‘A real loss’: regional Victoria prepares for its major galleries to go dark

Ceramic artist Ruby Pilven with daughter Sydney outside the temporarily closed Art Gallery of Ballarat, ‘the space that has meant so much to me and to so many others’. Photograph: Steve Womersley/The Guardian

The Art Gallery of Ballarat has loomed large in Ruby Pilven’s life since she was a child. “Every exhibition feels like a reflection of Ballarat itself, a tribute to its people, its past, and the creativity that continues to shape its future,” the local ceramic artist says.

When Pilven’s father, Peter, a renowned ceramicist, died unexpectedly in December 2024, the gallery displayed a tribute to his work and acknowledged the impact he had on the cultural landscape of the regional city.