This was my time attending the Zart Conference. I was inspired by the artistic journey taken by keynote speaker Marikit Santiago. I admired her honesty and vulnerability as she revealed some of her early works, and spoke of the financial challenges of being an artist in Australia. I think including her children as co-creators of her artworks is an innovative (and brave) move. Day 1 closing address by Daniel Browning got me thinking about gaze and power. I aim to include some of his chosen artworks in my future 5/6 program. I confess to a mini crush on Prof Peter O’Connor as he spoke about imagination and the importance of ‘keeping it warm’ as children grow and move through the education system. I even wrote him an email to thank him for his address and to invite him to speak at a conference in Darwin sometime . (I was so excited to receive his reply the next day!)
I enjoyed the wearable art workshop delivered by Tania (although I still need more practice with gel plate printing). I will be incorporating ideas and techniques used by Francesca in her soft sculpture workshop. I’d never considered using textas or watercolours on fabric. They are so vibrant and accessible.