THE Whitsundays Arts Festival has a full art workshop program for the week of September 17 to 25.
Many of the workshops explore the festival theme ‘Memories’ and others are just for fun.
Get involved, as the 2022 artists-in-residence take participants through a series of free and ticketed workshops designed to enjoy, learn, develop skills, network with your community of fellow artists.
The professional series will be held from September 17 to 24 in the workshop space, at Kipara Tropical Rainforest Retreat and, from September 24 to 25, at the festival site in Fairy Tree Park, on the Airlie Beach foreshore.
“We have a great variety of workshops planned this year,” workshop co-ordinator and Townsville artist and art teacher Sandy Guy said.
“Due to the popularity of previous year’s workshops and increasing demand we will be expanding to a full week of fun and creative opportunities for the whole community of the Whitsundays.”
CREATE YOUR OWN BOOK
One of the most popular workshops last year was Creating Children’s Books with publisher, illustrator, and children’s books author Sofia Fortunato.
Sofia will be back this year to help transform your memories into storybook characters and create your own book for children.
This is the perfect workshop for anyone interested in taking their bedtime story-telling techniques to the next level.
SIP AND PAINT
This year will also include our first-ever ‘Sip and Paint’ workshop with Amanda Sadler, who will lead participants through Frida Khalo-esque painting techniques, all while sipping on your favourite drinks!
As well as this professional series program, there are free workshops assisting visiting artists to produce exciting art installations that will be transforming the festival site into an outdoor art spectacular, on Saturday 24 September.
FREE WORKSHOPS
These workshops include stingrays made from rope and recycled materials with Marion Gaemers and Lynnette Griffiths, and painted memory boards with Amanda Sadler.
Recently, WAF hosted the first free workshops for the 2022 program, weaving large stingrays with artists Marion Gaemers and Lynnette Griffiths, which will be part of the ‘Soaring Stingrays’ installation suspended above the festival site, in September.
Workshop attendees learnt how to weave, stitch, and create intricate designs from recycled rope and fishing netting gathered from around the reef by Eco Barge Clean Seas. See photos.
The 2022 art workshop program is an exciting and interactive element of the Whitsundays Arts Festival, built on the vision of bringing art to everyone, and the opportunity to immerse yourself in creativity.
Whether it be weaving, painting, stitching, storytelling, illustration or sketching, explore your artistic potential this year with some of Queensland’s finest artists.