WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?
The Blackwood Art & Ecology Club will gather once a month throughout 2025 in the forest hamlet of Blackwood. It's all about getting together, sharing knowledge and getting creative.
The program includes a series of visual art workshops for children, adults and families based around an ecological theme.
The club provides a regular gathering place for children and families to learn, create, play and express themselves through art making. The themes will playfully explore facets of the local natural environment and cyclic systems of nature. The workshops will be guided by me, Kathy Holowko a local Blackwood artist and experienced art facilitator.
The morning program is primarily for Blackwood locals but those from further afield are invited to explore our beautiful forest home and join in the arty fun via the additional 'ticketed workshop' that will usually be held in the afternoon of the same day.
FREE FOR BlackwoodIANS
For Blackwood residents the workshops are fantastically free with generous support from a FRRR Strengthening Rural Communities grant. This is auspiced by our lovely Blackwood & Barry's Reef Landcare Group (and for this, we thank you both deeply). Local Blackwoodians will need the code to get free tickets and be sure to join the morning 'Blackwood residents' workshops. Email me if you need the code.
EVERYONE WELCOME
A ticketed 'Public Workshop' is available for bookings for people that live outside of Blackwood. Everyone is welcomed to join the club and have a great day out in beautiful Blackwood. Take the opportunity for a bush walk and explore while you are here.
WHERE
We will meet in various locations within the beautiful forest town of Blackwood but we will mostly utilise St Martins Chapel as our art room.
Blackwood, Victoria is located within the Lerdederg and Wombat Forests with the golden Lerdederg River flowing through it. For thousands of years the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung, Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung people lived with this country. Blackwood became a gold mining town when gold was discovered in the late 1850's and many of the buildings reflect this history. Today it's home to a thriving community with many young families.
WHEN
The first weekend of the month throughout 2025 starting in February. Check each listed workshop for times, locations and to book. Each month is a little different so check the details. An extra Saturday public workshop day has been added for 'Good Eggs'.
STAY IN THE LOOP
This web page will provide the most updated information throughout the year.
BOOKINGS
NOTE: Adult supervision of children is required at all times
•'Blackwood residents' workshops - usually mornings (free for Blackwood locals with code)
'•Public workshops - usually the afternoon (ticketed)
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YOUR HOST
Hello, Kathy Holowko here. I am a Blackwood based artist and I wanted to bring some of my workshop experiences to share with my vibrant and creative local community. We were blessed to receive funding from FRRR to do it. Although primarily for Blackwood locals, I've opened up the program to welcome those further afield to join in the fun, to learn about our forest home and to test if running future 'public workshops' are viable.
A little about me. I am interested in understanding ecology and in my arts practice I go in search of narratives that reconsider our world as a cyclical and shared habitat. I believe that art can help us to learn, to think and to build positive future visions and so, I often create playful projects for participation. I have been creating public art, interactive installations and running workshops for over 10 years and use a range of media but my practice is mostly sculpture based. Some of the themes I've explored in my sculptural works will be included in the Blackwood Art & Ecology Club's program.
The program includes many tried and tested workshops. 'Wild City' is my most popular and favoured of works for children and families and one not to be missed. The development of this work began during my Masters in the Netherlands where I went on safari through a human-made, re-wilded, urban nature reserve to explore the complexities of co-existence. Wild City was developed at ArtPlay and has since toured and even had a successful season at the Sydney Opera House and won the Peoples Choice Award at the Art for Social Change Exhibition. It's fun and informative and many of the workshops in the program have been a chance to flesh out in more detail some of the ideas explored in it.
Another notable addition to the program is that local ecologist Tanya Loos will join us to talk birds which is sure to be awesome. This is paired with a Pysanky workshop - which is a wax and dye egg decorating craft that I practice with my Ukrainian heritage family.
Quite a lot of the workshops will be child focused but adults can find a joyful, creative experience in each project too so come along and make something one and all. Some workshops are yet to be confirmed, along with dates but the website is a taster for what is to come.
I'm looking forward to the arty fun and hope to see you there.
Kathy
Portrait by Mossy Rock Photography
