SEPTEMBER 2025

SEPTEMBER 2025

PAST EVENTS

2023

2023

The Art of Wellbeing

Keynote Speakers: Patricia Piccinini and Henry Ward

Explore ideas and strategies on how art and art-based learning can empower your students through nurturing their capabilities, creativity and resilience.  

Learn from contemporary artists who tell stories through their practice; and hear from leading educators with evidence-based messages of how using arts-based pedagogies can support schools  – build connections, inclusion and student voice.

Day 1. Patricia Piccinini

Ideas of care and empathy are central to Patricia Piccinini’s practice. Through her work she asks us questions about what it is to be human.

Patricia Piccinini

ARTIST

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Day 2. Henry Ward

Henry Ward

Artist, educator and writer and is Creative Director of Freelands Foundation

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Under the Bonnet

Rev up the fun-o-meter & build your own clay muscle car with award winning National Art School educator & artist Christian Bonett.

Christian Bonett

ARTIST & EDUCATOR

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Mindful Felt Making

Create a wet-felted textile using wool with Norton Fredericks. Incorporate mindfulness and manifestation into this practice using slow stitch.

Norton Fredericks

ARTIST

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Drawing Fundamentals

Learn practical drawing skills, build confidence and take risks with Andy Quilty. Develop a capable and fearless approach towards creative discovery.

Andy Quilty

ARTIST

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Filtered Identities

Step into the world of augmented reality and shift your experience of the digital world by creating your own face filter for Instagram or Facebook.

April Phillips

ARTIST

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Painting with Potency

Explore practical ways to initiate, develop & resolve a creative project by focusing on intuition & play. Find meaningful motifs & prioritise authenticity.

Karlee Rawkins

ARTIST

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Silencing the World

Explore the quiet beauty of comic book creation. Learn how tone, composition & pacing can be used to mine the endless possibilities of storytelling.

Alex Karaconji

ARTIST & EDUCATOR

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Piecing it Together

Work with Julia to replicate her studio process of collaging materials to build a self portrait. Cut, rip, layer and glue - piecing it together to build your self-portrait.

Julia Gutman

ARTIST

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Fun Food in Clay!

You art what you eat! Build fabulous food sculptures, & learn modelling tips & techniques with contemporary artist Kenny Pittock.

Kenny Pittock

ARTIST

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My Shaman Avatar

Be fabulous & build a hanging sculpture using recycled materials, objects, festive decorations & anything plastic, shiny, and colourful.

Telly Tuita

ARTIST

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Day 1. John Goh

Hear from the inspirational John Goh, Principal of Merrylands East Primary School. 

John Goh has expanded the traditional role of schools with a strong focus on holistic wellbeing, creative spaces, innovative pedagogy strategies, and learning opportunities.

A strong advocate for the power of art and its role in promoting student voice. John has saught many opportunities for his students, including his close assosiation with the Museum of Contemporary Art’s, ‘MCA Together Programs’. 

At Merrylands East Primary, John leads a culture of encouragement by supporting students, staff and the wider community, to build connection, inclusion and student voice. 

John Goh

Principal

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Day 2. Artist Panel

Join artist, author and podcast presenter Tai Snaith as she discusses the work and lives of some of Australia’s most impressive leading contemporary artists and educators.

Tai Snaith

ARTIST, AUTHOR & PODCAST HOST

Amani Haydar

WRITER & ARTIST

Kirli Saunders

Eliza Wells

ARTIST & EDUCATOR

Telly Tuita

ARTIST

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