About

Ambition: We set aspirational goals and we achieve them.

Care: We are committed to cultivating meaningful relationships, understanding individual needs, and fostering a supportive environment.

Excellence: We strive to create extraordinary work.

Pride in our diversity and identity: Disability is a universal human experience that most people will encounter at some point in their lives. APA proudly embraces disability pride, and recognises intersecting identities and the diverse lived experience of our community.

Resilience: We foster strength and adaptability in our organisation and people.

Respect: We value individuality and diverse voices.

Founded in 1974 by Myra Hilgendorf OAM, APA was the first full-time art studio in Australia dedicated to artists with intellectual disabilities. Myra’s personal experience of caring for her daughter Johanna, an artist with an intellectual disability, inspired her commitment to providing professional opportunities and resources for others. She believed that artists with intellectual disability deserved to have their work presented with the same dignity and respect as their non-disabled peers. 

Conceived originally as a touring exhibition program, APA transitioned into a studio program in the 1980s. Based in a shopfront on Northcote’s Westgarth strip, we purchased and relocated to our current premises at 24 High Street in 2004. Over the years, APA has staged numerous exhibitions and collaborations with major Australian and international art institutions. Our artists are represented in prominent public collections such as the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Shepparton Art Museum, the State Library of Victoria, and the Monash University Museum of Art, among others. 

• A professional studio environment supporting artists who are neurodivergent or are people with intellectual disability.
• A registered NDIS service provider that supports people who receive NDIS funding.
• An organisation that sits at the nexus of contemporary arts and disability.
• Proud to be a community of neurodivergent and disabled artists. 
• An organisation that fosters connection, community and collaboration.
• A platform for artists to develop and sustain meaningful careers in contemporary art.
• A champion for the rights and recognition of its artists within the contemporary art sector.
• Committed to dismantling systemic barriers to inclusion in the arts.
• A registered not-for-profit charity.

• An art therapy program.
• A teaching program or art school.
• A space that perpetuates stereotypes or tokenism regarding disability.
• A disability service focused solely on recreational activities.
• A program that dictates or controls the creative output of its artists.