Event Workshops and Programs
'Open Netting' workshop with Mary Preece
Open Netting Workshop
Friday 23rd June 1pm-3pm
$30 for participants aged 18+
SocialLife Berry (3/68 Albert St, Berry)
Explore knotless and knotted netting techniques with artist Mary Preece. Using a variety of materials, such as waxed linen thread, raffia, hemp and linen threads we will create samples of different techniques and start a simple open weave garlic bag. All materials provided.
‘LUMINESCENCE’ stage performative installation work by Nic Nac
‘LUMINESCENCE’ stage performative installation work by Nic Nac
Friday 23rd June 11am, 1.30pm, 4pm
Saturday 24th June 11am, 1.30pm, 3.30pm
Sunday 25th June 11am, 1.30pm
$10 for participants (All ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult with a ticket, kids under 2 free with accompanying adult).
Rural Youth Hall (Berry Showground)
Nic Nac Theatre Company are Jane Gallenca and Annaliese Szota, who formed in spirit in 2020 and on paper in 2022. With backgrounds in movement, music, acting and composing, They were united in their desire to tell stories that matter with a focus on their hometowns located in the Shoalhaven Region.
For OpenField, Nic Nac will stage a performative installation work, ‘LUMINESCENCE’ aimed at children and families, transforming the Rural Youth Hall into a place for creative engagement and discovery.
Using recycled and upcycled knick-knacks, bric-a-brac, luminescent paint and black-lighting, Nic-Nac Theatre Company invites participants to recreate glowing worlds from the forest and sea that inspire wonder and awe. Adults and children play side by side creating the setting for a luminescent stage where performers and puppets will then entertain you. Each session is unique, interactive and immersive. What will you see when the lights go out?
Tamara Dean Book Launch
Book Launch with Tamara Dean
Friday 23rd June 5pm
$10 for participants
WAX LYRICAL BOOKSTORE (3/66 Albert St, Berry)
Join Tamara Dean in conversation with Louise Walsh about her new book at Wax Lyrical Bookstore. Conversation and Q&A: 5-5:45pm, Book Signing: 5:45-6pm. Tickets include a complimentary glass of champagne on arrival.
‘Intersections’ Kids workshop with Judy Voltz
'Intersections' Kids Workshop with Judy Voltz
Saturday 24th June 10am – 12pm
$20 for participants aged 6 - 14 (parental supervision not required)
Berry School of Arts (19 Alexandra St, Berry)
Age: 8-14 Come along and explore ideas about intersections. What is a real-life example of intersecting lines and intersections in our local environment? What lies at the intersection of town and country, nature, and technology, old and new, work and play, crossroads? Look at various examples of artworks by well-known Australian artists demonstrating intersections in their art, and tour the OpenField Salon exhibition, draw with charcoal and paint on a canvas to make an artwork to take home. Cost: $20 All materials supplied to produce an artwork on a canvas. Bring: clothes that can get messy or a paint shirt, may bring in an image for reference, a snack and drink
Panel Discussion: 'Art outside the City: What is it like to run a leading arts organisation in a regional area?'
Panel Discussion: 'Art outside the City: What is it like to run a leading arts organisation in a regional area?'
Saturday 24th June 2.30pm
$10 for all participants
Berry School of Arts (19 Alexandra St, Berry)
Local connector and advocate Kate Dezarnaulds hosts a panel asking arts industry leaders Marla Guppy, Rachel Kent, Michael Sharp and Lisa Havilah about running institutions and organisations in Regional Areas.
Panel Discussion: OpenField participating artists discuss their work.
Tamara Dean, Glenn Barkley, Sophie Cape, Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro
Saturday 24th June 4pm
$10 for all participants
Berry School of Arts (19 Alexandra St, Berry)
Join presenter and artist Richard Morecroft as he interviews OpenField participating artists Tamara Dean, Glenn Barkley, Sophie Cape, Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro about their work, their careers and their inspiration for the festival.
Tamara Dean: Activation of her video work 'Dysrhythmia', 2021 with live music from Damien Lane
Tamara Dean, Damien Lane
Saturday 24th June 5pm - 7Pm
Outside Berry Showground Pavilion
Come and watch Tamara Dean's brilliant video installation 'Dysrhythmia', projected onto the outside wall of the Berry Showground Pavilion, while listening to live music by Damien Lane, who created the soundtrack to the video. Gather round an open barrel fire while you sip hot drinks.
FREE EVENT, No bookings required.
Workshop: 'Making Jewellery from Natural Materials' workshop with Mel Young
Workshop: 'Making Jewellery from Natural Materials' workshop with Mel Young
Sunday 25th June 10am - 12pm
$30 for all participants
Berry School of Arts (19 Alexandra St, Berry)
'Jewellery from Natural Materials workshop' with Australian contemporary jeweller Melinda Young. This workshop engages with treasures collected from the natural environment, you will learn a range of simple stringing, binding and cordage techniques which are then applied to your found natural materials to create beautiful wearable objects for the body or the wall. Along with materials from nature, we will use a variety of other materials including brightly coloured embroidery threads, string, wool and raffia. You are welcome to bring your own materials from nature, such as twigs, driftwood and sturdy leaves, or use the materials provided. You will be introduced to the processes of hand-making cordage (or string) using a hand-twisting technique and binding using a simple whipping technique. Participants will leave the workshop with one or more wearable keepsakes.
Artist Talk: 'DWELLING' by Anna Glynn
Artist Talk: 'DWELLING' by Anna Glynn
Sunday 25th June 10.30am
Free General Admission
Showground Pavilion Annexe
Join us on Sunday, June 25th from 10:30 to 11:30 am for a family-friendly encounter within the video installation called "DWELLING." Located at the Ante Room in the Berry Showground Main Pavilion, this captivating installation combines moving images, sound, and Auslan (Australian Sign Language).
Artist Anna Glynn invites you to explore the connection between our human world, the local landscape, and the meaning of home for our community and the creatures that inhabit it. Meet Anna Glynn, hear stories, and engage in discussions about our changing local landscape while enjoying images of fascinating local animals.
We are honoured to have Barbara Smith, a respected local Auslan teacher, joining us. Barbara will showcase her expertise by demonstrating how to sign the names of the creatures featured in the video work. This inclusion of Auslan accessibility has been made possible thanks to the participation of the kindergarten class from Berry Public School, as well as the support of Orana Arts and Create NSW. Don't miss this unique opportunity to engage with art, nature, and sign language. This activity is free and open to all.
Workshop: 'Drawing Parade' workshop with James Gulliver Hancock
'Drawing Parade' workshop with James Gulliver Hancock
Sunday 25th June 1 - 3pm
$10 for all participants aged 10+
Berry School of Arts (19 Alexandra St, Berry)
A family-friendly workshop where you can come and discover the interplay and interconnections of the town of Berry through observational drawing techniques. Push the way you see by drawing on the streets of Berry with renowned illustration artist James Gulliver Hancock. Concentrating on the often overlooked, the beauty of small civic details and the meditation in sitting and considering the things around us that we usually just pass by.
Meet: Berry School of Arts to explore surrounding street scapes.
Paper, pencil and clipboard supplied.
Bring: whatever you need to comfortably walk and draw around the streets of Berry (hat, water bottle etc). Your favourite pen, pencil, or sketch pad (if you want to)
Panel Discussion: Local First Nations Voices and choir performance by Mudjingaal Yangamba
Panel Discussion: Local First Nations Voices and choir performance by Mudjingaal Yangamba
Sunday 25th June 3pm
$10 for all participants
Berry School of Arts (19 Alexandra St, Berry)
Join First Nations Curator and Artist, Amanda Reynolds as she leads a discussion around the importance of object, artefact, family, historical and cultural stories, and the history of this area, with local First Nations artists Kirli Saunders, uncle Noel Wellington and Jaz Corr. Special performance by local First Nations choir, Mudjingaal Yangamba, to conclude the event.
Mudjingaal Yangamba means Spirit Singing in Dhurga, one of the original languages spoken on the South Coast. Mudjingaal Yangamba is an intergenerational Koori women's choir revitalising language through song. Writing and singing in their ancestral languages, they gather as community with community, healing, celebrating and sharing our stories.