Who doesn’t love a good walk through a great museum?

1. Museum of Old and New Art (and Dark Mofo), Hobart

My first visit to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in the pretty town of Hobart, Tasmania “knocked my socks off” as we Aussies are wont to say in our non-snobby way. It was the end of a warm autumn day and I was lulled into a wonderful day of visual delight and brain-sparking challenge.

— Adriana Palamara

2. Van Gogh Exhibition, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

We went to the show this morning and loved it. It had a theme that was based on his paintings during the four seasons of the year, and we saw some paintings we had never seen before. But more than that, the exhibit was beautifully done, the descriptions accompanying the paintings were terrific, and it was displayed in the gallery in such a way that it flowed beautifully from start to finish, despite the crowds. It has been a particularly full year for us seeing good art exhibits, two in San Francisco this spring and one in Boston. This one was much better done in terms of the way the paintings were exhibited and the show was curated, and we were very impressed — it was the best we’ve been to this year.

— Betsey Cheitlin

3. Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Sydney

I recently visited the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre in Sydney, an institution that embraces local and global community art. It is located at the city outskirts, an hour and a half train ride from the central business district. I was there on a Saturday morning and was the sole patron for all forty-five minutes of my visit. The space embraces all kinds of contradictions — cold but intimate, remote yet accessible, incomprehensive yet inclusive. Most of the art was refreshingly unmarketable.

I walked out feeling confused and proudly Australian.

— George Onisiforou

4. Valentino Exhibition, Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane

Growing up in the outer suburbs of Brisbane, I was used to living near a city that was not renowned for its cultural scene. Brisbane has long been considered “a big country town,” full of backwards thinking, corrupt politicians and conservative ways. This gradually started to change (my parents say after the World Expo in 1988) but I noticed it most in the early to mid 2000s. In 2010, The Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) displayed the gowns and fantastical fashion creations of the famed couture house, Valentino.

It was a watershed moment for Brisbane as a city. I remember feeling that my little city had finally made it. I went down to Sydney while the exhibition was on and saw signs in Sydney advertising for Sydneysiders to fly to Brisbane for the Valentino exhibition — I couldn’t believe the reversal!

— Georgia Sands