‘The Ashes’ are coming to the State Library Victoria

March 24, 2019

The new world class gallery at the State Library, the Victoria Gallery will play home to ‘The Ashes’, on loan from the Marylebone Cricket Club from December 2019, in an exhibition titled, ‘Velvet, Iron, Ashes’.

This will be Library’s largest ever free exhibition, bringing to life the surprising connections between some of Victoria’s greatest stories.

As the Exclusive caterer and event partner to the State Library, Showtime Event Group are developing corporate packages with private viewings and curated experiences in line with the exhibition.

Showtime Event Group General Manager, Brad Dabbs said: ‘The ability to add world class exhibitions in conjunction with business events is an important part of bringing new markets in to the library. This particular exhibit aligns perfectly with the way we position our offering to the international business events market, and the incentive groups that are more and more looking at Melbourne as their next destination’.

Showtime Event Group will launch corporate dining packages in conjunction with the exhibit and the accompanying collection over the coming weeks.

Minister for Creative Industry (and self-confessed cricket tragic), Martin Foley announced the massive coupe for the Library, with The Ashes urn to be on display in the Victoria Gallery from December this year. ‘The Ashes is central to all cricket lovers. It will be the first time in a decade the urn will come to Australia, and only the third time in its 137 year history. In some way, it’s a homecoming being born in Sunbury’.

The Victoria Gallery adjoins the library’s newest event space, Isabella Fraser Room, which opened for events in September 2018. The space has capacity for 200 guests seated, and up to 300 for standing events.

The Velvet Iron Ashes exhibit will also feature the armour worn by infamous bushranger Ned Kelly.

The ambitious $88m State Library Vision 2020 renovation project is due for completion at the end of this year, with 11 event spaces all in operation by December. Showtime Event Group were appointed in August 2018 as the exclusive caterer and event partner to the State Library Victoria.