Join Curator Annette Nykiel as she leads a curatorial discussion in conversation with the Cultivating Slow-Making exhibiting artists. After the tour, join the artists for a discussion of textile practice over afternoon tea as part of the Cultivating Slow-Making closing event.

Sun 26 Nov 2023 | 1pm - 3pm | Suitable for 14+ yrs
FREE | Bookings essential

Seven of the ten Cultivating Slow-Making artists are Western Australian Fibre and Textile Association (WAFTA) Members. To celebrate slow making and the creation of textile and fibre art within the community, exhibiting artists Annette Nykiel (Curator), Martien van Zuilen, and Deidre Robb share their stories in a public tour of the exhibition.

After the tour, join the artists and Members of WAFTA for a discussion of textile practice over afternoon tea as part of the WAFTA Member’s gathering.

Sun 19 Nov 2023 | 1pm - 2pm | Suitable for 14+ yrs
FREE | Bookings (through WAFTA) essential

Anyone can learn to make felt from wool fibres. In this parent and child school holiday workshop, textile artist Helen O’Hara will teach you the art of wet felting. You’ll learn the basic techniques, make a decorated fun, felt mug-rug and then use a resist to create your very own small, felted vessel to take home.

Wed 5 Oct | 12.30pm - 2.30pm | Suitable for 5 - 10 years
$45 I $40.50 members (Child aged 8 - 10 yrs on their own)
or $60 I $54 members (Child aged 5 - 10 yrs and a parent/guardian)
Materials included - Please bring along an old towel

Explore the versatility of screenprinting and repurposed fabrics in this half-day workshop with Extricate artist Isaac Huggins. Make your own unique stencil design to enhance your fabric or clothing or use one of Isaac's pre-made paper stencils as you explore various silkscreen techniques, including paper-stencil printing, layering, how to achieve colour blending/gradients and the benefits of under-painting and post-print embellishments.

Sat 27 Aug 2022 | 12pm - 3pm | Suitable for 16+ yrs
$100 | $90 members | BYO found garment or fabric - prewashed, natural, untextured, mid/heavyweight fabrics are most suitable
Midland Junction Arts Centre, 276 Great Eastern Hwy (Corner of Cale St) Midland WA

Images: By Isabelle Haubrich and courtesy of Isaac Huggins

Create an embroidered ball with It's a Matter of How You Look at Things artist Anne Williams. You'll work with naturally dyed yarn and recycled materials to craft a ball that acknowledges the ground beneath our feet. No textile experience necessary. 

Previously an art teacher, Anne Williams now shares her passion for textiles, through spinning, weaving, knitting, crochet, basketry, natural dyeing and pigment making. Anne has previously held solo shows at Mundaring Arts Centre (2016) and Midland Junction Arts Centre (2019).

Sat 19 Feb | 12pm - 3pm | Suitable for 16+ yrs
$75 | $67.50 members | Materials supplied 

Image: Anne Williams, Groundcover Series (detail), 2021, wool, silk, paper hand stitching, spinning, plant dyeing, 7-9cm each. Photograph by Josh Wells

Learn how to make a coiled vessel with Aboriginal weaver and jewellery maker Emma-Jane Hunt. Using wool and raffia you’ll learn this traditional basket weaving technique with a contemporary twist. Suitable for women and girls ages 10+ this is a fantastic workshop to share with family.

Emma-Jane Hunt is a Yindjibarndi and Djaru woman with both traditional and ancestral links to both the Pilbara and Kimberly regions of Western Australia. Taught to weave when living in the East Pilbara by Martu Weavers from the Western Desert 10 years ago, Emma-Jane is passionate about keeping weaving as a cultural practice alive. She also creates handcrafted jewellery using Quondong seeds.

Sun 17 Oct | 11am -2pm | Suitable for 10+ years
$80 | $72 members | Materials and light refreshments supplied
Mundaring Adult Creative & Learning Centre 3 Craigie Place Mundaring WA
Enrolment T&C’s >

Image: courtesy the artist

Learn about textile dyeing using food and other natural materials with Deb Wilkes in the school holidays. Kids will experiment with a feast of food and fabrics to make different colours as part of the Food for Thought  project. BYO a preloved, light coloured cotton T-shirt to transform into a new colour.

No nuts will be used but as we will be using food please let us know in the access requirements if there are any allergies so we can avoid problem foods.
If bringing a new shirt please make sure it is washed before hand.

Thu 7 Oct | 1pm – 3:30pm | Suitable for 7-12yrs
$5 | $4.50 members | Materials supplied but you may BYO T-shirt
Enrolment T&C’s >
Swan View Youth Centre, Salisbury Road, Swan View WA

Image: Photograph by Monica Dahiya

Hear from a selection of Western Australia’s leading fibre artists and facilitators, as they discuss the rich and diverse practice of fibre art across the state as part of the Indian Ocean Craft Triennial.

Martien van Zuilen is a maker of felt, Convenor of Fibres West and is exhibiting in HOLD at Midland Junction Arts Centre until 30 Oct. 

A crucial figure in the development of contemporary fibre sculpture in Australia, Nalda Searles' exhibition Finders Keepers is on display at Mundaring Arts Centre until 30 Oct. 

Sharyn Egan is a painter, weaver and sculptor exhibiting in multiple Indian Ocean Craft Triennial exhibitions and presenting a workshop at Mundaring Arts Centre on 19 Sep.

Pip Hoy is a mixed media artist working in appliqué, embroidery and quilting and current Vice President of WAFTA.

Sat 2 Oct | 11am – 12pm | Suitable for 16+ yrs   
FREE | Bookings essential | Light refreshments included after the talk
Midland Junction Arts Centre 276 Great Eastern Hwy Corner of Cale St Midland WA

Image: Martien van Zuilen, Interlude I (Emerge) (detail), hand-felted, stitched, dyed, 43 x 20 x 17 cm. Courtesy the artist.

Learn about the diverse medium of fibre art with Nalda Searles and Todd Israel during Nalda's exhibition Finders Keepers. Please bring along any special natural materials such as plant fibre, fabric, seeds, shells, bones and wood to add to your creations. 

Nalda Searles is one of Western Australia’s most highly respected sculptors and has exhibited widely nationally and internationally in a career spanning almost 40 years. Nalda is renowned for her use of unusual materials and the unique works she creates, but also for her collaborations, encouragement and support of others commencing their artistic journey. Todd and Nalda have collaborated on exhibitions and community projects for over a decade. 

A light lunch will be included. This workshop is held nearby at Mundaring Adult Creative & Learning Centre with an opportunity to visit the exhibition during the lunch break. 

Sun 26 Sep | 10am - 4pm | Suitable for 18+ years
$125 | $112.50 members | Materials and light lunch supplied. 
Mundaring Adult Creative & Learning Centre 3 Craigie Place Mundaring WA
Enrolment T&C’s >

Image: Todd Israel, photograph by Ellen Norrish and Nalda Searles photographs by Rebecca Mansell. 

Join Sharyn Egan to create your own fantastic creature using natural fibres and wool. You’ll learn binding and wrapping techniques and discover how Sharyn uses contemporary materials to tell traditional stories whilst you sculpt a local animal significant to Nyoongar people. Suitable for both adults and kids ages 8+ this is a fantastic workshop to share with family.

Sharyn Egan’s arts practice is informed by the experiences of her life as a Nyoongar woman growing up in New Norcia and comments upon the associated trauma, emotions and a deep sense of loss and displacement experienced by Aboriginal people. Sharyn works in a variety of mediums including painting, sculpture and woven forms using both contemporary and traditional natural materials.

Sun 19 Sep | 10am – 12pm OR 1pm – 3pm | Suitable for 8+ years
$50 | $45 members | Materials and light refreshments supplied
Mundaring Adult Creative & Learning Centre 3 Craigie Place Mundaring WA
Enrolment T&C’s >

Image: courtesy the artist

Join slow-maker Annette Nykiel and learn how to finger ply string and make a multi strand necklace adorned with beads, feathers or found objects inspired by Nalda Searles and her exhibition Finders Keepers. 

Materials will be supplied, but you are welcome to bring special objects such as feathers or large beads to adorn your necklace.

Annette Nykiel PhD is a maker, and an artist-researcher living with Noongar boodja in south west Australia, who wonders about the interdependence of ecological systems including her own in the near coastal wetlands, wandoo woodlands and the ancient salt lakes of the arid lands. You can see more of Annette's work here.

This workshop is held nearby at Mundaring Adult Creative & Learning Centre with an opportunity to visit the exhibition during a lunch break.

Sat 4 Sep | 10am - 4pm | Suitable for 10+ yrs
$110 | $99 members | Light lunch and materials supplied but BYO found objects
Mundaring Adult Creative & Learning Centre 3 Craigie Place Mundaring WA
Enrolment T&C’s >

Image: courtesy the artist

Join leading fibre artist Kate Campbell-Pope to embellish a recycled blanket with plant life imagery using stitching in this workshop inspired by Nalda Searles and her exhibition Finders Keepers. This workshop is suitable for all levels of stitching ability. 

Kate Campbell-Pope works with natural fibre and textiles, using both constructional and decorative stitch, adapted basketry techniques and random weaving. Kate has exhibited extensively in exhibitions locally, nationally, and internationally in Chile and Japan. 

This workshop is held nearby at Mundaring Adult Creative & Learning Centre with an opportunity to visit the exhibition during a lunch break.

Sun 15 Aug  | 11am - 3pm | Suitable for 16+ yrs
$99 | $89.10 members | Materials supplied
Mundaring Adult Creative & Learning Centre 3 Craigie Place Mundaring WA
Enrolment T&C’s >

Image: Kate Campbell-Pope, Protection, 2016. Courtesy of the artist.

Join Leanne Bray to learn the basket making technique of stitching and coiling in the school holidays. Using thread and a length of rope, you’ll make a colourful vessel for food whilst discovering the long history of baskets as containers for all types of produce as a part of the Food For Thought Project.

Please wear enclosed shoes, clothes you don’t mind getting messy, a drink bottle and a nut free snack.

Selected pieces will be showcased in an exhibition as a part of the Food for Thought project.

Mon 12 Apr | 10am - 1pm | 8+ yrs
$5 | $4.50 Members
Enrolment T&C’s >

Supported by the Department of Local Government Sport and Cultural Industries, Shire of Mundaring and Lotterywest.

Learn how to use garden and farmyard materials to create a basket perfect for picking veggies with Todd Israel. This fun school holiday workshop is part of the Food for Thought project.

Fri 9 Apr | 10am – 12pm | Suitable for 7 – 12yrs
$5 | $4.50 Members | Materials supplied
Enrolment T&C’s >

Supported by the Department of Local Government Sport and Cultural Industries, Shire of Mundaring and Lotterywest.

Up-cycle an old, unused or op-shopped denim jacket, adorning it with amazing First Nations designs in this 3h workshop with Deadly Denim’s Rebecca Rickard. Learn to design, cut and sew new deadly panels on your jacket, choosing from a wide range of fabric designs from Remote Aboriginal art centres. Open to participants of all abilities. BYO Jacket.

Deadly Denim was founded by Rebecca Rickard a Ballardong, Whadjuk woman from the Nyungar nation living and working on country Perth WA. Her clothing pushes for sustainability in the fashion industry and showcases Indigenous art and design.

This workshop is held in conjunction with the Snart Club exhibition Tend/er, a thoughtful exploration of care and community.

Sat 6 Mar | 12pm - 3pm | Suitable for all ages
$80 | $72 members | BYO denim or heavy cotton jacket
Enrolment T&C’s >

Up-cycle unwanted clothes and transform discarded fabric into a shaggy rag rug with Sophie Zadeh of Design Cite. Learn the relaxing and methodical craft of weaving, beginning your own rug with a small group of like minded participants. Use your new skills to contribute to the communal rug in the Snart Club exhibition Tend/er, a thoughtful exploration of care and community.

Sat 30 Jan | 12pm - 3pm | Suitable for all ages
$55 | $49.50 members | BYO fabric to recycle
Enrolment T&C’s >

A fun and meditative introduction to rope coiling with Leanne Bray. Once you learn this simple basketry technique, you can let your creativity run free to make all kinds of vessels, whether it be a basket, a bowl or a hanging planter! This introductory workshop only requires a little patience and a love for stitching. Open to all skill levels.

Leanne Bray is a multi-disciplinary artist with over thirty-five years’ experience in a range of media, such as textiles and illustration. With a home-based studio and public art space in Australia and Zimbabwe, you will find her latest exhibition Discernible Sequence on show at the Mundaring Arts Centre.

Sat 31 Oct | 12pm - 3pm | Suitable for 13+ yrs
$60 | $54 Members | All materials supplied

Explore stitch format and design with artist Louise Wilde Cook. Participants will learn how to design and present words and phrases using a variety of stitches and techniques such as appliqué and couching. Working through a number of individual and collaborative stitching exercises, new skills will culminate into the textured stitch of a single word. Be sure to have a meaningful word or phase in mind on the day.

Sat 10 Oct | 12pm - 3pm | Suitable for 13+ yrs
$60 | $54 Members | Materials supplied

Celebrate Wildflower season in Mundaring with this special Sunday bushwalk and embroidery workshop. We’ll start the morning with a guided walk along the Railway Reserve Heritage Trail to find and photograph local wildflowers, before settling in back at the Mundaring Arts Centre with artists Susie Vickery and Trish Bygott for an embroidery workshop and morning tea.

You’ll learn to create a template for your chosen wildflower and experiment with different stitching techniques with guidance from Susie and Trish. Suitable for both beginners and experienced stitchers, this is an excellent opportunity to learn more about West Australian flora and its use in contemporary embroidery.

A variety of embroidery threads, needles and squares of calico will be provided. Please bring along your own hoop and sketchbook, as well as any special fabric and threads you may like to use on the day. Closed in shoes, sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat are essential.

Sun 4 Oct | 9am - 1pm | Suitable for 13+ yrs
$80 | $72 Members | Basic materials supplied

Celebrate the Sheep Show by learning to felt with wool and threads in this introductory 3D workshop with Katrina Virgona. Over three hours, you’ll learn various techniques enabling you to create your own wearable art and jewellery. This workshop is open to all levels, with projects to suit both beginners and more advanced felters.

Sat 5 Sep | 10am - 1pm | Suitable for 13+ yrs
$40 | $36 members | Materials supplied

Join Sheep Show artist Emma Buswell for an afternoon of knitting and stitching. Bring along your latest project, or start something new with Emma as your guide. A selection of wool, needles, fabrics, and embroidery threads will be supplied but participants are encouraged to bring along any special materials. Afternoon tea will be provided.

Sat 15 Aug | 1pm - 4pm | Suitable for all ages, children under 7 yrs are to be accompanied by an adult
$10 | $9 Members | Basic materials supplied

Learn to create a thread from raw fleece with seasoned spinner Anne Williams. With Anne's instruction and some simple materials, you'll be sure to leave with a bobbin full of yarn. Anne has been spinning for many years, even competitively, and loves the versatility and sophistication of simple technology. Morning tea provided. Spots are limited!

Sat 8 Aug | 10am - 1pm | Suitable for 8+ yrs
$30 | $27 Members | Materials supplied

Katrina Virgona will teach 3D felting techniques inspired by the investigation of native pod forms using wool fleece and thread. Intriguing forms will be explored and reinvented throughout the process of learning and making. 

Sat 5 Oct | 9am - 12pm | Suitable for 15+ yrs
$45 | $40.50 Members | Materials supplied

Be inspired by the natural setting of the Mundaring Sculpture Park and transform materials from the earth into your own unique textile fabric in this 2 hour workshop with textile artist Trudi Pollard. Trudi will share her passion for natural dyes, explaining new and innovative techniques developed from ancient cultures whilst guiding you to create a patterned fabric piece using Indigo and natural mordents. Trudi will prepare a natural indigo fermenting vat using fruit and earth minerals in an eco-friendly way then show you how to transform a homespun cotton fat quarter into a special textile using Shibori techniques. After the session you will receive a free copy of Trudi’s Natural Dyeing booklet that includes special recipes to create your own natural dyes.

Please wear clothes you don’t mind getting messy. 

Sun 29 Sep | 1pm - 3pm | Suitable for 12+ yrs 
$44 | $40 Members | Materials supplied 
Mundaring Sculpture Park Corner of Jacoby and Nichol St Mundaring WA

Explore construction and sculptural techniques using recycled materials to create wearable art accessories with high visual impact.

Extend the skills you learn in the workshop and use your body adornment creations to complement an entry in the Worn Out Worn Art  Wearable Art Parade on Sat 9 Nov.

Bring any recycled materials that will be useful for your creation if you have an idea for your creation. 

Sat 17 Aug | 11am - 3pm | Suitable for 12 - 18yrs
$10 | $9 Members | Materials supplied
Darlington Main Hall, Owen Road, Darlington WA