Arts in the city

• “IS that a Degas?” you may ask. Well, no, it’s Tim Hardy’s fake version of “Seated Bather Drying Herself”, his entry in the Artists Society of Canberra’s prize for the “most fabulous fake”, to be seen with around 400 other works in the society’s annual Spring Art Exhibition.

Other prizes are The Molonglo Catchment Art Prize, Peg Minty Prize for Landscape and The Yarralumla IGA Still Life Prize. All artworks are for sale. The show runs at Wesley Centre, Forrest, from September 9 to 11.

• THE School of Music launched the new official opening of the Larry Sitsky Recital Room last week in honour of its best-known composer.

Another famous Canberran, pianist Michael Kieran Harvey, played Sitsky’s “Dimensions of Night” to mark the occasion.

• THE National Operatic Aria final, part of the Australian National Eisteddfod’s vocal competition, September 5-10, is always a nail-biting affair.

It will be held at the Albert Hall, 7.30pm, September 10, with 15 aspirants. Adjudicators are super-diva Lisa Gasteen and baritone Roger Howell.

Prizes are serious – $15,000, $7000 and $4000. Tickets at the door.

• ARTISTS Vicki Mason and Ximena Briceño have created some of the most imaginative jewellery seen in a while for “V@X Filigree to Flora”.

Mason’s pieces conjure up Australian colonial jewellery, Chinoiserie motifs and plants, while Briceño is inspired by filigree. It’s at Bilk Gallery, Palmerston Lane, Manuka, until September 24.

• MORE than 20 professional artists calling themselves Networks Australia have explored “nets” and “networking” and come up with the exhibition, “Casting the Net”. The idea was conceived by artist Nancy Tingey, then taken up by Valerie Kirk at the ANU. It’s at the Strathnairn in Holt, until September 11.

• THE new black Australian comedy, “Often I Find that I am Naked,” is at The Street Theatre, September 9-10. A two-hander, it follows the adventures of Jezebel, who spends her time shopping, drinking and looking for Mr Right.

• “MIND and Soul” is an ANU School of Art Emerging Artists Support Scheme exhibition of works showing at the Alliance Française, 66 McCaughey Street, Turner, until September 16 (Monday-Saturday).

You’ll see print media and drawing by Annika Romeyn, gold and silversmithing by Hyun-Hee Lee, paintings by Tommy Ballog, ceramics by Elizabeth De Koke and glass by Melinda Willis.