# Australian Performing Arts Collection Exhibitions

This is a list of exhibitions held by the Australian Performing Arts Collection at the Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, organised chronologically and grouped by decade until 2017. Since 2017, the Australian Music Vault has housed a permanent exhibition utilising the APAC collection. The collections on display are rotated regularly. Previous exhibitions have toured nationally and internationally, while other collections are occasionally loaned.

## 1980s

| Year | Exhibition Dates | Exhibition Title | Exhibition Summary | Exhibition Curator | Exhibition Catalogue | Press/Reviews/Notes |
| 1981 | 4 Mar-19 Apr | Manipulating Reality: The Mask and Puppet as Theatre | | Nina Stanton | OCLC 935604965. | First major exhibition of Performing Arts Collection, then known as Performing Arts Museum (PAM). Held at National Gallery of Victoria. |
| 1982 | ? Jun-23 Jan | They Call Me Melba | Celebrating Nellie Melba | Nina Stanton | "The Legend Still Lives" ISBN 0-7241-3711-4. | Opening exhibition of PAM. Two costumes were lent to Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1983. |
| 1982 | ? Oct-? | Penny Plain, Tuppence Coloured | | | | |
| 1982 | 27 Oct | Fleshtights and Footlights: Costume Design from the Golden Age of Pantomime. | | | | |
| 1983 | 26 Feb-? Nov | Bourke Street on Saturday Night | | Frank Van Straten | | Opened by Daryl Somers. Designed by Shaun Gurton. |
| 1983 | 1 Oct-? | Diversions | | | | |
| 1983 | 27 Oct-11 Dec | The Fashion Diary of a Victorian Housewife - Dame Edna's Wardrobe 1956-1983 | Featuring costumes from Dame Edna Everage | | | Ran for seven weeks. |
| 1983 | 19 Dec-12 Feb | Beat! Australian Pop and Rock Culture | | Janine Barrand | | Featured displays dedicated to Split Enz and Skyhooks (band). Poster designed by Bloody Good Grafix. |
| 1984 | 18 Feb-? | Meet You At Allans | | | | |
| 1984 | 18 Feb-? | Just Across Princes Bridge | | | | |
| 1984 | 20 Feb-29 Apr | Don Quixote: The Creation of a Ballet | | Karen Reichelt | OCLC 221492980. | Designed by Laurie Carew. |
| 1984 | 10 Apr-? | A Track Winding Back... A Jack O'Hagan Tribute | | | | |
| 1984 | 7 May-15 Jul | Magic! An Exhibition | | Frank Van Straten and Janine Barrand | | |
| 1984 | 30 May-? | Crass Art: Contemporary British Punk Graphics | | | | |
| 1984 | 16 Jul-? | The Fabulous Phonograph of Thomas Rome | | | | Held in the Concert Hall. Featuring a 90 year old Edison phonograph. |
| 1984 | 16 Jul-26 Aug | Harry Jay - Seeing Stars | Contains photographs by Harry Jay | | | Held in the Concert Hall. |
| 1984 | 23 Jul-30 Sep | Her Majesty's: A 50th Birthday Celebration | | Frank Van Straten | | |
| 1984 | 8 Oct-9 Dec | Pin-Up | | Frank Van Straten | | Held in the Concert Hall. |
| 1984 | 20 Oct-? | The Glory of Chinese Opera | | | | |
| 1984 | 22 Oct-? | Ashton's: The Spirit of the Circus | | | | |
| 1984 | 17 Dec-24 Feb | Horror! A Spine Chilling Exhibition | | Karen Reichelt | | |
| 1985 | 1 Mar-11 Mar | Showing Together | | Karen Reichelt | | Held for Moomba Festival |
| 1985 | 18 Mar-2 Jun | All the Fun of the Fair | | Janine Barrand and Mimi Colligan | | |
| 1985 | 1 Apr-? | Strike Me Lucky!: The Great Days of Australian Vaudeville. | | | | |
| 1985 | 20 May-? | Joan Sutherland: La Stupenda. | | | | |
| 1985 | 10 Jun-8 Sep | Australian TV: The Story So Far | | Virginia Mullumby, Frank Van Straten, and Karen Reichelt | | |
| 1985 | 29 Jul-? | Three Faces of Percy Grainger | | | OCLC 216711732. | |
| 1985 | 23 Sep-1 Dec | Dressed to Thrill | | Janine Barrand | | Exhibition came from National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra (NFSA) |
| 1985 | 7 Oct-24 Nov | Art and the Theatre in Victoria | | Frank Van Straten | ISBN 0-9591265-1-1. | Celebrating Victoria's 150th Birthday. A Travelling Exhibition presented in association with the regional galleries of Victoria. |
| 1985 | 8 Dec-16 Feb | Horror! II | | Karen Reichelt | | |
| 1985 | 16 Dec-? | Still Alive | | | | |
| 1986 | 10 Feb-? | Pavlova: Invitation to the Dance | | | | Exhibition repeated in April 1996 |
| 1986 | 24 Feb-? | Thanks for Listening | | Frank Van Straten | | |
| 1986 | 14 Apr-? | Amazing! Tim and Debbie Discover the Performing Arts Museum | | | | |
| 1986 | 12 May-17 Aug | Clips: The Music Video Exhibition. | | Sally Dawes | | |
| 1986 | 7 Jul-? | Animated Classics | | | | |
| 1986 | 15 Sep-? | A Peep into Dame Edna's Closet | | | | |
| 1986 | 6 Oct-? | Split Enz: Sew This is the Enz | | | | |
| 1986 | 2 Dec-? | Christmas Curiosity Shop | | | | |
| 1986 | 13 Dec-22 Feb | Horror! III: The Nightmare Continues | | Karen Reichelt | | |
| 1987 | 9 Mar-? | Triffitt! | | | | |
| 1987 | 12 Mar-? | Silent Smiles | | | | |
| 1987 | 12 Mar-? | Moomba Schools Video Awards Exhibition | | | | |
| 1987 | 28 Mar-? | Moomba MIMA Film and Video Festival | | | | |
| 1987 | 15 Apr-12 Jul | Marvellous Melba | Celebrating Nellie Melba. | Joan Rutley, Frank Van Straten | | Second exhibition on Dame Nellie Melba. |
| 1987 | 22 Jun-? | Spangles at Sundown | | | | |
| 1987 | 27 Jul-13 Sep | Gone Bush | | Frank Van Straten | | Exhibition came from NFSA, Canberra |
| 1987 | 21 Sep-? | The Sixties | | Karen Reichelt, Janine Barrand | | |
| 1987 | 26 Oct-21 Feb | Constable | | | | |
| 1988 | 27 Feb-? | Dance! - The National Bicentennial Dance Exhibition | | | | |
| 1988 | 7 Mar-? | Comedy Makes an Exhibition of Itself | | Greg Sealy | | Original title 'See The Funny Side' - Part of 1988 Melbourne International Comedy Festival |
| 1988 | 21 Mar-? | The Mo Show | | | | |
| 1988 | 28 Mar-? | The Great Music Makers | Louis Kahan drawings | | | |
| 1988 | ? May-? | NIDA Exposed | Collections from National Institute of Dramatic Art, Sydney | | | |
| 1988 | 27 Jun-? | La Mama: Happy Birthday! | | | | |
| 1988 | 4 Jul-11 Sep | George Dreyfus at Sixty | | | | |
| 1988 | 19 Jul-14 Aug | Historic Australian Theatre Posters | | Peter Sumner | | In association with Joseph Lebovic Gallery, Sydney |
| 1988 | 22 Aug-12 Feb | The Neighbours Exhibition | | Karen Reichelt | | |
| 1988 | 19 Sep-16 Nov | Performers In Bronze | Busts by Peter Latona | Australian Bicentennial Authority Touring Exhibition | | |
| 1988 | 28 Nov-? | Take '88 | | | | Touring NFSA exhibition |
| 1989 | 28 Jan-? | Special People | | | | |
| 1989 | 4 Feb-? | Evie! | Tribute to Evie Hayes | | | |
| 1989 | 22 Feb-26 Apr | Hooray For Hollywood! | Vintage Movie Posters | Frank Van Straten | | |
| 1989 | 1 Apr-? | The Fish of April | Luzio Grossi photographs | | | |
| 1989 | 8 May-6 Aug | Out of the Box | | Janine Barrand, Sally Dawes | | |
| 1989 | 10 Jun-22 Oct | The Beatles...All Those Years Ago | Celebrating The Beatles visit to Australia, 25 years ago | Karen Reichelt | | |
| 1989 | 4 Sep-29 Oct | Designs for Glamour: Angus Winneke's Tivoli Fantasies | | | | |
| 1989 | 4 Sep-? | Melba's Commode | | | | Exhibited in Museum foyer |
| 1989 | 15 Sep-? | Max Dupain's Dancers | | | | |
| 1989 | 16 Dec-12 Mar | Destination: Fantasy. | | Frank Van Straten, Nina Stanton | | |

## 1990s

| Year | Exhibition Dates | Exhibition Title | Exhibition Summary | Exhibition Curator | Exhibition Catalogue | Press/Reviews/Notes |
| 1990 | 17 Mar-? | Broadway Revisited | | | | |
| 1990 | 1 Apr-24 May | Laugh: Exhibiting Humour In Television Advertising | TV ads which used humour to get their message across. | | | Part of Melbourne Comedy Festival |
| 1990 | 14 April-? | Mahler In Wax | | | | |
| 1990 | 19 May-? | The Great Music Makers | Louis Kahan Drawings | | | Second time exhibited |
| 1990 | 5 Jul-2 Sep | Fanfare: The Wonderful World of Collectors and Collecting | | | ISBN 0-7241-9836-9. | |
| 1990 | 13 Aug-11 Nov | Chevron Nights | | | | |
| 1990 | 15 Sep-18 Nov | The Last Edwardians | Exhibition of memorabilia and photographs documenting the life of Violet Trefusis. | | | In association with the Melbourne International Festival |
| 1990 | 20 Nov-2 Dec | Experimenta | | | OCLC 220813862. | Held at National Gallery of Victoria |
| 1990 | 10 Dec-15 Feb | Carnegie Hall: 100 Years | | | | Exhibition from USA partner |
| 1990 | 10 Dec-31 Mar | Destination: Fantasy: The Adventure Continues | | | | |
| 1991 | 7 Mar- | Drag! Things Aren't Always What They Seem | | | | |
| 1991 | 15 Apr-21 Jul | Rockbiz: Back Stage and on the road with Crowded House | | Janine Barrand | | |
| 1991 | 6 Jun | Pounder: A Great Lady of the Australian Theatre | | | | |
| 1991 | 12 Aug-17 Nov | Such Stuff as Dreams are Made On - An Exhibition of Melbourne Theatre Designers | | Sally Dawes | | |
| 1991 | 12 Sep | Oscar Asche: The Rise and Fall of a Theatre Giant | | | | Developed in association with the Queensland Performing Arts Trust |
| 1991 | 5 Dec | Stars In Your Eyes | | | | |
| 1991 | 12 Dec-26 Apr | Return to Destination: Fantasy | | Nina Stanton | | |
| 1992 | 17 Jan-15 Mar | New Orleans And All That Jazz | | | "New Orleans and all that jazz" | Collections for the New Orleans Jazz Club Collections, courtesy of Louisiana State Museum. Includes Australian jazz content loaned from APAC, Playbill, and Australian Jazz Archives, in association with the Mazda-Montsalvat Jazz Festival. Held at Westpac Gallery, Arts Centre Melbourne. |
| 1992 | 5 Mar-26 Apr | Click! The Lens of Laurie Richards. | | | | |
| 1992 | 9 May-19 Jul | TV Times - 35 Years of Watching Television in Australia | | | ISBN 1-875632-01-8. | Exhibition from the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney |
| 1992 | 5 Jun | The Imagemakers: Australian Directors in Frame | | | OCLC 222742100. | Exhibited at the State Library of NSW in August 1991 |
| 1992 | 29 Aug-29 Nov | Entertaining Melbourne | | | | |
| 1992 | 12 Sep | A Dance Treasury from the Australian Ballet Archives | | | | |
| 1992 | 15 Sep-14 Dec | Inge King Sculpture Exhibition | | | | Held at National Gallery of Victoria |
| 1992 | 4 Dec | Just Pretend I'm Not Here - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds on Tour. | Photographic exhibition by Peter Milne of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds On Tour, Europe 1992 | Janine Barrand | | |
| 1992 | 12 Dec-28 Mar | In One Ear...and Out the Other | | | | |
| 1993 | 5 Mar | Back on the Bill! | J. C. Williamson Posters | | | |
| 1993 | 2 Apr-25 Apr | The Jimi Hendrix Exhibition | | | | |
| 1993 | 1 May-27 Jun | Strictly Success: Strictly Ballroom | | | | Exhibition from Powerhouse Museum, Sydney |
| 1993 | 1 May | The Romper Stomper Images | | | | Exhibition from the Photographer's Gallery, Melbourne |
| 1993 | 7 Jul-5 Sep | Much Ado About Shakespeare | | | | |
| 1993 | 14 Jul-5 Sep | Laugh Away Your Worries | | | | |
| 1993 | 17 Sep-28 Nov | Timewarp: The Seventies Exhibition | | Carolyn Laffan | | |
| 1993 | 17 Sep | YOU! Photographs of You, the Audience | Photographs by Emmanuel Santos. | | | |
| 1993 | 27 Nov-5 Feb | A Handful of Characters: Puppets from Australasia | | | | Previously exhibited at East West Gallery, Melbourne |
| 1993 | 18 Dec-20 Mar | Stowaway: The Adventurous Exhibition | | | | |
| 1994 | 10 Feb | Ballet Shoes Transformed into Artworks | | | | From Western Australian Ballet |
| 1994 | 24 Mar-1 May | Bob Marley: An Exhibition | | | | |
| 1994 | 15 Apr-12 Jun | Corroboree: Sights and Sound of the First Australians | | Carolyn Laffan | OCLC 1255604578. | |
| 1994 | 11 May-26 Jun | A Special Madness: Celebrating the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Beatles in Australia | | | ISBN 0-7241-8459-7. | |
| 1994 | 15 Jun | “Welcome to Television” | Laurie Richards photographs. | | | |
| 1994 | 6 Jul-11 Sep | Memories of Melba | | | | Designed by Anna French |
| 1994 | 27 Aug | National Treasure: A Tribute to Gertrude Johnson and the National Theatre | | | | |
| 1994 | 21 Sep-27 Nov | “Ego Is Not a Dirty Word”: The Skyhooks Exhibition | Celebrating twenty years since The Skyhooks released their debut album, | | | |
| 1994 | 16 Nov | “We Laugh at Death” | | | | |
| 1994 | 10 Dec-22 Mar | Out of this World: The Science Fiction Exhibition | | Carolyn Laffan | | |
| 1995 | 25 Feb | Sweethearts of Rhythm: All-Ladies Dance Bands of the 1920s and 1930s | | Dr Kay Dreyfus | | |
| 1995 | 1 Apr-16 Jul | A Pack of Cards: Comedy Makes An Exhibition Of Itself | | | | |
| 1995 | 1 Jun-3 Sep | Marilyn - An Appreciation | Exhibition on Marilyn Monroe for 40th anniversary of the release of The Seven Year Itch. | | | |
| 1995 | 25 Jul-11 Oct | Jaffas Down the Aisle: A Century Of Cinema-Going | | | | Collaboration with the NFSA Melbourne office. Designed by Mark Wager |
| 1995 | 19 Oct-6 Dec | The Art of Stage Design: Costumes by Kristian Fredrikson | | | | Designed by Anna French |
| 1995 | 11 Dec-21 Apr | Once Upon A Pantomime: A Topsy-Turvy Exhibition | | Carolyn Laffan | | |
| 1996 | 8 Mar | Hidden Desires: One Hundred Years of Victoria's Women Playwrights | | Carolyn Pickett with Carolyn Laffan | | |
| 1996 | 4 May-14 Jul | Real Wild Child: Australian Rock Music Then and Now | | | | Exhibition from the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. Opened by Michael Gudinski |
| 1996 | 17 May | Out there: Images at the Edge of Melbourne's Music Scene | | Angela Jooste | | Part of Next Wave Festival |
| 1996 | 30 Jul-17 Nov | Tivoli: A Positively Titillating Exhibition | | Frank Van Straten | | Travels to Queensland Performing Arts Complex 19 Feb-4 May 1997. |
| 1996 | 5 Oct-17 Nov | Tom Roberts Retrospective | | | ISBN 0-7308-3049-7. | Held at Art Gallery of South Australia |
| 1996 | 4 Nov-7 Nov | Playbox 21st Birthday Exhibition | | | | |
| 1996 | 3 Dec-1 Apr | It Came from Backstage: An Exhibition of Theatrical Thrills | | | | |
| 1997 | 27 Mar-15 Jun | Punkculture: Images from a Music Revolution | | Australian content curated by Angela Jooste | | Produced in association with Exhibit-A, London and Write Angle, Australia |
| 1997 | 24 Apr-31 Jul | Dance People Dance | | | | A travelling exhibition of the National Library of Australia |
| 1997 | May | Rehearsing Rites – Tim Webster | | Carolyn Laffan | | |
| 1997 | 1 Jul-30 Nov | Techno'tainment: Revealing Theatre Technology | | Elyse White | | |
| 1997 | 15 Dec-1 Feb | The Circus Comes to Town. 150 Years of Australian Circus. | | | | |
| 1997 | 17 Jan-26 Jan | Circus Comes To Town: Summer Live - Circus | | | | |
| 1998 | Jul | Handspan Puppets | | | | |
| 1998 | 6 Oct-28 Feb | Kindred Spirits: The Performing Arts Family | | | | |
| 1999 | Feb | Green Room Awards Exhibition Honouring Bud Tingwell | | | | |
| 1999 | 26 Mar-27 Jun | Humphriana: The Alter Egos of Barry Humphries | | | | |
| 1999 | 3 Apr-30 May | Dame Edna's Frock-A-Thon: A Journey From Cardigan to Couture | | | ISBN 0-7311-5255-7. | Costume Designed by Stephen Adnitt |
| 1999 | Jul-Aug | Ready Steady Go!: Photographs of the Australian Rock and Pop Scene, 1956–71 | | | ISBN 0-646-37568-7. | |
| 1999 | 14 Aug-30 Nov | Director's Cut: Roger Hodgman at Melbourne Theatre Company | | Carolyn Laffan | | |
| 1999 | Sep-Oct | The Magic of it all | | | | |
| 1999 | 10 Dec-6 Feb | Archibald Prize | | | | |
| 1999 | Dec-Feb | Mr Brodziak and the Beatles | | | | |
| 1999 | Dec-Feb | Please Leave Quietly: Images From Melbourne's Independent Music Scene | | | | |

## 2000s

| Year | Exhibition Dates | Exhibition Title | Exhibition Summary | Exhibition Curator | Exhibition Catalogue | Press/Reviews/Notes |
| 2000 | 3 Feb-12 Mar | Dame Edna's Frock-A-Thon: From Cardigan to Couture | | | ISBN 0-7311-5255-7. | Repeated from 1999. |
| 2000 | 12 Feb-26 Mar | John Spooner: Recent Thoughts | | | OCLC 990045125. | |
| 2000 | Feb-Mar | Green Room Lifetime Achievement Award - Jill Perryman 2000 | | | | |
| 2000 | 23 Mar-7 May | Taken on Request: Photographs of the Melbourne Comedy Scene, 1979-1989 | | | | |
| 2000 | 31 Mar-7 May | Of My Country: Emily Kame Kngwarreye | | | | |
| 2000 | 7 Apr-18 Jun | Look This Way: photographic portraits from the Performing Arts Collection | | | | |
| 2000 | 5 May-9 Jul | Quaintly Wild: Discotheque Dens of Style | | Margaret Marshall | | |
| 2000 | 23 Jun-17 Sep | Paradise Garden: Sidney Nolan's Garden of Earthly Delights and Despairs | | | | |
| 2000 | 14 Jul-27 Aug | Bel Canto: The Story of Italian Opera in Australia | | Carolyn Laffan | | |
| 2000 | Sep | Glossy: A travelling exhibition from The National Portrait Gallery | | | | |
| 2000 | Sep | Women's Circus: leaping off the edge | | | | |
| 2000 | Oct | Tutu: Greg Barrett | | | | |
| 2000 | 1 Dec-25 Feb | Looks Cool, Sounds Hot: Jazz in Melbourne - the first 50 years | | Margaret Marshall | | |
| 2001 | 9 Feb-25 Apr | Star Spangled Manner: Americans and the Birth of Australian Television | | | | |
| 2001 | Feb | Green Room Lifetime Achievement Award - 2001 | | | | |
| 2001 | 5 May-15 Jul | Nellie Stewart - Australia's Darling of the Stage | | Margaret Marshall | | |
| 2001 | May | Cats and Kings and other things: Costume designs from early 20th century pantomime | | | | |
| 2001 | May-Jul | Pantomime Designs | | | | |
| 2001 | May-Jul | Nellie Stewart: Australia's Sweet-heart | | Margaret Marshall | | |
| 2001 | Jun | Off the Wall | | | | |
| 2001 | 14 Sep-14 Jan | A Dream of Passion: The Bell Shakespeare Company | | Carolyn Laffan | | Later tours Frankston Cultural Centre |
| 2002 | 8 Feb-31 Mar | A Step in Time: 40 Years of The Australian Ballet | | Margot Anderson | | |
| 2002 | 2 Aug-13 Oct | Into the Limelight: Recent Acquisitions | | | | |
| 2002 | 23 Nov-3 Feb | John Truscott: A Contract To Dream | | | | |
| 2002 | ? | Archibald Prize 2001 | | | | |
| 2003 | 7 Feb-13 Apr | As the Drama Unfolds: 50 years with Melbourne Theatre Company | | Margaret Marshall | | |
| 2003 | 2 May-25 Jun | Act XII - New Works On Paper | | | ISBN 0-646-42294-4. | Held in George Adams Gallery. Later toured UTS Gallery Sydney 29 July-29 August, Artspace Adelaide 13 September-11 October |
| 2003 | 2 Jul-24 Aug | Rarely Everage: The Lives of Barry Humphries | | | | Collaboration with National Portrait Gallery, Canberra |
| 2003 | 29 Aug-5 Oct | Drawn, Worn and Reborn: Stories from the Performing Arts Museum Costume Collection | | | | |
| 2003 | 21 Oct-22 Feb | CIRCUS: Under the Big Top | | | | |
| 2003 | | Archibald Prize 2002 | | | | |
| 2004 | 13 Feb-4 Apr | Creating A Scene: Australian Artists As Stage Designers 1940-1965 | | | ISBN 0-646-43109-9. | |
| 2004 | 9 Apr-30 May | Garden For All Seasons: Paintings by Anne Marie Graham | | | | |
| 2004 | 4 Jun-1 Aug | Australians In Hollywood | | | | |
| 2004 | 6 Aug-3 Oct | Making a Song and Dance: The Quest For An Australian Musical | | Margaret Marshall | ISBN 0-646-43786-0. | |
| 2004 | 29 Oct-14 Nov | Chameleon: John Timbers | | | | |
| 2004 | | Archibald Prize 2003 | | | | |
| 2004 | | Hibiki & Kuukan | | | | |
| 2004 | | Mark Ogge | | | | |
| 2005 | 15 Jan-25 Apr | Kylie: An Exhibition | | | ISBN 0-9757406-0-1. | Exhibition toured nationally and internationally in 2005 to National Portrait Gallery Queensland, Performing Arts Centre Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Victoria Albert Museum, Manchester Art Gallery, and Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. |
| 2005 | ? May-? Oct | The Magic Tent | | | | |
| 2005 | | Archibald Prize 2004 | | | | |
| 2005 | 25 Nov-29 Jan | Archibald Prize 2005 | | | | |
| 2005 | 13 May-10 Jul | The Sound of Painting | | | ISBN 0-9757406-2-8. | |
| 2006 | 7 Apr-2 Jul | Bravo! Celebrating 50 Years of Opera Australia | | Margot Anderson | ISBN 0-9757406-5-2. | |
| 2006 | 10 Feb-1 Mar | Dancelines | | | ISBN 0-9757406-4-4. | |
| 2006 | 17 Nov-18 Feb | Ednaville: The Exhibition | | | ISBN 0-9757406-7-9. | Part of Ednafest: Melbourne Celebration, 50 Golden Years of Dame Edna |
| 2006 | 27 Nov-25 Feb | Celebrity Mannequin | | | | Part of Ednafest: Melbourne Celebration, 50 Golden Years of Dame Edna |
| 2007 | 28 Feb-8 Aug | Australian Impressionism | | | | Held at National Gallery of Victoria. APAC loaned two Tom Roberts paintings for exhibition. |
| 2007 | 20 Jul-7 Oct | Drawn To The Stage | | | ISBN 978-0-9757406-8-2. | |
| 2007 | 1 Nov-1 Apr | Nick Cave: The Exhibition | | Janine Barrand | | Later toured QPAC Brisbane 24 March to 10 May; WA Museum Perth 23 May to 19 July; NLA Canberra 15 August to 29 November. Book published 'Nick Cave stories : told in four chapters' ISBN 978-0-9757406-9-9in association with exhibition. |
| 2007 | 18 May-15 Jul | The Circus Diaries: intimate portraits of Australian circus families | Photos by Andrea Lemon and Cal Mackinnon | Andrea Lemon | OCLC 271751164. | |
| 2008 | 19 Jul-26 Oct | Seamless: Where Costume Meets Dance | | Margot Anderson | OCLC 658056468. | |
| 2008 | 2 Oct-26 Oct | B-Side Music Portrait | | | | |
| 2008 | 8 Nov-26 Jan | ARIA Hall of Fame 2008 | | | | |
| 2008 | 14 Nov-15 Feb | Peter Allen: The Exhibition | | Margaret Marshall | ISBN 978-0-9802958-0-1. | |
| 2008 | 5 Dec-? | Lynne Golding Tribute | | | | |
| 2008 | 12 Apr-13 Jul | Silver Lined: Contemporary Artists and the Performing Arts Collection | | | OCLC 271892543. | |
| 2009 | 6 Feb-13Apr | The Bowl: Celebrating 50 Years of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl | | | | |
| 2009 | 21 Feb-31 May | Step Right Up | | | | |
| 2009 | 6 Jun-21 Jun | 10th Biennial Leviny Commemorative Exhibition | | | | |
| 2009 | 6 Jun-20 Sep | Creative Australia & the Ballets Russes | | | ISBN 978-0-9802958-1-8. | Later toured to Shepparton Art Gallery and Hamilton Art Gallery |
| 2009 | 27 Aug-14 Mar | ARIA Hall of Fame 2009 | | | | |
| 2009 | 5 Nov-28 Feb | AC/DC Australia's Family Jewels | | Tim Fisher | ISBN 978-0-9802958-2-5. | Later toured Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Western Australian Museum, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Experience Music Project | Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (EMP | SFM). |

## 2010s

| Year | Exhibition Dates | Exhibition Title | Exhibition Summary | Exhibition Curator | Exhibition Catalogue | Press/Reviews/Notes |
| 2010 | 6 Mar-? Jun | Bobby Dazzler | | | ISBN 978-0-9802958-3-2. | Touring Exhibition presented by QPAC, includes material from the APAC. |
| 2010 | 16 Jun-19 Sep | Sight & Sound: Music & Abstraction in Australian Art | | | ISBN 978-0-9802958-4-9 | |
| 2010 | 6 Nov-27 Feb | Rock Chicks | | | ISBN 978-0-9802958-5-6. | |
| 2011 | 12 Mar-5 Jun | Wild Things - Animals On Stage | | Tim Fisher | | |
| 2011 | 23 Mar-23 Jun | 25 Years of Laughs Melbourne International Comedy Festival 1987-2011 | | | | |
| 2011 | 4 Jun-18 Sep | Black Box White Cube - Aspects of Performance in Contemporary Australian Art | | | ISBN 978-0-9802958-6-3. | |
| 2011 | 23 Jun-10 Oct | Let's Show the World - National Display | | | | |
| 2011 | 5 Nov-26 Feb | Reg Livermore - Take a Bow | | Margaret Marshall | ISBN 978-0-9802958-7-0. | |
| 2011 | 15 Nov-28 Feb | The play's the thing…Simon Phillips 12 years as Artistic Director of Melbourne Theatre Company | | | | |
| 2012 | 25 Feb-27 May | A Sunbury Day Out | | | | |
| 2012 | 2 Mar-27 May | Singing the World | | | | |
| 2012 | 9 Jun-23 Sep | Time in Motion: 50 Years of the Australian Ballet | | | OCLC 842063726. | Featured an online component with exhibition highlights. |
| 2012 | 28 Jul-29 Jul | Dressing Room 34 | Display for Open House Melbourne. | | | |
| 2012 | 10 Nov-17 Mar | War Horse and the Breath of Life | | | | |
| 2013 | 23 Mar-23 Jun | Performative Prints from the Torres Strait | Selected works by four prominent contemporary Torres Strait Islander artists – Ricardo Idagi, Ellen Jose, Brian Robinson and Alick Tipot. | Dr. Steven Tonkin. Assistant curator Bridget MacLeod | ISBN 978-0-9802958-8-7. | |
| 2013 | 6 Jul-3 Nov | The Extraordinary Shapes of Geoffrey Rush | | Margaret Marshall | ISBN 978-0-9802958-9-4. | |
| 2013 | 8 Aug-1 Sep | The Contemporary Silver and Metalwork Award 2013 | | | | Presented in partnership with Buda Historic Home and Garden, Castlemaine. |
| 2013 | 5 Sep-6 Nov | Celebrating John Truscott | | | | Held in Arts Centre Melbourne’s Smorgon Family Plaza. |
| 2013 | 16 Nov-23 Feb | All That Glitters | Costumes from the Performing Arts Collection | | | |
| 2014 | 8 Mar-1 Jul | The Beatles in Australia | | Peter Cox (Powerhouse Museum) Carolyn Laffan | | Held in partnership with Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. |
| 2014 | 22 Mar-27 Jul | Louis Kahan: The Great Music Makers | | | | Held in the St Kilda Road Foyer, Arts Centre Melbourne. Selections from The Great Music Makers donated by the ANZ Bank in 1987. |
| 2014 | 12 Jul-28 Sep | Show Time: Spotlight on the Art Collection | | | | |
| 2014 | 2 Aug-23 Nov | 50 Years of The Australian Ballet School | | | | |
| 2014 | 15 Nov-29 Mar | Flash! | Photography from APAC collection | | | |
| 2015 | 18 Apr-20 Sep | Theatres of War: Wartime entertainment and the Australian experience | | Carolyn Laffan, Margaret Marshall | OCLC 910498938. | Later toured Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane 9 Feb 2016 – 4 June 2016, Adelaide Festival Centre 2 Dec 2016 – 31 Jan 2017, Glasshouse Regional Gallery, and Port Macquarie 17 Feb 2017 - 30 Apr 2017 |
| 2015 | 13 Nov-28 Feb | Making of Midnight Oil | | | | |
| 2016 | 12 Mar-17 Apr | Humour Us: Comedy Festival 30th Anniversary Exhibition | | | | |
| 2016 | 29 Apr-4 Sep | Stage Presence - Design from the Australian Performing Arts Collection | | Carolyn Laffan, Lesley Harding | ISBN 978-0-9924935-1-6. | |
| 2016 | 17 Sep-22 Jan | Kylie on Stage | | Margot Anderson | OCLC 1038063550. | Later toured Mildura Arts Centre, Geelong Gallery, Ararat Regional Art Gallery, Latrobe Regional Gallery, Western Australian Maritime Museum |
| 2017 | 11 Feb-21 May | Political Acts: Pioneers of Performance Art in Southeast Asia | | Dr Steven Tonkin | ISBN 978-0-9924935-2-3. | |
| 2017 | 3 Jun-17 Sep | Print and Paste: Posters from the Australian Performing Arts Collection | | | | |
| 2020 | 23 Mar-13 Feb | Stranger than Kindness: The Nick Cave Exhibition | | Janine Barrand | | Nick Cave Exhibition held at Royal Danish Library using APAC collection, but different items than previous APAC exhibitions |