It’s not too late to enrol in Winter School!

Take the opportunity to book into one of our creative winter courses designed to feed the soul! We still have a few places available.

Organic indigo vats: shibori & resist printing with Julie Ryder - Explore different types of indigo vats and the many aspects of shibori in order to resist dye with indigo - clamping, stitching, pole-wrapping, resist paste printing and much more. 

Creative papermaking with Peter Taylor - Learn to recycle coloured paper, pulp production and sheet formation moving on to natural and man-made additions: dyes, double-couching ‘sandwiches’, embossing, joining sheets, bowl making, surface treatment and chromatography. This course is ideal for those who are interested in extending their current art practice.

Soft basketry with Jillian Culey - Learn twine, plait and twill basket weaving to create small sample baskets/bags in each technique. Explore fibres, textures and patterns while considering design and form, going on to extend your skills into a major project.

Metalworking with Vicki Mason - Learn from a master of her craft!  Using the rolling mills as a tool for drawing on metal, explore design elements, solder inlay, making jigs, findings and patination. Ideal for those looking for a new avenue of exploration and invention!

Wood Carving; one small tree with Jeff Donne - Create a number of beautiful handmade objects. Using knife and axe-carving techniques, make a selection of hand carved spoons working up to a complex Swedish eating spoon with a cranked bowl and handle decoration. 

Five, one-day children’s classes: Mixed Media & Drawing, Painting & Drawing, Basketry, Printmaking on Fabric, Ceramics. The children’s classes run concurrently with the adult classes allowing parents and children to all have a creative week!

For more information or to enrol, visit http://www.sturt.nsw.edu.au/education/winter-school. Alternatively, you can call Sturt Shop on +61 2  4860 2083. The Gallery is open 7 days from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

You are invited to the opening of our next exhibition: Circling Back, 9 June - 28 July

A stunning new exhibition of sculptural work using basketry, woven installations and wall hangings in salvaged metal and natural fibres, exploring traces in a rural landscape.

Raised in rural Australia, Harriet Goodall is a full-time sculptor and basket maker exploring the intersection of traditional craft with contemporary art and design. She has taught regular basketry classes for more than ten years in Australia and internationally and has pieces in private and commercial collections.

“I am forever circling back, not just in my dreams, but literally also to collect materials I find by the roadside or in the paddocks. I weave through these fences and burnt out car panels with naturally coloured fibres that mimic the scribbly lines of insects on bark, striations in granite boulders, wending rivers or sheep tracks in dry paddocks. My heart beats for the decay and beauty of inland Australia and this is an elegy for the loss of feeling that I belong there”.

The exhibition opening will take place on Sunday 9 June at 11:00am and will be opened by special guest, Sophie Hansen, food writer, blogger, farmer and 2016 Australian Rural Woman of the Year. 

REMINDER: Frensham Schools PARENT PREVIEW – 10:00am Friday 7 June

New weekly class in Jewellery
A new weekly class for adults wishing to learn jewellery/metalwork has been scheduled for Wednesday nights in Term 2 from 6.00pm to 9.00pm. There are a few places still available for this class. Contact Sturt Shop if you are interested in joining the class.

Short Courses
Our next weekend of short courses will take place on Saturday 3 & Sunday 4 August from 9.30am-4.30pm.

Make a low stool with Evan Dunstone (3-day course: Friday 2 - Sunday 4 August)
The low stool is comprised of a simple 3-board construction that relies on 2 critical joints. A “bird’s beak” connecting the legs to the top is consistent across all three joinery options. Entry level Students can choose a through-wedged-dowel joint to finish off the Bird’s Beak. Intermediate woodworkers can choose a single through-wedged-tenon option, while advanced woodworkers can choose a twin through-wedged-tenon option. You will learn marking out techniques, accurate joinery, tool preparation, sharpening, chisel handling, hand sawing and much more.

Explore rib basketry with Jillian Culey
Create three baskets in one weekend exploring the ancient art of Rib Basketry. Day One you will have the opportunity to create two small rib baskets using various weaving and construction techniques and on Day Two focus on a larger piece with an opportunity to incorporate your own handmade string.

For more information about the Short Courses or to enrol, visit: http://www.sturt.nsw.edu.au/education/short-courses

Current exhibition… Punu – living wood, continues to 2 June

We are in the final week of the exhibition celebrating the collaboration between Sturt and Maruku Arts featuring work by senior artists Niningka Lewis, Billy and Lulu Cooley and over 20 other artists including generations of the Cooley family.

Maruku Arts support over 900 artists from the communities surrounding Uluru. Based in Mutitjulu Community, and in the shadow of Ayers Rock Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Maruku today is one of the largest and most successful Indigenous owned and operated arts organisations. This exhibition is a celebration of punu - objects and paintings that incorporate timber.

In conjunction with the exhibition is a display featuring work by local Indigenous artists, Peter Swain, a Wiradjuri Warrambinga man who makes tools, artefacts and teaches Boomerang making and throwing, and The Yirran Miigaydhu Weavers who are showcasing some of their work made from local fibres and native grasses.

Friends of Sturt
The next FOS Committee meeting will take place on Wednesday 5 June from 5.30pm in Sturt Cottage. All current members are welcome to join the committee for a glass of wine and a preview of the new exhibition, Circling Back. A reminder to all members that annual subscriptions are now due and renewals can be made at http://www.sturt.nsw.edu.au/get-involved/friends-of-sturt.

Mark Viner, Head of Sturt

Full details of all Sturt courses, exhibitions, residency programs and events can be found on our website www.sturt.nsw.edu.au or to make a booking or enrolment call Sturt Shop on 02 4860 2083 or email shop@sturt.nsw.edu.au