City Celebrates Local and Multicultural Fibre Art

All expo events are free, apart from the workshops, which will involve a fee for materials, payable on the day.

Deputy Mayor Patricia Phelan said the City of Melville recognised the importance of celebrating our local artists’ contributions to the community. “The City’s Fibre Art Expo has traditionally been part of the state-wide, month-long arts festival Artopia, which was discontinued this year due to issues with sustainability at a state level. However, the City of Melville decided to continue hosting the expo. This year the City is linking it with the United Nations International Year of Natural Fibres. We are also aiming to include more multicultural approaches to textile arts, having the Uthando Doll Project as well as Ribbon of Africa involved in the event,” she said. (See www.uthandoproject.org/about/ and www.ribbonofafrica.com/index2.php)

Community Development Officer – Arts, Hannah Katarski said those who came along to the expo would have an opportunity to explore the art studios of 20 working textile artists, recreated in one central location. “Artists will be working on-site as well as having items available for purchase. Both the studios and the Mad As A Hatter Hat Display will be on from 9.30am to 4.00pm daily. The hat display is an inaugural competition, filled with wondrous creations, including hats made from recycled materials,” she said.

“Each morning from 9.30am to 12.30pm, expert artists will be doing talks about a range of topics including fashion, book-making, felting and dyeing. Workshops and demonstrations, including doll-making, paper-making, book-making and felting, will be on from 1.00pm to 4.00pm daily, with a limit of 10 per class for workshops,” she said. “A key highlight of the expo will be the free fashion parade, from 6.00pm to 7.00pm on Saturday, 24 October. This will create an explosion of colour and texture, with wearable art garments from across Australia brought together in one stunning parade. However, seats will be limited, so interested people should arrive early.”

The expo will be on from 9.30am to 4.00pm daily at the Main Hall, City of Melville Civic Centre, 10 Almondbury Road, Booragoon. No bookings are required.

For more information and a detailed event schedule, click here or phone 1300 635 845.