Remember End-of-Year Drinks from 5.30pm on Thursday 10th November at Blarney Books! Please consider coming along to meet other makers, enjoy an early Christmas drink or two and hear about our plans for 2023 and beyond. There will be some very brief formalities and we will talk about the postponed AGM. Please consider volunteering your time and skills, to be on the committee and participate in the decision-making process for the association. If you would like to join the committee and assist with social media, grant applications or other roles please let us know on the night or send us a message . Drinks and nibbles provided.
We will also consider a new name and logo for the association. While we have become incorporated under the name “South West Makers”, there are several other groups using this name internationally. To avoid confusion when searching on the world wide web, we plan to operate using another name that reflects our specific workshop and gallery location, such as “Shearwater Arts”. We would like to hear from members about their ideas for a trading name and logo and this will be discussed at the AGM. If you can’t make it and have any suggestions for a name and/or a logo design to be used in conjunction with SW Makers, please contact the committee at: info@swmakers.com.au
While you may have not heard much from South West Makers since the close of our first fundraising exhibition, the committee have been working behind the scenes to secure a physical space for creative studios, sharing ideas, workshops and exhibitions. We have engaged Lisa McLeod from Connect Consulting to assist in the preparation of a strategic plan and project materials to present to the Moyne Shire Council, outlining our vision for the association and how it fits with the social, economic and environmental objectives of the council.
We are currently in communication with the CFA and Moyne Shire executive and councilors, and will meet with both groups to discuss how we can support each other to achieve an inclusive, vibrant arts community in Port Fairy. Integral to this aim is access to a physical space, such as the vacated CFA building. At present, council are waiting on a building report from CFA, that will provide information about the works that may be required to remediate the site and make it suitable for public access. While this may be a long process, we hope to be able to utilize other spaces around Port Fairy for pop-up exhibitions, workshops and demonstrations.
Thanks to those members who attended our Pop-Up event at the Scout Hall on 22nd October, either as demonstrators or just to come and say hello. About 80 people attended throughout the event and it was great to meet you face-to-face. It was also wonderful to hear interested conversations about materials, tools and techniques. We met a couple from Creswick, an ex-teacher and her husband, who are planning to retire to Port Fairy and have joined the association. Rob, another new member, came along with his wonderful scroll saw and beautifully detailed and intricate mandala carvings. He was delighted to return home with some huon pine, donated by another visitor to the event. These are just some of the valuable connections that can be made by working together in a community space.
Our next events will be three art workshops and a lecture about 19th century collections of Australia’s seaweeds, by Julie Ryder in February. You will find more information about these opportunities and be able to register in the Events section of the website (to be created soon!). To receive the members discount, make sure you sign in to the website before booking your place:
· Cyanotyope workshop – Saturday 5th February
· Block Printing workshop – Sunday 6th February
· Lecture: Ocean’s Gay Flowers: the mysteries of Australian seaweed collections of C19th – Thursday 9th February
· Organic Indigo Vats and Shibori workshop – Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th February
Please contact Britt Gow at brittgow@gmail.com if you have any news, articles, dates of interest, local exhibitions or other information you would like to share with members.
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