JAPANESE virtuoso and winner of the Second Australian International Chopin Piano Competition, Kotaro Nagano, will be back in town with a piano and harpsichord recital, the second part of his “Finding the Chopin Style” program. The program will be held at Wesley Music Centre, 20 National Circuit, Forrest, from 7pm, this Friday, July 14. Bookings to trybooking.com/QVPH or at the door.

Events:

JAPANESE artist Ayano Yoshizumi from Toyama Glass Studio is working around Canberra during her six-week Asialink Reciprocal Residency, until July 23. Ayano will be exhibiting and demonstrating her work at the Canberra Glassworks and the Embassy of Japan’s special Japanese Australian Glass Forum and reception at the Canberra Glassworks, 11 Wentworth Street, Kingston, from 5pm–8.30pm, Wednesday, July 19. Register by July 17 to eventbrite.com.au/e/japanese-australian-glass-forum-tickets-35904202436#tickets

 

THE Australian National Botanic Gardens is going wild with “Dinosaurs in the Gardens” until Saturday, July 16. There will be life-sized dinosaurs to be spotted and a free self-guided walk with a map, which is available from the Visitor Centre. The search then continues at night with a “Dino Stampede” from 5.30pm-8pm on Saturday, July 15 (Friday is sold out). Bookings close at 6pm, July 13 via register.eventarc.com/38716/dino-stampede-saturday-15-july 

Talk:

“DEMOCRACY in Colour”, Australia’s first national racial justice advocacy organisation led by “people of colour for people of colour”, will be launched at 6pm at The Front Gallery Café, 1 Wattle Place, Lyneham, this Thursday July 13. Speakers include Rashna Farrukh and Clayton Simpson. Inquiries to 0468 427640.

Workshops and classes:

PADMA Menon and Roslyn Namgyal will present a forum called “The Arts as Philosophy and Spirituality” where visitors are invited to read a poem or story, show a painting or sculpture, dance, sing or share any other arts practice that connects to their spiritual and/or philosophical thinking. For this event particpants don’t need to be professional artist. At Currie Crescent Community Centre, from 2pm-4 pm Saturday, July 22. Entry is by a $5 donation and RSVP is essential by Wednesday, July 19 to info@movingarchetypes.com.au

CASP is an annual small grants program administered by Regional Arts NSW on behalf of Create NSW Arts and Health. Its focus is on arts and the environment, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander projects, culturally and linguistically diverse projects and projects by children or young people. CASP grant writing workshops are open to applicants at southerntablelandsarts.com.au until 5pm on Thursday, July 27.

ACTING For the Fun of It presents “The Living Text” – “From Page to Stage”, a six week course for adults (including Year 12 drama students). Thursdays from 7pm-9pm, July 20 to August 24. All inquiries to course tutor, Peter Wilkins at peterwilkins@grapevine.com.au or 0408 034373. CIT Adult Short courses are held every first weekend of the month all year round at Canberra Glassworks. Costs apply and to find out more, email education@canberraglassworks.com.au

Arts Business:

The National Portrait Gallery is calling on family history enthusiasts and amateur historians to help discover more about the people in its new show, “Dempsey’s People: A folio of British street portraits from 1824-1844”. If you have a family connection to any of the 52 individuals, share your story on social media by tagging @PortraitAu, or send an email to info@npg.gov.au

TOBY Cole plans to stage “Esther”, Handel’s first English oratorio, in the Playhouse on October 28. He’s cooking up a trivia night/fundraiser and one of the silent auction items is a “Singing in the Kitchen” package where Cole will go to the house of the winning bidder, cook dinner for them and their friends, and get everyone singing. “Baroque Challenge” at St John’s Reid, 7:30pm on July 21. Bookings to trybooking.com

 

GARY France’s Groove Warehouse in Hume is expanding its percussion business and now offers daytime adult classes and keyboard lessons at 5/1 Sawmill Circuit, Hume. Information and enrolments to groovewarehouse.com.au

KIRSTY Budding’s venture the Canberra Youth Talent show is back for its second year, giving a stage to talented children and young people between ages six and 19. It will be running at the Belconnen Community Theatre all day on Saturday, August 12. There will be prizes awarded by guest judges and by audience vote. Registration and audition video are due by July 15 to submissions@buddingtheatre.com

PIGEONHOLE Theatre’s production “Playhouse Creatures”, seen at The Q last year, has been invited as the only Australian representative at the Mondial du Theatre in Monaco in August. It’s time to chip in and help director Jordan Best and her all-star Canberra cast get there via the crowdfunding site, australianculturalfund.org.au

M16’s Writer in Residence Program 2017 is a supported residency for emerging writers with an interest in the arts. To apply submit an example of your arts writing (review, essay, etc.) no longer than 1000 words and a CV by 5pm, Friday, July 28 to marketing@m16artspace.com

AINSLIE and Gorman Arts Centres offers supported office accommodation for artists, creatives, as well as arts organisations and music-based organisations and individuals. Inquiries to agac.com.au

Literature:

FORTY original artworks from the never-before-seen CBCA Children’s Book Week collection can be seen in the Clive Price Suite, Building 1, University of Canberra, from 10am to 2pm, Monday to Friday from to August 30.

Dance:

FOLK Dance Canberra and Canberra International Folk Dancing Association have veteran Dutch dance teacher André van de Plas coming from the Netherlands to conduct a full workshop here from July 23-24. Van de Plas believes the process of learning to dance should be fun at all levels. Details and bookings to folkdancecanberra.org.au

BELCONNEN Arts Centre and Tuggeranong Arts Centre have launched a program supported by ACT Health called “Dance for Wellbeing”. Led by Philip Piggin, Jane Ingall, Gretel Burgess, Debora di Centa and Jacqui Simmonds, it provides dance programs for people challenged by Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s or multiple sclerosis. Inquiries to Rachel at 0404 024406.

ALISON Plevey and the Australian Dance Party need your vote for a Bendigo Bank community grant to help them create a full length work in 2017. Voting can be done via facebook.com/canberracommunitybankbranches/ or directly by email to Chloe.Heath@bendigoadelaide.com.au

AUSDANCE ACT Open Class is continuing with advanced to professional level classes on Wednesdays from 10am-11.30am at the Belconnen Arts Centre. Evening classes on Thursdays run from 6.50pm-8.20pm at QL2’s Dance Studio, for intermediate to professional level dancers of all genres. Inquiries to 6247 9103.

Film:

THE “Book Heroes on the Screen” program returns to the National Film and Sound Archive these school holidays where recent blockbusters like “Beauty and the Beast” and nostalgic classics like “The Neverending Story” will be screened. Sessions begin at 11am and the program runs until July 14 at the Arc cinema, NFSA, Acton. Bookings to nfsa.gov.au

Concerts and Gigs:

CHILEAN percussionist Fabian Hevia plays music inspired by jazz and South America. As part of the jazz combo “Far Beyond”, he’ll be appearing at the Bungendore Woodworks on Saturday, July 15 in a dinner and concert show. Bookings to 6238 1688.

GEORGIA Fields and Phia, two of Melbourne’s brightest independent singer-songwriters, will share the stage and each other’s songs, accompanying one another on everything from kalimba to casio, electric guitar to tambourine. At Smiths Alternative, 76 Alinga St Civic, 9.30pm, on Thursday July 13. Bookings to smithsalternative.com

ALSO at Smith’s, a Canberra experimental folk band called Vanishing Shapes will play an eccentric style of folk using instruments such as the flute, clarinet, viola, guitar and double bass. At Smiths Alternative, 76 Alinga Street, Civic, 7pm, Thursday July 13. Bookings to smithsalternative.com

PHOENIX Pub in Civic has as follow: Thursday, July 13 at 9pm, Piss Weak Karaoke; Friday, July 14 at 9pm, The King Hits, Bad Bags, DJ Professor; Saturday, July 15 at 9pm, Hello Tut Tut, East Row Rabble, and Guyy & The Fox.

Theatre:

THE 2017 Canberra Gang Show – “The Musical” runs at the Tim Murray Theatre, 40 Monaro Crescent, Canberra, on July 13, 14 and 15. Bookings to evensi.com

SCIENCE meets art and humanity in a hit romantic comedy, “Constellations”, where a quantum physicist meets a beekeeper, again and again. At The Street Theatre, July 14-29, bookings to thestreet.org.au or 6247 1223.

CHILD Players ACT, is staging a play, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, based on the story by Roald Dahl at theatre@bcs, Belconnen Community Centre, Swanson Court, Belconnen until July 15. Bookings to canberrarep.org.a, 6257 1950 or at the door.

Canberra Youth Theatre’s production “Verbatim” is about to tour to the Australian Theatre for Young People in Sydney. It’s a revival of a successful venture last year, which saw young artists from the company join Canberra Dance Theatre’s over-65 years Gold troupe to create a 50-minute theatre piece about their own anxieties and hopes. “The Verbatim Project”, Courtyard Studio, July 14 and 15. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

 

Exhibitions:

AARWUN Gallery is showcasing the work of local artist Penelope Boyd. “Little Memories” comprises a number of quiet, soulful portraits and eerie still life paintings. She paints with acrylics in a loose, realist style from a variety of source imagery such as vintage knitting and sewing patterns, as well as her own photographs. At Aarwun, 11 Federation Square, Gold Creek, Nicholls, until July 16.

A RARE collection, which features 52 portraits of British street people will be on display for the first time in “Dempsey’s People: a folio of British street portraits 1824-1844”. Curated by David Hansen, the exhibition will bring together 51 works painted by little-known itinerant portraitist, John Dempsey. National Portrait Gallery, King Edward Terrace, Parkes, from 10am–5pm daily, to October 22.

TO celebrate NAIDOC week, Tuggeranong Arts Centre presents “Ecology, Tradition, Art”, a suite of exhibitions by glass artists Jennifer Kemarre Martiniello, Luritja painter Kayannie Denison and Blue Mountains artist Karen Lee. The exhibitions will be held at 137 Reed Street, Greenway, to July 29.

ANCA’s latest exhibition, “The Meeting Place”, features emerging Canberra artists, Tamsin McLure, Colin White and Rebecca Worth, who look for spirituality in the environment through painting, photography and a glass installation. “The Meeting Place”, 1 Rosevear Street, Dickson, until July 30, 10am–4pm, Thursday to Sunday.

 “MELODRAMA in Meiji Japan” features Japanese woodblock (Kuchi-e) illustrations at the Exhibition Gallery on the ground floor of the National Library of Australia, from 10am-5pm, to August 27.

“DEFYING Empire: 3rd National Indigenous Art Triennial” brings the works of 30 contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to the National Gallery of Australia until September 10.

“INTERLACED” is a new exhibition of handwoven cloth by Belinda Rosee, who helped Canberra weaver, Monique van Nieuwland when she was asked to design and produce fabric for the Hollywood movie “Gods of Egypt”, starring Geoffrey Rush. Van Nieuwland will open Rosee’s show at Strathnairn at 4pm on July 15 at 90 Stockdill Drive, Holt.It’s a free event but registrations are advisable to eventbrite.com.au. The exhibition will run until August 6. 

PHOTOMEDIA artist Renate Rienmueller has “Lunar Caustic”, her first solo exhibition at Suki & Hugh Gallery, 38A Gibraltar Street, Bungendore. The exhibition showcases an exciting range of old and new photographic techniques and printing processes. The show continues until August 13.

BELCONNEN Arts Centre has scored quite a coup in its July triple treat of exhibitions; “Feast: indulgence, savouring and delectation”, an exhibition by artists from Illawarra Association for the Visual Arts (IAVA), “The 2016 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize Finalists Exhibition” and “Traits”, by Georgia-Rae Byrne-Jameson. All run to July 23.

CRAFT ACT has a solo exhibition by South Australian designer and maker Christian Hall, which includes furniture, sculpture and jewellery. Craft ACT will also feature “Emerging Contemporaries”, the Craft ACT National Award Exhibition for early career artists. At Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre, North Building.

THE Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council Art Competition show continues at the Queanbeyan Art Society Gallery, under the Queanbeyan River Bridge, until the end of July. 109 works are on show in the gallery and the winners were announced by Tim Overall last weekend. The Queanbeyan Riverside Plaza management has also given the Art Society the use of the window on Monaro Street to exhibit members art works, which are all for sale.

THE 2017 “Warm Trees” exhibition, created by the Friends of the National Arboretum Canberra volunteers with the support of staff from the Arboretum, supported by the Embassy of Japan, features giant flowers and brightly coloured scarves, which have been sent to the Arboretum by volunteer knitters from across the country. National Arboretum, until July 30.

“CHANGES” is the brainchild of painter Steve Roper and glass artist Robyn Campbell, who invited poet Lesley Lebkowicz, illustrator Anne Langridge and musician Georgina Bryant to join them in a show that raises the following questions: How does a poet make a pot? How does a musician? What happens when a painter or an illustrator steps outside the frame on the wall or the page of a book? What difference does a change in material make to the work? Opening by Helen Maxwell at 2.30pm, Saturday, July 15. Gallery floor talk at 6pm on July 28. At Watson Arts Centre, Aspinall Street, Watson, from July 13 to 30, 10am to 4pm, Thursday to Sunday.

THE Belconnen Community Gallery “RESPECT” series presents “Inner Spirit”, an exhibition of paintings by art students at the CIT Yurauna Centre, in celebration of NAIDOC Week. At Belconnen Community Centre, Swanson Court, Belconnen, 9am-4.30pm, Monday to Friday until July 21.

MEREDITH Hinchliffe has curated an online exhibition of work by tapestry exponent Belinda Ramson, who died in 2014. This exhibition was mounted at the American Tapestry Alliance, visit americantapestryalliance.org/exhibitions/tex_ata/belinda-ramson/

THE Australian War Memorial has as a permanent exhibition “The Holocaust: witnesses and survivors”, which includes over 85 collection items.

CANBERRA Museum and Gallery currently has an exhibition called “Aviary”, celebrating our feathered friends in “Aviary”. The show in the Open Collections gallery is largely drawn from the CMAG collection and includes bird art in painting, drawing, print, photography, sculpture and the decorative arts.

“THIS is not a place” is an exhibition by Canberra artist Clare Jackson of etchings explore personal experience through depictions of reminiscent yet constructed places. The show opens at Megalo Print Studio + Gallery, 21 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston, from 6pm, Thursday, July 6, and runs until July 22.

 

CANBERRA painter Robert Boynes’ newest exhibition of work, “Modern Times”, curated by Terence Maloon, is at the ANU Drill Hall Gallery, Kingsley Street, Acton, until August 13.

PHOTOACCESS has two exhibitions in the Huw Davies Gallery as part of its Indigenous Photomedia Artists Program, including: “They Blew Up the Hospital I was Born in”, by Dean Cross, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Royal Canberra Hospital implosion and; “Mill Binna” by Leah and Duncan King Smith, who use still and moving images, sounds, objects and light. At Manuka Arts Centre, on the corner of Manuka Circle and New South Wales Crescent, Griffith to July 16.

TEN artists living around Bateman’s Bay are exhibiting pastel works depicting wildlife, landscapes and still life, at Ginninderra School House Gallery, Sweet Copper Cafe, Gold Creek, Nicholls, from 10am-4pm, Friday, 8.30am-4.30pm, Saturday and Sunday, to July 31.

M16 Artspace at 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith has four new exhibitions opening at 6pm on Thursday, July 6. The exhibitions are: “Figurative Visions: Three Artists; Three Mediums”, by Roger Beale, Rick Cochrane and Chan Dissanyake; “Liminal Landscapes” by Amandeep Kaur, who experiments with digital photomontages that have layers of deliberately constructed liminal spaces in which the concept of the self is explored; “Skating on Thin Ice”, oil paintings interspersed with black and white photos by Keith Bailey; and in the Chutespace, “Timeframe” by Kerry Shepherdson. All shows run Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm-5pm until July 23.

“THE Chandelier Show” is an opulent exhibition of hanging lights curated by Jane Cush, with works by Christine Atkins, Scott Chaseling, Ngaio Fitzpatrick, Jacqueline Knight, Kate Nixon, Tom Rowney, Wendy Dawes, and John and Ruth White. Canberra Glassworks, 11 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston, until August 6.

NANCY Sever Gallery has scored a coup in getting an exhibition by the  celebrated Canberra artist, Elisabeth Kruger, whose exhibition of recent works, “The Sea Paintings”, can be seen at the gallery, which is located on 4/6 Kennedy Street, Kingston. The exhibition will be on from Wednesday to Sunday, 11am–6pm until August 6.

THE Canberra Centre has now unveiled the first in a specially-commissioned series of large-scale murals, including an artwork based on the theme of the artwork series, “Beauty Redefined” created in Australian artist Nick Thomm’s photo-realistic style which utilises bright, psychedelic colours in a mixed-media format.

“A Change Is Gonna Come” is an exhibition focusing on the 1967 Aboriginal Referendum and the 1992 MABO land rights decision by the High Court. At the National Museum of Australia, until January 30, 2018.

“KIRSTIE Rea: the land”, a 20-year survey of works by one of Canberra’s most famous glass creators, has been chosen for the reopening of the Canberra Museum and Gallery. The show runs to August 20.

KYEEMA Gallery’s new exhibition with sale is “Margaret Ballard: Works in Resin”, which opens at 13 Gladstone Street, Hall Village. From 10.30am–5pm, Thursday to Sunday.