As the Institute is 165 years old this year, we will take the opportunity to celebrate during the festival, by including a heritage-style Devonshire Tea as an afternoon Birthday Party, the first of many celebratory events for 2024. This will be on offered as a ticketed event, and will be held in our beautiful Heritage Humffray Room, paying homage to one of the early community builders here in our city.

Talk Subject: Claire Adams & Mooramong

Claire Adams

Born in Canada in 1898, Claire Adams was a silent movie star and a role model for ‘the new woman’ of the 1920s. She was an innovator, world traveler, conservationist and philanthropist.

In London, on April Fools day 1932, she married Scobie Mackinnon of Mooramong, near Skipton. Together they renovated the house in Hollywood Art Deco style, with no expense spared. This illustrated talk, tells her story and includes images from the National Trust collection, showing her delight in entertaining, on and off screen.

Speaker: Susan Pilbeam

Susan Pilbeam has been working on the Mooramong Collection since 2016. She studied Museums and
Cultural Heritage and researched and lectured in the Visual and Performing Arts. She has worked in Arts
administration, been a community artist and theatre director. She is the Artistic Director of The Bard in
Buninyong.

Attendee price: $15 bookings essential including a delivious afternoon tea of jam, scones & cream, tea & coffee.

This event is part of the Ballarat Heritage Festival

This event takes place on Wadawurrung Country. The Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute acknowledges the Wadawurrung People of the Kulin Nation as the first inhabitants and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we work, learn and create. Always Was, Always Will Be, Aboriginal Land.