CANBERRA artist Katey Baddeley has made it into the Inglis Equine Art Prize for the second year in a row, the youngest artist to make the finalists list both times. Last year she won People’s Choice and now she’s crossing fingers that her equine portrait of “Nelly”, pictured, will be honoured in the Sydney announcements on August 13.

NARRABUNDAH College continues its tradition of provocative student theatre with a production of Soviet writer Evgeny Shvarts’ 1940 play, “The Shadow”, directed by Niki Dudgeon. “Shvarts’ world may have been dark, but his play glows with life and frivolity,” they’re saying. At Narrabundah College’s Hawk Theatre, August 14-24, bookings to 6205 6979 or trybooking.com/49833

THE Griffyn Ensemble purports to have been “putting our green thumbs to use” for the concert “Earth – the science of trees through music” for Science Week. There’ll be Australian, Chilean, American, Swedish and Australian music, with the world premiere of Griffyn director Michael Sollis’ “City of Trees Suite”, commissioned for the Centenary. Artist Annika Romeyn has created an illustrative guide to the program. At CSIRO Discovery Centre atrium, 7pm, August 17, bookings to griffyn.iwannaticket.com.au

OH dear, must people insert “ACT” into everything this year? The ‘tACTile’ group – Jenny Bowker, Dianne Firth, Helen Gray, Beth Miller, Beth and Trevor Reid – have created 20 art quilts each on the idea of Canberra as “a people, place and designed city,” and a collaborative work inspired by Robert Coulter’s panorama of the site for the future capital. At Belconnen Arts Centre, 10am to 5pm, Tuesday-Sunday until August 25. Meet the artists, 3pm, on Sunday, August 11.

CANBERRA’S Austrian Australian Choir is off on its third overseas concert tour, this time to St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the “wedding” church from “The Sound of Music” in Salzburg and the UN Science Forum in Vienna. It will preview the program in the Austrian Australian Club, Mawson, 2 pm, on Sunday, August 11. Tickets at the door or bookings to 6288 7884 or 6286 5793.

THE Life Drawing Workshop, which has been running for nearly 26 years, is coming up soon for six weeks at the Holy Cross Church in Belconnen on Thursdays from 1pm-3pm. Participants bring their own paper, drawing materials and easels, but tables and chairs are provided – and, of course, the models. Call 6253 2002 or 0414 271311, or email art@pazolli.com