keep your plate for future printing sessions, having Xmas and birthday cards on hand when you want them, or if you feel like creating with it afresh for yourself.
All materials are provided. No experience necessary. Just bring yourself and a desire to make some marks.
Click the button below to sign up. You'll be returned to this page and need to tap the cart icon (the small trolley symbol) at the top of the screen to complete the process.
Give me a call if you have trouble or just prefer the old school way — 0405 778 518.
A shared space for caregivers — including everyday parents — to pause, connect, and make some stuff together.
This workshop is facilitated by Alisoun, monthly on Monday afternoons at the Living Space Studio Gallery in Newhaven.
Upcoming dates are:
Monday 14 September 1.30 - 3.00pm
Monday 12 October, 1.30 - 3.00pm
Monday 9 November, 1.30 - 3.00pm
Monday 7 December, 1.30 - 3.00pm
Location: 6 Forrest Avenue, Newhaven (next to Island Healing).
About the program
This is an ongoing group, with newcomers welcome any time. It is not an art class, but a facilitated, peer-based space for creativity, connection, reflection, and gentle exploration of how to support our nervous systems.
These sessions offer caregivers time out, peer connection, and space to notice your own responses while caring for others — including becoming more aware of your limits, and what helps you continue when things feel stretched.
We’ll spend time with what can help: ordinary things many people already draw on, such as objects, images, memories, or small practices that can steady us when life is demanding. These aren’t solutions or fixes to the many challenges you may be facing, but ways of expanding the supports you can return to in everyday moments.
The sessions usually include a themed creative activity focused on making a personalised visual resource — something meaningful you can keep and return to — alongside shared discussion about how and why visual resources and meaning-making can be supportive, especially under pressure.
This space is designed to be respectful, grounded, and accessible. There is no pressure to share personal details, and no expectation of prior creative experience.
Who this is for
For people aged 18+ years who support or care for others — in families, communities, or informal caring roles. You might be caring for a child — navigating school drop-offs, sick days, bedtime battles, or the quiet worry that comes with loving in this way — or supporting a partner, family member, or another person in your life.
What to expect
• A small, supportive group
• Time and space alongside other carers
• A gentle, accessible creative activity
• Opportunities for reflection and shared conversation
• Something personal to take away and return to
What participants have said
“I’d say the way you hold space & create a welcoming, calm & inclusive environment is the standout feature of these groups. I have felt comfortable & relaxed each time I’ve attended even though there have been mostly different people there each time. I’m a newcomer to making any kind of art at all and have always felt very encouraged & validated.”
“I found all the sessions unique and inspiring. It was interesting to see what was going to be made by the end of the session. It was therapeutic art. Alisoun was a great facilitator.”
“The sessions have provided a welcome time out to focus and reflect. The use of art making materials was enjoyable and insightful, and presented without any ‘performance’ expectation … Several times the activity and subsequent reflection brought very helpful insight.”
Cost & Access
Free: For carers registered with the Carer Gateway — see below*
Standard: $120 for a 3-session program
Concession: $90 for a 3-session program (with a Health Care Card)
Flexible: Per-session rates and sliding scale options are available — just ask.
*Many participants are eligible for a subsidy through Carer Gateway. This includes people caring for someone with a disability, mental illness, medical condition (including chronic conditions), or frailty due to age. Please let me know below if this might apply to you. If you are not yet registered, I can help you with the process. Supported by Carer Gateway and Uniting Vic.Tas.
How to Book
Ready to book or confirm your funding?
Call: 0405 778 518
Email: info@alisounneville.com.au
Online: Fill out your details using the button below and I will get back to you.
Design your own Living Space Event
A meaningful and inspiring setting for workshops, small events, creative sessions and intimate gatherings as part of the Living Space program. It could be an event you deliver yourself, or a custom workshop that we run, for your workplace, family, or friends.
Let’s start with a chat and let’s see what we can do.
Living Space Studio Gallery is available for venue hire — a warm, light-filled space designed to bring people together.
A collaboration between Alisoun and Melissa, the studio brings together our two distinct creative practices and, through Melissa’s work, includes a First Nations–led business, creating space for First Nations artists to be seen, supported, and celebrated. This is a new offering for the community — a meaningful and inspiring setting for workshops, small events, creative sessions, and intimate gatherings.
Our studio will host a program of workshops and events that bring together creative practice, community gathering, and shared learning within a considered physical space. We invite gatherings that align with the intent and direction of the space and help bring it to life.
The studio offers a light-filled, adaptable environment designed to support intimate workshops, creative gatherings, and facilitated learning experiences. The space can be configured to suit a range of workshop formats and provides a beautiful, reflective setting for participants.
If you would like to host a workshop or event in the space, we would love to hear from you. Please register your interest below and we will get in touch to discuss. You are also welcome to visit during store hours and view the space for yourself.
Surrounded by original local artworks and bathed in natural light, Living Space offers a unique atmosphere where art is not just displayed, but felt — a studio gallery where art comes alive.
The space comfortably seats 10–12 people, with a combination of an 8-seater and a 4-seater table. If your event requires a different setup, you’re welcome to bring your own tables and chairs to suit your needs.
We do not have capacity to support technology requirements. The venue is best suited to hands-on making, writing, or reflective sharing. For larger gatherings, or those requiring movement or floor work, we refer you to Island Healing.
Hirers are required to hold current public liability insurance and are responsible for the care of the space during their booking, including adherence to agreed safety requirements.
We also ask that all workshop and event proposals are developed with cultural respect and care, including appropriate consideration of First Nations cultural protocols where relevant.
Selected workshops operate within a paid hire structure, subject to availability, duration, and space requirements. We offer community rates at $25 per hour, including a complementary 15 minutes on either side for setup and pack-up.
If you would like Melissa or Alisoun involved in your project, please indicate this in your application. This is available on a fee-for-service basis and is not required for inclusion in programming.
Date: Sunday 6 December, 2.30pm - 4.30pm
Facilitated by: Camille Monet & Alisoun Neville
Location: Living Space Studio Gallery, 6 Forrest Ave, Newhaven
Gather together in Living Space for a heartwarming community workshop where our elders and young ones create handcrafted dolls in their own style, sharing stories, laughter, and traditions that connect and celebrate. More than just crafting, this workshop is about belonging—welcoming all identities and stories and enjoying the richness of diverse experiences through creativity. Chosen family, elders, and young ones very welcome.
Foster creativity and imagination in a fun, hands-on experience for all ages
Use natural and upcycled materials to craft unique dolls - using our rich collection of fabrics and decorations and/or bringing special pieces of your own
Bring your story to life by creating a doll that reflects you - honouring identities and experiences that are often overlooked in store-bought toys
Honour the artistry and history of handmade dolls
Strengthen bonds between generations in a meaningful way - with your family/chosen person and with the wider community
Create a cherished keepsake to take home - with the skills and confidence to make more together
Click the button below to sign up. You'll be returned to this page and need to tap the cart icon (the small trolley symbol) at the top of the screen to complete the process.
Give me a call if you have trouble or just prefer the old school way — 0405 778 518.
Story Time
Melissa’s Story
I have had a vision for many years to create a space for myself and other First Nations artists locally. It has always been an issue to me that we haven’t had a permanent space to share our artistic creations together. When I spoke about it with Alisoun it reignited a spark, considering that it might actually be possible. I had a friend who could do it with me, creating a space for herself while supporting my vision for First Nations peoples.
I see Living Space as an opportunity to educate the wider community regarding First Nations issues and environmental issues, and the responsibility we all have to care for Country. Alisoun and I are very driven to create an environment where community feels welcome and supported in their own creativity. I needed a space for myself to be able to paint and I immediately loved the feeling of the place, Rachel’s welcoming presence on behalf of Island Healing, and the light coming in the big windows.
Alisoun’s Story
Each time I write about Living Space I notice myself tripping over words. And yet when I am in the space, or talking with Melissa, it feels more simple — alive, active, and relational. There is the relationship between me and Melissa, and our relationships with Laurita, Casey, and Lizzie as the other First Nations Artists. We are connected too to Island Healing, who house us, and with the many supporters and visitors who have gathered around, with active hands and curious wanderings. There is a lot that brings us all together, and with an energy and goodwill I haven’t encountered in this way.
Melissa and I have come to know each other over a couple of gentle years, talking up the problems we see in the world and how much we love our dogs. We have done this mostly while painting, walking or sitting on sand, activities in which our shared joy in the beauty of Bunurong / Boon Wurrung Country inevitably leads the way. Melissa’s generosity in accepting and guiding my own relationship with Country has always been humbling, and offered me new ways in to deepen my connections — through creativity and within my own cultural terms. While I don’t claim to have answers for anyone else, and this has occurred in the context of a very particular friendship over time, I have come to think differently about why it might matter. With connection and relationship comes love, and with love comes care and responsibility. If we do it well.
Not unlike our relationship, Living Space has become an active, living, evolving being, with creativity at its core, in which we can gather, learn, and do it the very best we can.
Where art comes alive
Shaun McNiff encourages us to dialogue with artworks, spending time in their presence and creating space for them to claim their own voice.
In calling Living Space a gallery, we are inviting you to come in and spend time in the space and, if you enjoy it, reflect on what you see. We hope you will do this because we know that looking at art is good for you (and yes, the science backs us).
We don’t need you to love our work as individuals (though it’s always lovely when you do). We are more interested in whether a particular work sparks something in you, recalls a memory or makes you think differently, offers recognition, familiarity, affinity, immersion, strangeness, ideas and inspiration, maybe even discomfort. Each art form has its own language, each artist their own forms, which offers experiences and ways of knowing not possible through other means.
If you get a chance to visit, we are happy to talk about our own process, our frustrations, the pieces we like the most and even those we sometimes don’t. But we are just as interested in what you feel drawn to, what you find most resourcing, and how a particular piece might speak to you.
