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Spend an hour sketching Robin Boyd’s Walsh Street house with illustrator Oslo Davis. This drop-in session mixes architectural history, hands-on instruction, and admission to the Loose Leaf exhibition—perfect for travelers who want a compact cultural stop in South Yarra.
Spend an hour sketching Robin Boyd’s Walsh Street house with illustrator Oslo Davis. This drop-in session mixes architectural history, hands-on instruction, and admission to the Loose Leaf exhibition—perfect for travelers who want a compact cultural stop in South Yarra.
Book with Robin Boyd Foundation
Verified experiences and guided adventures in the surrounding area.
Operated by Robin Boyd Foundation · South Yarra, Victoria
At the Robin Boyd Foundation’s Walsh Street house in South Yarra, an hour with illustrator Oslo Davis turns architectural history into a drawing lesson. The Robin Boyd Foundation galleries at 290 Walsh Street South Yarra, Victoria AU 3141 sit amid a row of mid‑century houses that helped define modern Australian residential design. On this drop‑in session you’ll gather in the courtyard beneath a plane tree and work from observation, tracing eaves, angled brickwork and the pared-back details that made Robin Boyd a restless critic of Australian suburban taste.
Oslo Davis brings a sharp, humorous eye to the practice; the session pairs his published experience with simple, practical instruction. Tickets include a one-hour drop-in drawing activity, all materials, and admission to Loose Leaf, a temporary collaboration between Tract and the Robin Boyd Foundation that highlights design thinking and material detail. The courtyard’s cork flooring and the building’s heritage fabric shape the experience: as a heritage place Walsh Street cannot be fully adapted for universal access and its bathroom facilities are not wheelchair accessible, so plan ahead if mobility is a concern.
This is an urban field trip for anyone who likes looking — architecture students, sketchbook beginners, and travelers who want a hands-on cultural stop in Melbourne’s inner southeast. The session’s scale encourages slow observation: the low rooflines, textured brick, timber window frames and tight garden edges offer clear compositional elements for quick studies. Oslo’s practice, from newspaper cartoons to a 29‑metre tram drawing, models how restraint and wit coexist; attendees leave with new marks in their sketchbooks and fresh ways to see everyday design.
Practical details are tight: attendees must be 16 or older, no external food or drink, large bags checked on entry, and stiletto or pointed heels are not permitted because of cork flooring. There are member discounts for RBF Friends and Boyd Circle supporters; contact [email protected] for accessibility questions. Meeting point and address are provided on booking: 290 Walsh Street South Yarra, Victoria AU 3141.
More than a workshop, Drop in Drawing: Oslo Davis is an invitation to treat architecture as a living subject — to slow down on a short city visit, to take time over line and shade, and to meet a local institution that keeps mid‑century modern conversation alive. Whether you’re testing a new pencil technique or wanting a compact cultural stop in South Yarra, this hour offers clear focus and tangible outcomes. Oslo’s résumé spans The New York Times, The Saturday Paper and a 29‑metre tram drawing; his playful observational style is perfect for quick courtyard studies. Loose Leaf, produced with Tract and supported by Brickworks Building Products, makes the visit doubly rewarding—a hands‑on class and museum visit in one short compact hour.
easy.
1 hour.
No special fitness required; participants should be comfortable standing or sitting on provided stools for short periods.
No; tickets include all drawing materials. You may bring your own preferred pencils or sketchbook if you wish.
Yes; the drop-in format welcomes beginners and experienced sketchers alike with simple observational prompts.
Attendees must be 16 years or older to join this session.
Walsh Street is a heritage building and cannot be fully adapted; bathroom facilities are not wheelchair accessible. Email [email protected] for tailored mobility support.
Photography for personal use is typically allowed, but check any exhibit signage in Loose Leaf for specific restrictions.
Yes; discounted tickets are offered to RBF Friends and Boyd Circle members—details on the Robin Boyd Foundation website.
Walsh Street is part of Robin Boyd’s architectural legacy; the Robin Boyd Foundation preserves the house as a heritage site that frames mid‑century Australian design debates.
The Foundation balances public access with heritage conservation—visitors are asked to follow rules (no food/drink, check bags) that protect original finishes and materials.
Robin Boyd Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to preserving and promoting the life, work and legacy of Australian architect Robin Boyd. Based in South Yarra, Victoria, the Foundation manages Boyd’s 1957 Walsh Street residence and archives, delivering guided tours, talks, walking tours and creative workshops that connect visitors with modernist architecture and Melbourne’s built history. The Foundation offers a range of experiences: guided tours of the Walsh Street house, evening events such as Sunset Cocktails at Walsh Street, themed talks on modern design and conservation, neighbourhood walking tours through South Yarra, and drop-in drawing sessions that pair architectural insight with sketching and photography. Each program is led by experienced guides, architects and guest speakers who present research-based commentary and curated access to Boyd’s preserved home and materials. As a custodian of a significant heritage property and archive, the Foundation collaborates with conservation specialists, historians and design practitioners to ensure accurate interpretation and careful site stewardship. Its events are rooted in documented scholarship on post-war modernism and local architectural history, providing reliable context for students, professionals and the general public. Visitors can expect small-group formats, focused storytelling and opportunities to photograph and study Walsh Street’s distinctive modernist features. The Foundation’s stewardship of the property, structured programming and partnerships with experts underpin its reputation as an authoritative resource on Robin Boyd and mid-20th-century Australian design. Public programs are scheduled seasonally and include limited-capacity events, making bookings recommended for visitors seeking guided access to Walsh Street and related exhibitions and archival displays.
Book with Robin Boyd Foundation