International artists-in-residence Jessica Sabogal and Shanna Strauss (aka ‘’Taller SANAA’’) printing In Her Mouth, A Choir (2025). Photo: Megalo Print Studio and Gallery.
A Canberra printmaking studio is celebrating a milestone anniversary by reflecting on its past.
Artist and educator Clare Jackson is the artistic director of Megalo Print Studio and Gallery in Kingston, which is the largest open-access printmaking studio in Australia.
It was founded in 1980 by a group of artists and activists to provide opportunities and support for unemployed young people. In 2000, Studio One (an intaglio, lithography and relief print studio) was incorporated into Megalo.
Their facilities have been used to print protest posters, illustrations for a cookbook made by Hands On Studio, a tablecloth included in an art exhibition, commissioned works and much more.
“If the merger hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t have had all the press-based equipment [which] came from Studio One,” Ms Jackson said.
“Megalo would not be what it is today without having that full suite of printmaking equipment and facilities. We wouldn’t have had the artists that we’ve had through.”
The studio and gallery are celebrating 45 years of advocacy and artistry.
Co-founder Alison Alder said the studio’s eye on disadvantage was there from its early days.
“The wonderful thing about Megalo is that it’s never been a studio for people who call themselves professional artists,” she said.
“It’s always been a studio that’s worked with all sorts of people and worked for the whole community.
“I think that’s why it’s been so successful over the years, because its ethos hasn’t changed.”
After its early days in a “small shed” in Ainslie, the studio moved several times before finding its current home within the Kingston Arts Precinct.
“Youth were described as being bludgers, and it was all very negative. I think people just took umbrage at that,” Ms Alder said.
“[We] decided to make work about it … [The art] was talking about the issues that were facing people.”
For Ms Alder, their archives and output trace a pathway through different stages of Canberra’s cultural history.
“The history of Canberra, in a way, is in the archive [of work made at Megalo],” she said.
”It’s people who live in Canberra using the studio, but also people who have come to Megalo from overseas, from all sorts of countries.
“It’s like a secret soft diplomacy tool that promotes Canberra as a city of great cultural diversity and interest. It’s a fantastic ambassador for the city.”
Ms Jackson said Megalo held a “special” place in Canberra’s artistic community, with the studio providing a space for professional artists and people looking for a creative outlet.
It also runs workshops (including ones for beginners) and school holiday programs, and hosts a residency program.
“There is a breadth of people who come through here to work at Megalo,” Ms Jackson said.
“It really does bring so many people together from all over the world [and] our local community, all engaging with these discussions and with these artists.”
To mark the anniversary, Ms Jackson turned to the gallery’s archives as she put together an exhibition.
“We wanted to make sure all the mediums that we offer at Megalo were represented, from a range of years,” she said.
“I wanted to reflect what we’ve worked on, what Megalo is now and what we’ll continue to be.”
The Megalo: 45 Years of Print exhibition is open until 8 June. The studio is open from 9:30 am to 5 pm, Tuesday to Saturday, at 21 Wentworth Avenue in Kingston.
