RECYCLED ART MELBOURNE SPRING & SUMMER FESTIVALS

Recycled Art Melbourne by Visual Feast Creations has started off to a very busy spring.  We have just got back from the annual Chalk Urban Art Festival where with 33 artists around the country we created works using Chalk Pastels over 4 days - this years theme was food.  

The works produced were astounding especially those of this years (and last years winner) Jenny McCracken - probably Australias best pavement artist.  To view her work and those of the other entrants go to

http://www.chalkurbanart.com.au

Leading up to the festival I had the privledge of working alongside Sydney's own Julie Doye for the Wetherille Park Stockland Mall School Holiday Program.  Over 4 days we guided children in chalk art with the theme of once again Food.  

Julie is one of Australia's most prolifice up and coming artists with  a style all of her own a cross between street, pop, surrealism and cartooning.  

This weekend we will be at the Stringybark Sustainability Festival running a Makedo workshop in which children and parents are invited along to help create the Urban Forest Maze.  Being year of the Forests we thought this would be a fitting theme.  

Other upcoming festivals include

Childrens Week Picnic at Werribee

Broadmeadows Fiesta
Carols by the Lake (Moreland City Council)

Warrnambool Sustainability Festival

We have also recently partnered with Ceres Environment Park and are now part of their school incursion program.  Our first booking is for November 14th for a Waste Environment Day Festival.  To find out more about Ceres go to http://www.ceres.org.au/incursions.

We are excited about this partnership as it something we have been aiming for since we first established ourselves in 2007. 

More partnerships are in the pipeline and we are looking forward to a very busy Summer of Festivals and workshops.

For bookings and enquiries call Clare on 04222 02869

RECYCLED ART MELBOURNE by Visual Feast Creations

BOOKINGS AND ENQUIRIES call Clare on 04222 02869

Our recycled art workshops in Melbourne are becoming more and more popular and we are getting bookings coming in daily.  

On Monday we visited St John's Primary School in Heidelburg and worked with the Preps on making props for their school play out of recycled materials.  The kids were fantastic (as were the teachers) and came up with some incrediably creative ideas.

All up 48 children participated and we had everything from angels through to rockets, aliens and even self portraits created from predominately clean industrial waste.

Our next big project is for Banyule Councils annual Winter in Banyule Arts Festival.  Last year we participated by running a 2 day workshop were we created a large collage/mural from fabric offcuts and recycled canvas awnings.  This year I will be creating up to 15 collages using old coffee sacks as the canvas and a collection of recycled and clean industrial waste inspired by Sills Bend and the surrounding area.  "Landscape or Landfill" will be displayed around telegraph poles along Banksia Road and will highlight how we need to take care of the amazing beautiful nature strips, parklands and waterways we have within Melbourne and its surrounding suburbs.

The exhibition will open on the 18th August with the festivals official opening being held at the Banyule Arts Centre.

Along with further festival bookings including the Malayang Festival in November and our regular festival bookings we are also getting ready to launch our Corporate Workshops Program in partnership with The Mind Gallery http://www.mindgallery.com.au.  The Mind Gallery have been running corporate art programs on leadership throughout Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for quite a number of years and are now ready to add the Green Team Program.  As carbon tax is such a huge issue at the moment this will be a great way to get your staff thinking about creative ways in which to reduce their carbon footprint both in the office and at home.  We are looking forward to these recycled art workshops around Melbourne and further afield.

FOR INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS please call Clare on 04222 02869 

or email:  clare@visualfeastcreations.com.au

Recycled Art Workshops Melbourne by Visual Feast Creations

We have been back in Melbourne now for just over two weeks after our massive 8 day stint at the Warrnambool Fun 4 Kids Festival running their recycled art section.  It was a massive 8 days of fun with kids from all walks of life joining in the fun.

With unlimited supply of amazing recycled and clean industrial waste along with some colourful craft items kids created all sorts.  We had wands, superhero caps, amazing fiesta masks, pirate ships, funky robots the list goes on.  Whilst the programs were themed and basic ideas were supplied the main focus was on kids using their imaginations and just having fun in a safe and positive environment.

Northcote Shopping Plaza was out latest gig, 5 days of 2hour craft workshops were parents and adults together created an array of colourful and crazy masks, dolls and puppets just to name a few and our regular spot at Gasworks Art Park creating stick puppets was a sell out. 

We are already getting ready for the next school holiday program with workshops booked for Gasworks - Superhero Capes and Cloaks for the little ones aged 4-6yrs and Tiaras, Top Hats and Headwear just in time for Melbourne Cup for the 7-12yr olds.  Along with our regular recycled art workshops at Gasworks we will also be holding our own School holiday program at Spring Studios in Clifton Hill, keep checking back for more details.  Along with the kids classes we will also be running an adult program along with a parents and kids program.  The space is amazing and will allow for up to 20 kids per workshop and form term 3 we will be running regular classes there.


This coming Monday we will be visiting St Johns Primary School in Heidelburge where with the Preps we will be creating Musical and Twirling Battons from our collection of recycled art supplies for their upcoming school production all about recycling.  Looking forward to this gig, kids aged 5 get incrediably excited and can come up with some very colourful and amazing ideas.

Our Kids Art Classes Melbourne are also on the move, this term we are going mobile.  Classes can be held at your school, community centre or even corporate business centre.  This term we are running kids classes Clifton Hill Primary School for their students aged 5-12yrs on Tuesday afternoons. 


Keep an eye out also for your one and two day recycled art workshops coming up in the warmer months.  These workshops will be taking place in the Spring Studios in Clifton Hill and will include activities for adults and kids along with parent and child workshops. 

If your interested in us coming along to our school, community centre or even corporate venue and running one of our fantastic recycled art workshops don't hesitate to contact us.

FOR BOOKINGS AND ENQUIRIES call Clare on 04222 02869
or email clare@visualfeastcreations.com.au

Recycled Art Melbourne in Schools

Recycled Art Melbourne by Visual Feast Creations

At the moment there is a whole lot of talk about the environment, carbon tax, alternative energies and re-use, recycling.  You read about in newspapers, see it on TV and they even write in stories about in soap operas.  Its not just adults that are talking about some of these issue though it is now also a subject that is tackled in both Primary and Secondary Schools.

Kids are learning about simple ways in which to help make a difference and one of the simplest is recycling or reusing.  This week we were at Ripponlea Primary School where over the day we created 8 murals "Landscape or Landfill" using old coffee sacks as our canvas and a whole collection of industrial waste along with offcuts of upholstery fabrics.  

All up over 80 children took part in the activity which proved a huge success.  These works are now displayed in their school hall for parents and visitors to view.  

RIPPONLEA PRIMARY SCHOOL 

Next term our first school visit will be to St John's Primary School in Heidelberg where we will be working with the preps to create props for their upcoming school play.  The subject recycling.  52 children will come together over 2 workshops to create musical shakers and dancing wands out of our collection of cardboard offcuts, ribbons and anything else colourful and eyecatching we have managed to collect during our waste rescue missions.

Using art to teach young people about recycling is one of the most affective and simplest tools.  It is non-confrontational, colourful and even the kid who says how much they hate art will usually end up making something incredible and being proud of their achievements.  It is both educational and fun.

Our use of recycled art materials though doesn't just have to be all about teaching kids about the environment.  In our regular kids art classes in we often use recycled materials.  When working with collage, drawing, painting, printmaking etc we don't always need to run out and buy the best quality brand new papers and canvases.  At times using an old canvas, pages of a book or fabric scraps etc make for an interesting and effective texture and make the work even that much more original.

Our kids are run every Tuesday during school term from our new location in Clifton Hill.  The new studio is a large beautiful old refurbished warehouse with amazing light, beautiful high ceilings and its even warm in Winter.  There is even a couple of couches in the corner if parents would like to sit and relax whilst the class is happening.  The studio is used regularly by professional artists, film makers and photographers from around Melbourne. 

3rd term begins Tuesday 22nd July

WHEN:  Tuesdays (during second term)

WHERE:  Clifton Hill 

TIME:  4pm - 5.30pm

COST:  $20 casual (Term 3 if paid in full upfront $162)

BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL please call Clare on 04222 02869 

or email:  clare@visualfeastcreations.com.au

Recycled Art Workshops Melbourne by Visual Feast Creations

Recycled Art Workshops              For Bookings phone Clare 04222 02869

After completing the recycled art project in Sydney for Ikeas Community Fence Art Project I am back in Melbourne preparing for a series of recycled art workshops for kids at festivals and schools across Victoria.

The recycled art project in Sydney was held at Ferncourt Primary School (Marrickville) over 6 days.  Working with kids from years 3 - 6 we created 12 murals on old coffee sacks based on the theme "Our Home".  The coffee sacks (donated by Voodoo Coffee Company, Sydhenam Rd, Marrickville) were used to create canvases in the shapes inspired by Marrickville houses which the kids then painted, collaged and weaved various materials into taking inspiration from their own personal surroundings.  What transpired was 12 colourful and extremely textured works of art.

This workshop was one of twelve, run by 12 different artists including Julie Doye and Jess Cook (Token Imagination) taking place within the Marrickville/Tempe Community in Sydney.  The works will be installed along the fence line form mid October at Ikea's new Tempe store for a period of up to 4 months.

My first project back in Melbourne will be at Ripponlea Primary School (East St Kilda) were we create 8 small murals once again using coffee sacks as our canvas on the theme "Landscape or Landfill".  Students will create a series of landscape inspired collages from materials that would normally end up in Landfill highlighting the devestating impact this is having on our environment. 

These projects are amongst my favourite to run, working on collective art works that both allow children to learn something about our environment and new ways in which to be creative.  Art, education and recycling go hand in hand.

Other projects coming up include 8 days at Australia's largest Childrens Festival - Fun For Kids in Warrnambool running a series of recycled art workshops aimed at kids of all age.  The festival runs from 3rd - 8th June the first week of the Victorian School Holidays.  Over the second week along with my assistants we will be running recycled art workshops at Northcote Shopping Plaza and also our usual holiday program at Gasworks Art Park in South Melbourne. 

So winter is an extremely busy time of the year these days as well as the summer period.  


To make a booking for Recycled and Community Art Workshops please call Clare on 04222 02869


www.visualfeastcreations.com.au

ARTIST RESIDENCY IN SYDNEY

Its off to Sydney next week to work on a community art project for Ikea.

Ikea have invited 12 artists who work in various mediums and matched them up with schools and community groups to create a series of works for Ikeas Fence Line Project. 

Working with Ferncourt Public School in South Marrickville I will be running a series of 12 workshops with years 3 and 4 to create 12 recycled murals with the theme being "Our Home". 

Taking old coffee sacks kindly being donated by Voodoo Coffee (located in South Marrickville) we will create 12 canvases cut into the shapes of houses taking inspiration from the participants own homes.  Using a collection of various recycled materials including dress and upholstery fabrics along with clean industrial waste kids will turn these canvases into representations of what is important in their home. 

Once the works are completed they will be displayed for a period of up to 6 months outdoors for the local community to come and view.  This project is a way for Ikea to engage the local community in a creative and productive way and allows for the students participating to see the various forms public art can take.

We will keep you posted on how this project turns out

Recycled Art and School Holiday Programs

Recycled Art Workshops

What can I say, it is so much more fun for me personally to get a whole assortment of recycled materials, industrial waste, fabric offcuts, household recyclables and see what I can come up with.  Its amazing what you can do with old cardboard cylinders, some upholstery fabric offcuts, old buttons, an array of clean industrial and ewaste and don't forget the discarded hessian coffee sacks. .

Especially if you hand these materials over to kids.  Mix that up with a bit of glitter, some paint and glue and you will be amazed at what they can come up with.

We have been at Gasworks Art Park as part of their school holiday program and had so much fun.  Our first class was for the littlies and of course most of the Mums joined in.  The theme Magical Flying Fish and Sea Creatures.  I have never seen such an assortment of incrediably imaginative sea creatures in one room.  Using old chocolate box lids with our colourful collection of fabrics and industrial offcuts we saw such things as flying sea pigs, a few land and sea living sharks, a couple of flying seahorses and some other creatures yet to be indentified.  Glitter and sparkles were added and then our mini artists (with a bit of help) attached their works of art to their coloufully decorated cardboard rools with some string and they went flying around the room.  They all left very happy with their latest artistic creation.s

Our afternoon class that day was predominately filled with young boys aged 7-12 making the most of our collection of discarded computer parts and a bit of tarzan grip along with some rubber offcuts and few other odds and ends.  They created an assortment of crazy bugs, lifelike robots and even a solar powered house complete with insulation.

This week (today in fact) saw a group of 8 7-12yr olds a mix of boys and girls really use both their craft and art skills to create a collection of amazing aprons from old coffee sacks and decorate a series of wooden cooking spoons (though these are no longer recommended for cooking with).  Taking paint, glue and the materials on hand all sorts of designs were created over the duration of the day.

We had everything from bright pink spoons with glitter and butterflies to of course a couple of spoons dedicated to their favourite AFL team (we are in Melbourne of course).  The apron designs were quite magical, thanks to our favourite (now retired to be a full time Mum to beautiful twin boys) dance teacher Miss Blue Bells donation of sparkly and colourful fabric offcuts.  The old coffee sacks will never be mistaken for that again or for that matter be used to carry around coffee beans.  These beautiful creations will now be adorning both bedroom and kitchen walls.

So thats been our school holiday program and next holidays we will be down at Warrnambool for Australia's largest kids fesitval - Fun for Kids, 8 days of exciting recycled art workshops from making masks through to caps, wands and robot badges.  So keep an eye out for ticket sales and get yourselves booked in. 

Now its back to getting ready for term 2 kids art classes for 5-12year olds at the Pixie Collective on High Street in Northcote.

Classes begin Tuesday 3rd April so make sure you book in by emailing us clare@visualfeastcreations.com.au

Our Recycled Art Classes and School Holiday Programs

In just over a week we will be breaking up for the first holidays of the school year.

Our kids art classes in northcote have been going well we have created visual arts diaries from recycled materials, a bit of collage and now in the middle of cubism.

Our first class back we will be starting on Mandalas. The word "mandala" is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. Loosely translated to mean "circle," though of course there are many more significant meanings than this. It has been used and still is today as a significant tool in many traditions including Buddhism, Hinduism, Native American and Christian.

Whilst explaining in basic terms the meaning of a mandela the workshop itself will still be based around exploring the imagination and allowing the participants to express themselves in an unhindered environment their ideas and versions of a mandela.  We will be using a variety of materials reclaimed from industry sources along with coloured sands, paints and various drawing materials.

For our Tuesday kids art classes in Northcote please call 04222 02869 or email clare@visualfeastcreations.com.au.  Classes are $20 for casual (bookings essential) or if you book and pay up front for the while term it is $18 per class.  For kids 5-12yrs.

For our school holiday program we will be at Melbournes famous Gasworks Art Park.  We have designed a couple of  workshops for kids 7-12 years and a smaller one for the littlies aged 4-6 years

Aprons and Spoons
Design, create and decorate your own apron using a mix of recycled and new products including paints and various fabric off cuts. Use it for cooking or just hang it on the wall along with a matching decorated wooden spoon.
Date: Tuesday 19 April
Time: 10am - 3pm (bring own lunch and drink)
Cost: $60
Bookings: Phone 03 9699 3253 (+bf phone only) or go to http://www.gasworks.org.au
Venue: Art & Craft Studio
Age: 7 to 12 years

Crazy Robots and Metal Bugs
If techno craft is your thing then this is for you. Taking bits of old computers and electronic equipment create your own crazy bug, robot or just about anything that takes your fancy.
Date: Thursday 14 April
Time: 1pm - 3 pm
Cost: $35
Bookings: Phone 03 9699 3253 (+bf phone only) or go to http://www.gasworks.org.au
Venue: Art & Craft Studio
Age: 7 to 12 years

Magical Flying Fish and Sea Creatures
In this workshop participants will be taking a collection of colourful clean recycled odds and ends to create their own magical sea creatures, which could be flying fish, sea dragons or something completely imaginary!
Date: Thursday 14 April
Time: 11am - 12 noon
Cost: $23
Bookings: Phone 03 9699 3253 (+bf phone only) or go to http://www.gasworks.org.au
Venue: Art & Craft Studio
Age: 4 - 6 years

We are looking forward to running these programs and will also be at the Monash Family Fun Day - a annual event run by the City of Monash for all the family.  These years theme is Fairies and Magic so we will be creating wands, capes and wizards hats inspired by films such as the Harry Potter series and old style magical fairy tales.

MORE FESTIVALS AND RECYCLED ART WORKSHOPS

KIDS ART CLASSES IN NORTHCOTE

When:              Beginning Tuesday 8th March continuing every Tuesday during School Terms
Time:                4:00pm - 5:30pm
Where:             Pixie Collective Studio/Art Room (out the back entry via shop front)

                        374 High Street Northcote (just down the hilll from Separation Street)

Cost:                $20 per class (book for the whole term $18 per class) includes most materials

                        Discounts for family, group bookings or concession card holders
 Ages:              5-12yrs

Come along and join in the fun of learning how to create amazing works of art using a combination of recycled, clean waste and various art materials.

Learn how to create your own visual arts diary, make a bag to keep it in, basic sculpture and puppetry making along with painting and drawing. Each week a different activity is run with an emphasis on the kids exploring their imaginations whilst learning new skills which allow them to express these in a positive way with as little an impact on our planet as possible.

BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL PLEASE CALL CLARE ON 04222 02869 OR EMAIL US clare@visualfeastcreations.com.au

Recycled Art Melbourne

Its been a busy summer with festivals just about every weekend from the St Kilda Festival to Moonee Valley two of Melbournes largest community events along with smaller events such as the Footscray Food and Wine Fiesta as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Show along with the Lord Mayors International Student Welcome.  We have been busy and it looks like it is not going to quiten down

Its now Autumn and in Melbourne at the moment there are still festivals pretty much every weekend and we are at a few of them.


Coming up we have

Sunday 20th March
A Taste of Oakleigh (run by the Monash City Council) where we will be running a percussion workshop, taking recycled cardboard tubes, boxes and a range of colourful craft materials to create shakers and maracas

Sunday 27th March
Kids Art Farty Festival (run by the Banyule City Council)  This is an annual event which is held at the beautiful Sils Bend in Heidelberg just beside the Yarra River.  The day is full of lots of craft and art activities just for kids.  This is the first year we have been invited to participate and together with festival participants we will be creating a 3mtr x 3mtr sustainable city from our collection of recycled materials.

Sunday 3rd April
Glenroy Festival (Moreland City Council) takes place.  Our activity for that day is still unknown but I am sure it will invovle lots of colourful and exciting recycled materials to fit in with the theme of the Farmyard animals who will be there to teach children about where our milk and eggs etc really come from.

We will have a bit of a break from festivals whilst we run school holiday programs at Gasworks Art Park.

These activities will include Apron making and wooden spoon decorating, bugbots and robots along with one of our favourites for those aged 3-5yrs Magical Flying Fish and other Fantastic Sea Creatures.

Leading into winter we will be getting ready for the Australias largest Kids Festival the annual Fun for Kids down in Warrnambool where we will be running the recycled kids art program.

For further information visit our website www.visualfeastcreations.com.au

KIDS ART CLASSES IN NORTHCOTE

Kids Art Classes Melbourne

Where:  Pixie Collective, 374 High Street Northcote
             Entry via the shop front

Time:     4:00pm - 5:30pm every Tuesday during School Terms
Ages:    5-12yrs
Cost:     $20 per class or $18 if a whole term is booked
              Discounts available for concession card holders, group and family bookings

BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL SO PLEASE EMAIL US clare@visualfeastcreations.com.au

We are now running regular kids art classes every Tuesday 4-5.30pm during school terms at the Pixie Collective Studio on High Street in Northcote.

As always there is a huge emphasis on the use of recycled materials.  Participants will be shown ways bring to life their imagination through the use of traditional art mediums including painting and drawing along with the use of clean industrial waste, household recyclables and colour art and craft materials.

Each week a different project / activity is run allowing for participants to build up a range of skills and techniques.  Week one we will be creating a Visual Arts Diary from a collection of recycled cardboard, paper, fabric offcuts and an assortment of colourful craft papers.  It will involve basic book binding techniques and the use of paints etc to decorate and make the books truly theirs.

Their Visual Arts Diary will then be used by them to keep a record of their ideas, practice their drawing and painting skills along with a resource for them to collect and paste pictures and words that inspire or just attract their attention.

Further classes will be added later in the year including parents & toddler classes.

Kids Art Classes in Northcote

SUMMER FESTIVALS AND KIDS ART CLASSES IN MELBOURNE

Kids Art Classes Melbourne
 
Summer has hit (well it looks like it finally may have) and the festival season is in full swing.  Melbourne is abundant in festivals of all types and running kids workshops at them is an amazing way to get to see the huge variety on offer and see how diverse and Multicultural our city really is.

We have been running workshops ranging from Junkyard Masks through to murals and apron making.  Warrnambool Sustainability Festival was the first big one of the summer months, 2 days of activities by the beach including mini-sculptures, aprons, percussion instruments and a large mural / collage entitled "What Lives in My Garden".  This weekend just gone we had fun with the kids at Rainbow Serpent creating masks from a collection of offcuts, recycled card and lots of colourful ribbon offcuts in between hitting the dance floor.  Australia Day was spent at Como House working with families creating a mural all about our colonial days and our amazing native bush.

Amongst the festivals there has been workshops at Gasworks Art Park and coming up we have St Kilda Festival, Moonee Valley and Knox City Community Arts Festival just for a start.

Seeing what the kids come up with from various different multi-cultural and socio economic backgrounds using only their imaginations and a lot of industry waste is a great way to enjoy the summer festivals.

Kids Art Classes Melbourne