Billilla Residency

Lenton Parr was an assistant to Henry Moore prior to returning to Australia to become one of Australia’s foremost sculptors and educators.

This studio is in the grounds of Billilla mansion which was originally built by a successful miner from the Ballarat Goldfields but then passed into the hands of one of the original shareholders of BHP. It is now owned by the City of Bayside. The Lenton Parr Studio is the old coach house and is awarded to an artist via an application process.

I have used the space entirely for stone sculpture. There have been many visitors to the studio over the course of the eighteen months I have been resident there, although successive lockdowns have meant it has been inaccessible for long periods. It has been a great pleasure to meet local residents, conduct workshops, engage with young students and participate in Council initiated projects.