Latest news and information

Translating art to design workshop - Bundaberg 24 April 

In the lead up to the 'Wildfowering by Design: Wild/flower Women IV' exhibition we are inviting artists to participate in workshops to build and share skills. This first Bundaberg-based workshop will explore different ways to capture visual reference material from the natural world, engage in mark making, pattern making and translation into design. ​
Learn how to create beautiful nature-based patterns that can be translated to designs and products! This is a workshop for artists, artisans & designers featuring sessions with: 
  • Julie Appo is a Gooreng Gooreng woman, fashion design and artist who in recent times has used digital designs to produce unique fabrics for her fashion garments.
  • Marni Stuart is a wildflower wanderer, pattern designer and design educator. Each of her patterns begins by hand, using drawing, painting and other mark-making techniques to create varied patterns.
  • Dr Sue Davis is the curator for the 'Wildflowering by Design' exhibition  uses a range of media and arts processes to capture and respond to wildflowers and the natural world.
  • CQUniversity Bundaberg has recently established a small maker space with a focus on potential use for arts/craft based creating. A number of different technologies and tools will be introduced.
Some materials and morning tea provided, please bring preferred drawing materials if you have some, your lunch and laptop or iPad.
Cost:  $30 plus booking fee, bookings via Eventbrite

Wildflowering by Design: Wild/flower Women IV 

​Inspired by the her-stories of groundbreaking wild/flower women Kathleen McArthur, Vera Scarth Johnson and designer Florence Broadhurst  contemporary female artists transform the delicate beauty of our native wildflowers to art, wallpaper, objects and design.   See the exhibition page for more details! 

Wildflowering and Healing garden work with Hiromi Tango 

Earlier this year it was wonderful to collaborate with artist Hiromi Tango and Megan Williams of USC Art Gallery on developing a Sunshine Coast Healing Garden. A number of  workshops were held at USC Art Gallery in association with the 'Craftivism, Dissident Objects and Subversive Forms' exhibition - a Shepparton Art Museum exhibition, curated by Anna Briers and Rebecca Coates, touring nationally by NETS Victoria. The exhibition was on view at the University of Sunshine Coast Art Gallery, Queensland 22 November 2020 – 16 January 2021.
Hiromi Tango created an initial education resource with information about her work and process, and instructions on how to create four paper flowers for a healing garden. 
'A Sunshine Coast Wildflowering Inspiration' package has now been created as a phase II. This includes a reflective essay and collection of wildflowers that have been in bloom over the summer months. 
It is hoped that the healing garden project will continue to grow across the region in 2021. 
Click on the resource cover images below to download the education resources.
Online exhibition Fryer Fellowship Presentation article
Fryer Fellowship Lecture (Link to article about the presentation) 
"Kathleen McArthur: Wild/flower Woman" by Associate Professor Susan Davis, CQUniversity (was held at the Fryer Library University of Queensland, 27 March 2019)
Articles 
Davis, Susan (2020. Wildflowering culture: Kathleen McArthur and creating a popular wildflower consciousness’, The Australasian Journal of Popular, Culture, 9:1, pp. 67–82.
​
Davis, Susan. (2019). Wandering and Wildflowering - Walking with Women into Intimacy and Ecological Action. M/C Journal, 22 (4). 

Davis, Susan. (2019). "Hidden women of History: Kathleen McArthur, the wildflower woman who took on Joh Bjelke-Petersen". The Conversation. 31 January 2019. The Conversation, 31 January 2019 

The Wild/flower Women projects and initiatives

The 'Wild/flower Women' initiatives have been inspired by pioneering artists and environmentalists Kathleen McArthur and Judith Wright.  Their 'wild' passion, artistry and activism deserves to be revisited and celebrated, while also prompting us to consider anew the ways we learn about, nurture and protect our native wildflowers and environments. 
Specific activities started in 2016 with a symposium at CQUniversity Noosa and an exhibition at Noosa Regional Gallery. An exhibition at Caloundra Regional Gallery in 2018 extended upon the 2016/7 exhibition through inviting contemporary Sunshine Coast artists to respond to the work and artistry of Kathleen McArthur as well as to the wallum, the wildflowers and environments that inspired her. ​A smaller symposium was also convened and 'lunch-hour theatre' style script created for an Anywhere Theatre performance. The work and inspiration continues, with initiator Dr Susan Davis being awarded the Fryer Fellowship for 2018-19 and working on related publications, exhibitions and presentations.  Others also continue enacting the living legacy of the wild/flower women who have inspired us!