2022
2022
14 December
CITY of SYDNEY – Noël Sydney
Feel the magic of Christmas come alive at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and Macquarie Street.
Noël Light Trail, Digital Christmas Forest, Noël Christmas Markets, Noël Christmas Skyshow, Noël Christmas Variety Show, Noël Garden Grooves
Celebrating the history and diversity of First Nations weaving traditions in NSW.
Community weaving groups from around the state will share their cultural and creative traditions, knowledge and experiences while in residence at the Museum of Sydney.
Hear from Elders and artists about their traditional weaving practices, create your own piece to take home at our drop-in workshops and make a special connection to First Nations culture.
7 December
IRONBARK GALLERY Strathfield Library – Light Interactions: Bernadette Smith
Bernadette’s photo media explores the materiality of light to emphasise non-human agency. She has photographed light waves interacting within a 19th Century window pane at the former Callan Park asylum at close range revealing an aurora-like display within.
These photographs record macro sunlight refractions within heritage glass; offsetting a dominant anthropocentric view of the universe.
3 December
CHRISTMAS CAROLS and MOVIE at Strathfield Park
The Dr Seuss classic The Grinch (2000) (PG)
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS around my area
17 November
Wanha perforemed on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House as part of the 50 years celebrations. We were transported to Australia’s Top End with Wanha, from Yolŋu Country, the land of one of Australia’s oldest living cultures and the guardians of one of the world’s oldest continuing cultural legacies.
Wanha, staring Arnhem Land’s top talent, including Djakapurra Munyarryun, Dhapanbal Yunupingu, Juran Adams and Andrew Gurruwiwi, the Yolŋu people’s musical history is standing on the shoulders of musical giants such as Yothu Yindi. The concert included stunning visuals, narration and a combination of sung traditional language and English.
12 November
30 October to 6 November
My trip to the Sapphire Coast
- Long Point Lookout
- Short Point Recreation Reserve,
- Middle Beach
- Bar Beach
- Nethercote Falls Flora Reserve
- Central Tilba
- Payne’s Island
- Wallaga Lake
- Bermagui Blue Pool
- Wyndham
- Pambula
- Merimbula
- Eden
- Whale Watching – Happy Whale is an interesting web site that engages citizen scientists to identify individual marine mammals, for fun and for science https://happywhale.com/home
29 September
Dropped in at one of my favourite galleries yesterday to see the first day of Julie Simmons exhibition, ‘Colourspaces’. My phone photos do not do the wonderful, colourful and expressive pieces justice.
Julie’s web site: https://www.juliesimmonsfineart.com/
The Corner Gallery: https://thecornergallerystanmore.com/
25 September
A wonderful collaboration between Strathfield Symphony, Excelsia Choir and our very own local Jubilate Singers performing Fauré’s Requiem. Led by our wonderful Artistic Director and Conductor, Sadaharu Muramatsu who was recently cited in NSW Parliament for his significant ongoing contribution to performance and music education in the local area by Strathfield MP Jason Yat-Sen Li. Also on the program – Sibelius’s Spring Song (in hopes for better weather now that Spring is coming!) and Mozart’s rollicking Symphony no. 25.
Program:
- Sibelius – Spring Song
- Mozart – Symphony 25
- Fauré- Requiem
16 September
Some local industrial history on exhibition at the local library, Strathfield – from brickworks to biscuits, tarpaulins to car radios and abattoirs to flour mills.
10 September
CROYDON HISTORY WALK – Malvern Hill
Walk into the past of Malvern Hill Estate with the Burwood and District Historical Society free guided tours.
4 September
David Jones Spring Flower Show
The David Jones Flower Show is a spectacular event that has drawn thousands of visitors every year for the past 35 years. Horticulturalists, flower enthusiasts, bloggers, young and old have flocked to David Jones to wander through the floral arrangements instore, gaze at the floor to ceiling window installations, and delight in the new fragrance and scents of the season.
5 August
A HANDMADE LIFE – The Corner Gallery, Stanmore, Sydney
A group exhibition by 6 Sydney artists displaying a fabulous variety of handmade crafts. Commencing on the 5th August with an official opening on Saturday, 6th from 2pm, the exhibition will continue through to the 14th August.
Gallery hours: Tuesday – Sunday 10:30am – 6:30pm
Meryl Blundell is a Graphic Designer at Voss Design with her partner Ingo Voss. In 2006 Meryl co-established woodpapersilk, formulated from a mere idea of having a place to create and sell her own hand crafted wool and silk wraps. It evolved into a Gallery shop showcasing artists of varying disciplines including textiles, glass, paintings, limited edition prints, ceramics, woodwork and contemporary jewellery. Meryl’s artwork or art practice for these years has been sourcing, collecting, designing, curating, displaying and photographing a unique collection of Australian made pieces.
Recently woodpapersilk scaled down to smaller premises, still offering a range of Australian hand-made items and hand-picked vintage collectibles. Meryl now has more time to focus on her own creative practice and is enjoying exploring her passion for creating jewellery.
As part of her contribution to A Handmade Life Exhibition for 2021 Meryl has curated the NEW A Handmade Life website and created virtual exhibitions for 2021, 2020 and a showcase of previous years. She would also like to thank Ingo for putting the website together, especially in such a short time frame. If you are or know anyone who is a maker/ entrepreneur attempting to go online, Meryl would highly recommend contacting Ingo at Voss Design as he can help you create an online presence.
Website: www.woodpapersilk.com.au
Gill Brooks is a fibre artist who specialises in the ancient craft (with a modern twist) of felt-making. She attended her first workshop in 1994 and has been completely immersed in the medium ever since. She has a studio practise in Marrickville, Sydney where she designs and makes one of a kind and small production runs under her label ‘feltwilde’. She also runs regular felt-making workshops from her studio, community centres and local and regional craft groups, thrilled to be passing on the joys of felt-making to a new audience.
Gill’s work and projects have been featured in various textile books and magazines over the years including Vogue Living, Beautiful Homes, Textiles Down Under and 500 Felts.
Her work is sold in galleries in Sydney and further afield and happily adorns many a convert worldwide.
Gills’ practise creates very little waste as most of her designs are based around re-using and re-cycling her own off-cuts and most of her materials are sourced from remnant and op-shops. The merino wool she uses is both sustainable and bio-degradable and as often as possible sourced from locally.
Website: www.feltwilde.com.au
Ro Cook is a Designer and Visual Artist. Throughout her career as a Production Designer in the Film and Television Industry she always maintained a studio practice in printmaking. She has lectured and tutored at various tertiary institutions including AFTRS, UTS and RMIT. Ro loves textiles and printing – she combined both to create Rokoco Textiles. Her areas of research are culturally specific textiles within Asia and Pacific Regions, and the use of natural pigments. She shares her life with a wonderful family and friends and her over loved Bedlington terriers.
Website: www.rokoco.com.au
Lorri Evans has worked in theatre costume making, fashion design, and dubious forays into the music industry as a singer and keyboard player. After the arrival of her first daughter Lorri saw a need for a comfortable, practical baby bootie. Leather seemed a natural choice of material for its innate softness and durability. The result was a colourful little shoe, very cute and one that actually stayed on her baby’s delicate feet.
Being an instinctive textile maker it was a logical progression to rework this familiar medium in new ways, creating artworks and jewellery pieces from what otherwise would have been the throw away bi-product of her baby shoe industry.
Website: www.shushu,com.au
Romana Toson is a contemporary jeweller and artist.
A Visual Art degree set me on the Contemporary Jewellery path and it has lead to many wonderful opportunities for learning, creating and teaching. A return to making exhibition work in 2017 has been an exciting direction for my studio practice.
Website: www. romanatoson.com
Kim Davies In this strange year of disconnection which has challenged us all psychologically, Kim has been exploring our understanding of various states of being. There is an interconnectedness between parts of the body- the brain, the heart, the gut, as well as our interconnectedness with ‘nature’, all layered with our metaphorical language to describe these states.
This has resulted in ambiguous forms referencing both botany and human anatomy; strange hybrids representing moments of reflection and psychological states.
A Handmade Life Collective
Email: info@ahandmadelifecollective.com
1 August
IMPERMANENCE A Photographic Exhibition Katy Eather
25 July
EXPLORING SOME of SYDNEY’S CBD’S HISTORICAL PLACES
1. No 1 Martin Place (previously the GPO), cnr George Street and Martin Place
2. The Cenotaph
3. Queen Victoria Building, on George Street bounded by Druitt, York and Market Streets
4. Sydney Town Hall, cnr George and Druitt Streets
5. St Andrew’s Cathedral, George Street adjoining Sydney Square
6. The Obelisk, junction Bathurst and Elizabeth Streets
7. ANZAC Memorial, Hyde Park South
8. St Mary’s Cathedral, cnr College Street and Prince Alfred Road
9. Archibald Fountain, Hyde Park North opposite St Mary’s Cathedral
10. Hyde Park Barracks, Macquarie Street
11. St James’ Church, opposite Hyde Park Barracks
12. First Christian Service memorial, Richard Johnson Square, cnr Bligh and Hunger Streets
13. Museum of Sydney, cnr Phillip and Bridge Streets
14. Macquarie Place, off Bridge Street
15. Tank Stream Fountain, cnr Alfred and George Streets
16. Sydney Cove Map, First Fleet Park, Circular Quay
17. The Conservatorium of Music, Macquarie Street
18. The NSW State Library, Macquarie Street
19. Sydney Hospital, Macquarie Street
STATE LIBRARY OF NSW
- Imagine … the Wonder of Picture Books
- Amaze Gallery including Big bold botanicals, Country Women’s Association of NSW
- Map Rooms
24 July
- Cinema – The Lighthouse, Dir Maria Saakyan 2006 (Armenia) Original title: Mayak
- Local Rhythms and Actions
- Daniel Boyd: Treasure Island
- The Aquilizan Studio Making it Home
30 June
The orchestra, choreography, set and graphic design, ensemble and its two powerhouse leads come together to create something that can only be described as magical.
23 June
12 & 15 June
Vivid Sydney is an annual celebration of creativity, innovation and technology, which transforms Sydney for 23 days and nights. In 2022, for its 12th year, Vivid Sydney fused art, innovation and technology in collaboration with some of the most boundary-pushing artists, thinkers and musicians of our time.
8 June
STATE OF ORIGIN – is an annual best-of-three rugby league series between two Australian representative sides, the New South Wales Blues v Queensland, Maroons.
Game 1 to the Maroons 10 – 16
6 June
Paintings by Phil McKay, his recent artworks on display at The Corner Gallery, Stanmore.
Although Phil initially looked at traditional landscapes for inspiration, his current focus is on the urban environment. The urban landscape is a reflection of his childhood passion of wandering the streets of his neighbourhood and country towns where his relatives lived. He has a fascination with the angles roofs create against one another, and against the sky, and the unusual shapes and spaces created by streets and pathways.
18 May
ENCOUNTER SYDNEY UnWrapped – A work of joy made for the Forecourt
Spread out on the forecourt of Sydney Opera House, directed by the “formidable” Emma Saunders, ENCOUNTER SYDNEY explores the everyday extraordinariness and energy behind our next generation.
In collaboration with a group of award-winning Australian artists, including writer, Felicity Castagna, composers, Amanda Brown (The Go-Betweens) and Jodi Phillis (The Clouds), a cast of 10 dancers and words spoken by Warren Foster, ENCOUNTER SYDNEY explores the indomitable spirit of youth and the world they find themselves in.
The riveting soundtrack to ENCOUNTER SYDNEY, is the original ENCOUNTER score performed and recorded by the musicians of the Western Sydney Youth Orchestra, conducted by James Pensini.
15 May
Time Warp by the Meraki Artists – The Corner Gallery
An exciting mix of artworks, consisting of oil paintings and photography by Sydney based Artists; Christina Brunton, Debra Phillis and Ilona Abou-Zolof. These 3 talented artists are members of the ‘Meraki Artists’ which is a group dedicated to collaboratively working together to produce excellent artworks.
”Meraki” is a Greek word which means “to do something with soul, creativity or love; when you leave a piece of yourself in your work”. This is the approach of the artists and the result they endeavour to produce in their works. It gives each of them a challenging personal benchmark by which to assess the quality and success of their art.
Christina Brunton
Christina is an artist with a background in oil painting who took up photography to capture images as a reference for her paintings. It was only when Christina learnt to do digital artistry where everything fell into place perfectly and she was able to merge her two passions of painting and photography.
Creating art is a way of life that sings to her and she hopes it touches the viewer’s emotional strings, in their heart and soul. Christina’s art has been published regularly in a variety of international magazines and won distinctions in international competitions.
Debra Phillis
The work of Debra has a strong investigative basis. Recurrent themes include social relationships, inner life, and perceptual representations of the everyday.
Debra continues to develop an art practise through regular portfolio development and group work with other artists. Recent group exhibitions Head On Festival 2019 and 2018.
Ilona Abou-Zolof
Ilona sees the beauty around her through photography. She thinks of herself as an image-maker rather than an image taker and a digital artist and uses digital tools to convert her photos into digital artworks and paintings.
It is amazing what we can produce in the digital age and how much fun it is. Ilona’s art has been published regularly in a variety of international magazines and won distinctions in international competitions.
5 May
Ironbark Gallery, Strathfield Council – Making Memories
Making Memories showcases the recent artworks of both students aged 5 to 16 years and the teachers of Shine Art Academy, Riverwood. This exhibition gives these little artists an opportunity to not only exhibit their works, it creates dialogue between children and parents and in turn enhancing the connections with community.
29 April
The Corner Gallery – Colour between the Lines
Tony Egan with his new collection photographic artworks. Tony’s Covid restricted road trips yielded images that capture the diverse beauty of NSW landscapes:
“In life there are many roads to travel, and some of the best may be in your own backyard”.
Visit his website http://www.silvertonestudio.com.au
22 April
Lakemba – One of Sydney’s most popular and culturally diverse events, Ramadan Nights Lakemba. The spectacular month-long event is a vibrant, global food bazaar which appears from dusk to dawn. Bring the whole family or grab dinner with friends, it’s an event not to be missed. You’ll be met with an array of street food vendors throughout the entire month of April.
28 February
Blue Mountains in the rain
13 February
7 February
NEGOTIATING BORDERS DMZ Project
Korean Cultural Centre Sydney, 28 Jan – 29 March
Therese O'Leary 
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