SLACKY Flat Showgrounds at Bulli will become a Mecca for musicians, dancers, singers, songwriters, poets, yarn spinners and choirs in the 32nd Illawarra Folk Festival. There are 88 acts representing every state in Australia and 72 from the Illawarra. It commences today, Thursday, January 12, with a Charity Concert and concludes on Sunday evening with a huge finale from the Festival Choir, Orchestra and special guests. January 12-15. Bookings to illawarrafolkfestival.com.au

Film:

THE National Film and Sound Archive of Australia is marking school holidays with “Pixar-Palooza”, a selection of classics from Pixar Animation Studios in the comfort of the NFSA’s Arc cinema. Wednesday, January 11 to Friday, January 20. Bookings to nfsa.gov.au

ALSO, the NFSA has a Friday the 13th horror double of “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Pet Sematary”. Bookings to nfsa.gov.au

Workshops and classes:

STUDIOMAP in Griffith is running POKE-Art and Manga & Illustration Workshops designed for children for two hours daily. Participants only need to bring snacks. January 16–20 / 3.30pm-5.30pm, bookings to studiomap.com.au

FRIENDS of the ANU Classics Museum are running an interactive “hands-on” session for children (8-13 years) to explore and investigate objects in the collection. 10.30am–12.30pm, Monday,  January 16. Free event. Numbers will be limited to 10 children and they must be accompanied by adults. Bookings to  rosjackson4@gmail.com

Arts business:

AARWUN Art Gallery is holding a black tie dinner and fine art auction to raise funds for Geraldine Cox’s “Sunrise Cambodia” project. The auction will include works by Wendy Sharpe, John Olsen, Carlos Barrios, Charles Blackman, and many more. Senator Derryn Hinch will chair the event. At the Abbey Function Centre, Nicholls, 6pm, February 4. Bookings to aarwuncanberra@bigpond.com or 6230 2055.

Eurobodalla’s “River of Art” festival seeks expressions of interest from artists, performers and community groups to become part of the 10 day feast of events along the far south coast of NSW between Durras and Bermagui in May. All details at riverofart.com.au

IN 2017, Rookwood Cemetery will be celebrating its 150th year since opening and will once again host “HIDDEN – A Rookwood Sculpture Walk”, uniquely set amongst the gardens and graves. Artists nationwide are called upon to draw inspiration from the historic and cultural significance of Rookwood’s many communities. Inquiries to curator, Cassandra Hard Lawrie at curator@rookwoodcemetery.com.au or 0425 327590.

THE experimental “SoundOut” music festival is going ahead in February and is running a crowdfunding campaign to raise $15,000 to bring out artists like the RHRR trio from France, violinists Mia Zabelka and Irene Kepl from Austria and avant garde bassist Luiz Gabriel Gubeiss from Brazil. Visit gofundme.com and search for “Soundout”.

THE Wesley Music Foundation is calling for outstanding voice and instrumental students to apply for its Music Scholarships Program for 2017. Tertiary and senior secondary students must demonstrate that they have great potential as a vocalist or instrumentalist and can benefit from opportunities to practise in Wesley Music Centre and Wesley Uniting Church. Applications to wesleycanberra.org.au

ARTISTS from the Southern Tablelands Arts region and from the Macarthur Region interested in having their art work projected onto key buildings in Picton as part of the “illuminARTe Wollondilly Festival” in April are invited to submit their works by Friday, February 18. All Inquiries to Community Projects and Events Team, phone 4677 9611.

BILK Gallery in Manuka is now seeking proposals and expressions of interest for a limited number of exhibitions in 2017 and 2018. These could be a solo exhibition, installations, experimental works or group exhibitions – specific to jewellery and objects in metal or glass. Proposals until February 28 to bilk.com.au

REGISTRATIONS are now open For “RAW Comedy”, Australia’s largest open-mic comedy competition. Registrations to rawcomedy.com.au

REGISTRATIONS are now open for Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s national secondary school comedy competition, “Class Clowns”. To register visit comedyfestival.com.au/2017/classclowns

Theatre

“PETER Pan the musical” is a lavish musical directed by Anita Davenport for Ickle Pickle Productions. At Belconnen Theatre until January 21. Bookings to canberraticketing.com.au or 6275 2700.

“The Listies 6D” is full of things that kids love to laugh at as its comedians parody pop culture, celebrities, parents, computer games and movies. At The Q – Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, Thursday to Saturday, January 12-14. Bookings to theq.net.au or 6285 6290.

Exhibitions:

“A really splendid exhibition, not to be missed” is how “CityNews” reviewer, Anni Doyle Wawrzynczak, describes “Versailles: Treasures from the Palace”. At the National Gallery of Australia, until April 17.

THE summer exhibition at Ivy Hill Gallery, 1795 Tathra-Bermagui Road, Wapengo, features large abstract landscapes by Antonia Haege, watercolours and graphite drawings from Liz Jeneid and ceramic studies of kangaroos by Gwenna Green. Until January 15.

CANBERRA Glassworks are open to the public again with “In Depth: Joanna Bone and Aaron Micallef” running until January 15. Inspired by found objects including sea grasses, sand dollars and other marine creatures. Bone has collaborated with Aaron Micallef in hot glass and shared studio space in Brisbane for the past four years. 11 Wentworth Ave, Kingston, 10am–4pm Wednesday to Sunday.

THE National Portrait Gallery’s summer exhibition, “The Popular Pet Show”, on display until March 13. Bookings to portrait.gov.au or at the information desk at the Gallery and young people under 18 are free. “Family space: Pets Backyard” is a program of creative activities inspired by “The Popular Pet Show” for families to enjoy together.

THE Royal Australian Mint is now showcasing the story of Stuart Devlin, Geelong-born designer of Australia’s circulating coins and goldsmith and jeweller to Queen Elizabeth II in an exhibition called “The Designer with the Midas Touch”. On show will be the Wiltshire Staysharp Knife MK1 and scabbard, furniture, tableware and candelabra that lit up dining rooms of the rich and powerful. Until April 2017.

“PETER Hislop, photographer: People, Performances and Places” is an exhibition that looks back 40 years to the beginning of Hislop’s remarkable work in documenting Canberra’s fine music performance and performers. At the High Court of Australia, to January 25. Free.

THE Australian War Memorial “The Holocaust: witnesses and survivors”, a show that includes over 85 collection items from both institution. It also features the artwork of  Australian official war artist Alan Moore.

“ARTEFACTS” is a mixed media exhibition of buried treasure and found from “The Tower”, Belconnen Community Service’s Communications and Community Development office. On show gallery@bcs, Belconnen Community Centre (not Belconnen Arts Centre) Swanson Court, Belconnen, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm until January 13.

“THE Sell: Australian Advertising, 1790s to 1990s” at the National Library of Australia until April 25. FREE exhibition.

“COLLEGE Express 8” is presented by Belconnen Arts Centre and celebrates the work of almost 100 students from the North Canberra region. Young artists in Year 11 and 12 from colleges in the north Canberra region explore the world around them through photography, painting, drawing, ceramics, textiles and design technology. At 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen, until January 15, 10am-4pm, Tuesday–Sunday.

AMIEL Courtin-Wilson’s winning digital video work “Charles” 2015, will be on display with six other finalists in the Digital Portraiture Award 2016 exhibition which is open to the public at the National Portrait Gallery until Sunday, April 9.