Melbourne welcomes a significant new cultural attraction with the official opening of the Australian Museum of Performing Arts (AMPA) at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne. The museum launches with its headline exhibition DIVA, a spectacular worldwide showcase celebrating the world’s strongest and provocative performers.
While the exhibition will not be designed particularly for younger kids, households with tweens and youths will discover a lot to discover, particularly these with an curiosity in music, vogue, theatre and popular culture. For mother and father, additionally it is a pleasant probability to share iconic performers from your individual childhood with a brand new technology.
What Is the Australian Museum of Performing Arts (AMPA)?
AMPA is Arts Centre Melbourne’s latest everlasting museum area, situated inside Hamer Hall on the banks of the Yarra River. It brings Australia’s wealthy efficiency historical past to life by way of large-scale exhibitions that mix native tales with main worldwide collections.
The museum attracts from the Australian Performing Arts Collection, a rare archive of greater than 850,000 objects spanning circus, dance, music, opera, theatre and standard leisure. Expect rotating exhibitions that showcase costumes, set designs, private objects, images and musical artefacts from performers who helped form Australian tradition.
For households, this implies AMPA will not be a one-off go to. It is a brand new long-term cultural vacation spot you’ll be able to return to as new exhibitions open.
What Is the DIVA Exhibition About?
DIVA, developed by London’s world-renowned Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), opens 11 December 2025 as AMPA’s inaugural exhibition. It explores the concept of the “diva” throughout historical past, from Nineteenth-century opera stars to as we speak’s world pop icons.
Visitors transfer by way of a wealthy show of greater than 250 objects, together with 60 spectacular costumes, alongside jewelry, images, artworks, posters, handwritten lyrics and private gadgets. The exhibition traces the origin of the phrase “diva”, that means goddess in Italian, and exhibits the way it has been challenged, reclaimed and reshaped over time.
Rather than specializing in superstar gossip, DIVA centres on creativity, ambition, resilience and affect. It exhibits how performers use voice, vogue and stage presence to problem expectations and form tradition.
Tip: Look out for the Star Trail plaques, which have kid-friendly, readable data and inquiries to immediate conversations.
Famous Names Older Kids Instantly Recognise
The exhibition incorporates a line-up that spans generations, making it straightforward for folks and children to attach over shared favourites. Artists on show embody:
- Kylie Minogue
- Lady Gaga
- Rihanna
- Billie Eilish
- Adele
- Whitney Houston
- Madonna
- Prince
- P!nk
- Björk
- Cher
- Elton John
- Tina Turner
- Maria Callas
- Marilyn Monroe
It is a strong means for teenagers to see how as we speak’s pop stars are a part of a for much longer inventive legacy.
Costume Highlights Families Will Love Seeing Up Close
Some of essentially the most talked-about objects within the exhibition embody:
- Kylie Minogue’s pink outfit from her “Padam Padam” music video (2023)
- Lady Gaga’s periwinkle blue Valentino couture ballgown from the Golden Globes (2019)
- Rihanna’s jewel-encrusted Papal look from the 2018 Met Gala
- Whitney Houston’s black and gold Grammy Awards gown (1994)
- Elton John’s towering Louis XIV-inspired birthday costume (1997)
- Marilyn Monroe’s fringed black gown from Some Like It Hot
- Billie Eilish’s Glastonbury ensemble designed by Stella McCartney
Strong Australian illustration additionally options all through the exhibition, together with objects linked to Jessica Mauboy, Amy Taylor (Amyl and the Sniffers), Dame Nellie Melba, Olivia Newton-John and Chrissy Amphlett.
What Will Interest Older Kids and Teens?
Although DIVA will not be a hands-on kids’s exhibition, there’s a lot to interact older children, together with:
- Iconic popular culture costumes they recognise from music movies and award exhibits
- Behind-the-scenes tales of how public picture and efficiency are crafted
- A robust sonic expertise all through the exhibition, that includes music from Aretha Franklin, Beyoncé, Dolly Parton, Prince, Adele and extra
- Fashion as id, displaying how performers use clothes to inform tales
- Strong Australian hyperlinks, notably by way of Kylie Minogue and up to date artists
It naturally opens up conversations about confidence, individuality, fame and artistic threat.
Is DIVA Suitable for Kids?
DIVA is finest suited to higher major college students and youngsters. There are not any devoted kids’s play areas or interactive zones designed for youthful children, and far of the content material is introduced in a standard museum format.
Families with an curiosity in music, vogue, dance, theatre and media research will achieve essentially the most from the expertise. The themes are introduced thoughtfully, however mother and father should want to information conversations with youthful teenagers round fame and public picture.
Visiting Details for Families
Dates:
DIVA Exhibition: 11 December 2025 – 26 April 2026
Location:
Australian Museum of Performing Arts (AMPA)
Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne
Tickets:
Adult: $30.00
Concession: $28.00
Child (5–15 years): $19.00
Family (Group of 4): $23.00 per individual*
BlakTix: $15.00
*Family pricing applies per individual when buying a gaggle of 4.
Opening Hours:
- Weekdays: 12:00pm – 7:00pm
- Weekends: 10:00am – 7:00pm
The central Arts Precinct location makes it straightforward to mix a go to with a riverside stroll, lunch at Southbank or a matinee efficiency close by.
What’s Next at AMPA?
Following DIVA, AMPA presents its second main exhibition ENCORE! from June 2026. This exhibition celebrates 50 years of the Australian Performing Arts Collection, showcasing 50 iconic objects together with:
- Dame Nellie Melba’s opera cloak
- Ella Havelka’s ballet pointe sneakers
- Set fashions from landmark Australian theatre productions
This confirms AMPA as an ongoing cultural vacation spot for households, not a one-season attraction.
Why Families Should Visit AMPA This Summer
AMPA fills a novel area in Melbourne’s family-friendly sights. It presents older children and youths the prospect to:
- Connect with historical past by way of music and vogue
- See how performers form standard tradition
- Understand the craft behind stage costumes
- Feel impressed by artists who challenged the established order
For mother and father, additionally it is an opportunity to share the music and performers you grew up with in a recent, visible means.
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