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Nestled in a small clearing with sweeping views to the mountain ranges, there’s an instant connection with nature and a very obvious disconnection from the urban way of life.
We’re thrilled to announce Meagan Streader as the 2026 Mill Cabin Artist in Residence.
Based in Melbourne, Meagan’s interdisciplinary practice sits at the intersection of art, architecture, and design, with a focus on the transformative power of light within built environments. Working across sculpture and installation, her site-responsive works reshape space—challenging how we perceive scale, material, and form.
Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including Melbourne Now at NGV Australia, Carriageworks, Dark Mofo, and the Amsterdam Light Festival, alongside major public commissions.
Most recently, Meagan was awarded an ISS Institute and George Alexander Foundation Fellowship (2025), and a three-month residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, after receiving the Eva Breuer Travelling Art Scholarship through the Art Gallery of New South Wales (2026).
During her time at Mill Cabin, Meagan will explore the legacies of historically under-recognised women in contemporary art and modernist design. Drawing inspiration from figures such as Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Eileen Gray, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Anni Albers, and Louise Bourgeois, she will develop a new body of work investigating themes of female empowerment, transformation, time, and resilience.
Meagan is represented locally by MARS gallery in Melbourne
Learn more about Meagan's work
Mill Cabin exists lightly on the land. Completely off-grid, it operates within the limits of its environment, using collected rainwater and composting waste to return nutrients back to the earth. This way of living is not a statement but a practice—one that asks for care, restraint, and attention to what is used and what is enough. By working with natural systems rather than against them, Mill Cabin reflects a commitment to sustainability, simplicity, and a more reciprocal relationship with the land.
Mill Cabin draws quiet inspiration from the old stockmen’s huts scattered throughout the high country—humble fixtures of the alpine landscape that speak to endurance, resourcefulness, and a way of life shaped by necessity rather than excess. These huts informed the philosophy of Mill Cabin: that having less can sharpen attention, anchor us in the present, and make space for clarity and contentment. In their simplicity, we’re reminded that comfort doesn’t come from accumulation, but from alignment—with nature, purpose, and the moment at hand.
Mill Cabin is built in quiet conversation with its surroundings. The granite rock that anchors the cabin was hand-picked from the landscape—28-tonne chosen with care—while native hardwood timbers are used throughout, valued for their strength, longevity, and connection to the environment. These materials are not taken lightly, but borrowed with respect. We believe that any mark we leave on the land should be considered, restrained, and minimal, guided by the understanding that we are temporary guests within a much older environment.
Set at 1,340 metres above sea level, Mill Cabin sits quietly within a vast alpine landscape, surrounded by open sky and complete privacy. This elevation brings with it a closeness to remarkable wildlife—animals that move through this place with a rhythm far older than ours. We observe with care, keep our distance, and acknowledge that we are visitors on their patch. Our presence here is guided by respect, restraint, and an understanding that the land and its inhabitants come first.
