Our Story

PMAC was founded as a not-for-profit glassblowing studio in May 2020. Although our studio remains glass-centric, we now go well beyond just blown glass, recognising that art comes in many forms.

Discover works in our gallery — be inspired.

  • Rejuvenation

    In 2023, we conducted extensive public consultations, regularised the organisation's affairs and we embarked on a multi-year, largely member-funded, rebuild strategy. We're working towards becoming a self-sustaining creative hub where our community can participate in enriching creative experiences.

  • Solid progress

    With the opening of our gallery in July 2024, showcasing more than 30 artists' works, we've laid a solid foundation. Through 2025, we'll be opening more facilities and we'll be building out our programming, making art of all kinds accessible to our community.

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  • The restoration

    The rebuild has been a measured process, focussed on respecting the heritage of the historic Priest's Mill, while making the space fit for purpose.

    We repurposed legacy materials, honoured historic scars by borrowing from the Japanese artform, Kintsugi, and used basic materials, like bare plywood and revealing the raw concrete floor to stay true to the character of the building's origins as a working grist mill.

    There's more work to be done over the next year or two as we bring the west end of the ground floor up to scratch with the development of our cold-work studio and hotshop.

    Learn more about the history of the Priest's Mill around which Alexandria developed.

  • Glass-centric arts

    The multipurpose studio is supported by facilities to work with art-glass as well as warm glass. Plans are laid to equip a flame work studio, build a cold-work studio and to rebuild the hot shop as we raise the capital we need.

  • Beyond glass

    Just as our gallery features a plethora of artworks across multiple media, our studio also offers opportunities to engage in multiple artforms as we recruit teaching artists and expand our capacity to host more creative experiences. Book yours today.

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Artists — Volunteers — Visitors — Community

  • Volunteers

    Our organisation's future relies on the support of volunteers, the artists who make it all possible and your pursuit of fulfilling creative experiences.

    L to R: Patron Mary MacDonald, volunteer Claire Wallace, artists Laura Eustace, Lesley McVicar and Hélène Céré helping to clean some of the legacy house-art pre-opening June 2024.

  • Talented lifeblood

    The artists who display their work in the gallery and share their talents in the studio are there to inspire and help you create.

    L to R: Sculptor Paula Gray, multimedia artists Jacqueline Milner and Jessica Sarrazin, silversmith Rain Kazymerchyk and stained-glass artist Hélène Céré showing off their craft at the Baby Please Come Home Event, November 2024.

  • Our Mission

    The Priest’s Mill Arts Centre, PMAC, aims to be a creative hub, where our community can participate in enriching creative experiences — where aspiring and established artists and creative makers alike can gather and collaborate in a nurturing environment, showcase their work, and thrive. 

  • Strategy 2023-2025

    Priest’s Mill Art Centre will focus on being a well-governed, not-for-profit, soliciting organisation. We will work towards becoming financially self-sufficient by rebuilding our gallery and studio facilities to an excellent standard in a deliberate, measured manner, through moderate investments. As we generate and secure funding, we will further develop the Centre’s facilities. We do this all to provide community-focused programming to make art accessible to everyone in our community. 

  • Vision 2030

    With glass-centric-art as one of our mainstays, PMAC will be a financially self-sufficient diversified creative hub with a well-developed gallery and exhibitions programme independent of any one member or source of funding for the continued execution of its mission.

Our bylaws

Photography: Gary Smith & Lourens Joubert