It's wonderful when our Wildcare groups collaborate together. Friends of Maatsuyker Island (FOMI) and Friends of Tasman Island (FOTI) have co-created another Off Island event, to again be held at the Geilston Bay Boat Club.

Their first Off Island event last year was hugely successful and provided an opportunity for Wildcare members and the general public to experience the rich community and cultural heritage of the islands without having to visit them. This year's theme is birds, which certainly deserve our attention now more than ever as avian influenza reaches Australian shores. All are welcome to attend the event and the creative and informative activities on offer. If you would like further information, reach out to via Georgie.carr.22@gmail.com

Creators Workshop: Saturday 15 August, 10:00am - 1:00pm

Step into the zone of your creative self, guided by Wildcare artists as they share their craft in this workshop. Choose one of several crafts on offer (space is limited so reserve your spot fast!).

Suitable for all skill levels, with young people especially encouraged to attend. There's an opportunity to exhibit your creations. There is a limit of eight participants per artist. Attending is $20 (incl. Art Exhibition & Symposium entry). Below are descriptions of the activities on offer provided by event organisers.

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Collage and Assemblage with Lead Artist Gwen Egg

Capture moments, moods and memories of islands, oceans and sea birds using collage and assemblage.

Bring along:

an assortment of paper and fabric scraps, threads, flotsam, jetsam and anything you think might be fun to work with,

some items that are special to you and some to share,

scissors, cutters and a cutting mat if you have them,

an image, some writing and/or an object that speaks to you of islands, oceans and birds, and

some food for sustenance.

Gwen Egg is a fibre and textile artist best known for her basket weaving workshops and for weaving giant nests. Over the summer of 2009/2010 Gwen spent two months on Maatsuyker Island as Artist in Residence, captivated by the island environment and watching the ocean and the sea birds from her island eyrie.

Fun-Damentals of Paper Engineering & Pop-up Card Making with Lead Artist Ailsa Fergusson

Ailsa thinks outside the box in unique ways in 3D structures and shares the skills with people of all ages and levels of experience. This workshop is suitable for all artistic levels as complexity can be added to the basic forms for those with previous experience. Your mind will explode at the potential directions with paper after this taster workshop.

Bring the following tools IF you have them, otherwise Ailsa will have supplies to share:

Cutting mat,

ruler 30cm,

pencil,

cutting tool with new sharp blade (scissors less useful),

paper folding tool ( bone folder or teflon),

paper scoring tool (old knife, not sharp enough to cut paper works well), and

food for sustenance.

Ailsa Fergusson: I have a range of creative pursuits, starting with model making as a child, then text obsessions have lead me into a lifetime of involvement in calligraphy and currently teaching in U3A. A Fine Arts degree majoring in furniture design, had to substitute for not being able to study architecture. My great grandfather, Robert Huckson was marineboard architect and designed many of the lighthouses round Tasmania including Maatsuyker Island. Small items from this degree were exhibited in France with other work from the design faculty of the University of Tasmania. In retirement the scale of my design has been reduced to model making and paper structures using many decades of experience with materials, tools and techniques learned from dentistry to house building and everything in between.

[Booked Out] Lino Printing with Lead Artist Penny Dilger

Discover how to carve a simple shape/design to create a bold print on paper and /or card. This workshop provides a simple step-by-step guide to printing single colour linocut prints. You will have the opportunity to learn about and practice using lino cutting tools to cut the small soft lino block, how to ink it up and finally how to print on paper or card. Bring smock or shirt to protect clothing and food for sustenance. All other equipment supplied.

Penny Dilger: Since retiring after 40 years of working in education as a primary classroom teacher, specialist art teacher (primary) and providing professional learning for teachers, I have found time to develop my longstanding interest in print making. Many of the projects I taught during my time as an art teacher, involved simple print making techniques in several forms. There is something magic about the process of transferring an image from a collage, stencil or carving to paper and bringing it to life with colour. The excitement of the reveal that was evident in my students is still very strong when printing my own lino cuts. Initially my prints were focused on family portraits and flowers found in my own garden. Since then, the flowers from the Tasmanian bush have inspired my images. I play with my photographs and use computer programming to design the image to cut. I like the clean and sharp nature of the linocut print and enjoy the bright colours provided by the dye; you can create beautiful watercolour effects with dye, by blending and bleeding colours. I also find the carving and painting process very relaxing. Instagram @pennydilger

Art Exhibition: Sunday 16 August, 10:30am - 3:30pm

Displays from established artists through to the quietest of everyday creators, proudly sitting side-by side for this exhibition. Browse the artwork. Submit your own work. All mediums welcomed. New exhibitors especially encouraged. The Art Exhibition & Symposium are $10 total.

10:30 am Art Exhibition Opens All day for casual roaming and yarning with artists and participating Wildcare groups.

12:00 pm Performing Arts submissions shared poems, music, creative writing

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Island + Bird Symposium: Sunday 16 August, 1:00pm - 3:30pm

Listen to experts in the field share about their experiences studying, observing and caring for birds. Sit in conversation with them after the presentations in a facilitated forum. The Art Exhibition & Symposium in person are $10 total and the symposium can be viewed online for free if booking to do so.

12:50pm Official Off-Island Event Opening & heartfelt Acknowledgement of Country

1:00pm Speaker Presentations moderated by Dr Sally Bryant AM, Director of Protect Tasmania.

Sally has decades of experience delivering threatened species programs in government and the private sector. A skilled field ecologist, she works tirelessly promoting Tasmania’s unique island environment and how we can save our threatened creatures now, before it’s too late.

Els Wakefield One of lutruwita‘s most experienced birders, Els has just published A Life with the Birds of Tasmania, written with her late husband Bill. She will speak about why they decided to do it and how it took 25 years to achieve after travelling around the world, including the Galapagos and the Amazon jungle, in part to collect photos of every bird species that has ever been recorded in Tasmania.

Dr. Sue Robinson Sue is a biologist in the Invasive Species Branch of Biosecurity Tasmania, Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania. Her recent work has included looking at invasive species management on priority seabird islands, including in respect to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) preparedness.

Mel Wells Mel has spent 15 years working in seabird ecology and conservation, starting training Maremma dogs to protect little penguins and then undertaking research on islands around the world, including Macquarie Island, where she has spent 3 years, and most recently Heard and McDonald Islands. Mel will speak to her PhD investigation of little penguin health around lutruwita/Tasmania.

2:25pm Break

2:45pm Speaker Q + A Forum facilitated by Dr Sally Bryant, with guest speakers.

3:15pm Art Prizes announced

3:30pm Event closes

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Expressions of Interest (EOI) to Display Your Artwork

If you would like to display your work in the Exhibition, please submit an EOI by August 10th.

Have you ever felt moved to create, respond or express your inner world, when fully immersed in the wild… then look at the outcome, feeling pleased to have captured that feeling words could not reach? Have you ever cast your eyes across someone’s piece of work which leaves you breathless with memory of a special place or adventure? Then you’re in the right place and we’re glad you’re here. Thanks for expressing interest in submitting your creations to the exhibition. Whether you consider yourself an artist, someone who creates for personal satisfaction, or never created before but intrigued… this is the exhibition where all expressions are embraced.

Guidelines
This exhibition has community at the heart. Please consider these guidelines below before
completing the application form below:

One or two submissions per person only

Each submission needs to have some connection to the events theme of Islands and/or Birds. As it is your piece, you may determine how the theme exists within your work.

All mediums are welcomed. Sculpture, canvas, wood, poetry, movement, creative writing,
textiles, music…

There is no age limit

The space at the Geilston Bay Boat Club is basic. Each artwork will create the magic. We kindly request your artwork be able to fit on a trestle table or be free standing / propped up as you
require.

You are responsible for how it is displayed (e.g. bring an easel, blocks to prop it up on the
table). There is one free standing pin board which can be utilised. This will serve 2 artists.

We understand tables are not ideal for hanging objects. It’s the reality of the space, so reach
out and we’ll put our thinking caps on to find a way for your piece to shine brightly, despite
space restrictions. Let’s get resourceful together.

You, as the exhibiting artist, are responsible for set up and pack down of your artwork.

Set up time is 8am – 9:30am on the event day, 16ᵗʰ August. The art will stay on display until
3:30pm, when you can collect.

We will do our best to take exceptional care with your artwork on the day. At the same time, by entering this exhibition, you acknowledge and accept full responsibility for your artwork while on display and part of the event.

Awards & Prizes
There are four award categories judged on the day: People’s Choice Award; First Time Exhibitor Award; Judges Choice Award; and Young Artist Award. We have some prizes for these awards which will be announced closer to the date.

Entry Ticket to the Event
If you put in a submission, your entry to the Off Island Sunday event is free. You are the reason people are coming. We humbly bow to thee.

Submit EOIs

Wildcare SPRATS

Volunteers have an impact on coastal weeds in Tasmania's Wilderness World Heritage Area