Melbourne Art Class
817A Glenferrie Road
Marco Corsini
Marco Corsini opened the second studio of his Melbourne Art Class on Glenferrie Road around six months ago. He confesses that, “I’ve lived nearby for so long, but I never realised how vibrant this area is”.
Born to Italian migrants in Wangaratta, North East Victoria, Marco didn’t speak English until he went to school. After graduating, Marco trained as an electrical technician for four years until he had saved enough money to pursue his dream of going to art school. He attended Melbourne University where he studied a Bachelor of Education - Visual Arts followed by a Master of Creative Arts (Painting). After living around the globe in Singapore and the Netherlands, Marco settled in Richmond where he had spent summers as a child and lived as a student. He explains that “a part of me is very attached to that area”. This was where he began Melbourne Art Class around ten years ago.
When Marco and his wife had their first of four children, Marco became a stay-at-home father. During this time, he was “still pursuing my art practice whenever I could, and I really felt I wanted to be out there teaching.” And so, Marco began community art classes in Richmond. "The classes grew, the demand grew, and I began to bring in artist friends to help me teach", says Marco. After about five years, "it eventually needed a name. So I called it Melbourne Art Class”. With his youngest having now started school, Marco has found he has more time -part of the reason he has brought his classes to Glenferrie.
Marco had been searching for a second studio for some time when he came upon the space near the corner of Glenferrie Road and Barkers Road, which “met all of our needs – from the natural lighting, to the layout, to the floor!”. He says the quieter, northern end of Glenferrie has enabled the school to have “reasonable and accessible parking and street access, which was vital for us with classes coming and going.”
While he travelled to Dumpling King in Glenferrie from Richmond for many years - a family favourite – Marco admits that he didn’t know Glenferrie Road very well before the move. Now, Marco has found a particular “soft spot” for his weekly visits to Ribs & Burgers across the road. He also believes “the coffee here is great”, frequenting Moustache Bros. and having heard great things about Marci from his students. He believes Glenferrie is “vibrant, because of the reception we’ve had and the eagerness of the local community to learn”.
For Marco, the most rewarding part of teaching is seeing the impact of art on individuals: “Sometimes people genuinely change through art and when I see that happen, it’s really powerful”. He finds it incredibly fulfilling to be a catalyst in that process, as well as seeing people “grow and apply new skills”. Through studying art history, working as an artist, and “passing those skills on”, Marco has come to feel a “part of something bigger than yourself”. A sense of community is important to Marco, who feels his classes have become little communities and looks forward to becoming more a part of the wider Glenferrie community
