Arts & Culture

If music heals the soul, there’s an event this weekend that is sure to bring medicinal value to the scorched Snowy Mountain ranges. And if there is a place in need of a salve it’s Tooma, 31 kilometres south of Tumbarumba – population 101 – and one place few people wanted to be in January. But Australian country music singer...

March is the month the Hilltops Region comes alive to the colour, vibrancy and traditions of the Chinese culture when thousands gather in Young for the Lambing Flat Chinese Festival. An event that celebrates the contribution of the Chinese to Australia, the festival also ties into the town’s early gold rush days, circa 1860s, when Chinese miners came to the...

For a town full of artisans, Braidwood has now produced an award-winning gem of an apprentice in the jewellery trade. Jeweller Logan Preston has just completed his apprenticeship under William Verdon Manufacturing Jeweller in Braidwood and has recently won the State World Skills Challenge for Jewellery. For a town of around 1600 residents, Braidwood boasts three main street jewellers and...

For Bateman's Bay resident and photojournalist Elise Searson, the hardest part of being a female artist is pursuing her art while being the sole parent of her two-year-old son. "Taking great photos often relies on spending hours in uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous situations," she says "I found it very tough being a mother and trying to cover the recent bushfires."...

In a musical theatre first, acts from 12 of Canberra and Queanbeyan’s finest musical theatre companies will share the stage at the Bicentennial Hall in Queanbeyan tomorrow night (7 March). Stagecenta ACT, in association with Freemasons NSW/ACT (represented by Queanbeyan St Andrew Masonic Lodge), is presenting this one night only musical theatre event to raise money for Braidwood following the summer bushfires. “While many of...

The Canberra Symphony Orchestra will return to Queanbeyan this weekend for its annual Music by the River concert, a free outdoor performance of classical favourites. The family-friendly event at Queen Elizabeth II Park on the banks of the Queanbeyan River on Saturday evening is presented by Icon Water in partnership with Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC). Led by concertmaster Kirsten Williams, Music...

One of the region's most beloved and spectacular arts events will defy a dreadful summer to light up the Far South Coast for ten days this March. SCULPTURE Bermagui displays multiple artworks against a backdrop of forests, waterways and stunning headlands in the heart of the Far South Coast. There are also opening night celebrations, indoor exhibitions, artist talks, musical events and...

This year's National Folk Festival will acknowledge the devastating impact of the summer's bushfires with a special concert and fundraising efforts across the Easter weekend. Speaking at Tuesday's launch of the 54th National Folk Festival at Gorman House in Canberra, festival managing director Helen Roben said it would be a heartfelt response to the summer's tragedies. "We have reached out...

Ivy Hill Gallery's Curator Carolyn Killen is carefully unpacking beautiful ceramic works from 20 of Australia’s foremost ceramicists and sculptors. These special pieces have been donated for a fundraising effort to benefit the fire-affected South coast community. Many pieces are functional – vases, jugs, platters and bowls – but some are purely sculptural. All are delightful. Proceeds from the sale...

There is a plethora of bookish events on in the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla around this Valentine’s Day: launches, student events, literary luncheons, talks and meet-the-author experiences in the local pub. Best-selling Bega Valley author Gabbie Stroud will launch her second book Dear Parents this week. Ms Stroud describes herself as a recovering teacher, having become disenchanted from years of...

When Robyn Cadwallader creates her meticulously detailed medieval worlds, she doesn't look out the window at the Murrumbateman landscape. Instead, the internationally acclaimed author looks at a bare wall. This week, Cadwallader collected the ACT Book of the Year award for her novel, Book of Colours. Her first book, The Anchoress was internationally reviewed and this one takes place in...

From a horror-thriller set in colonial times, a retelling of early Christianity, to a nostalgic look at the love of grandparents, summertime has provided inspiration for the most discerning of readers. Some well-known names have also contributed to the summertime releases, including the likes of Ian McEwan – with a futuristic narrative on synthetic humans (involving a love triangle) – and Charlotte Wood – whose The...

For those impacted by this year's bushfire season, recovery could take a long time, but motivated local organisations and the arrival of funding mean programs to help are starting to roll out in fire-affected regions. On the South Coast, the Bega Valley Regional Gallery (BVRG), in partnership with Regional Arts NSW and Headspace Bega, are hoping to provide comfort and...

Men and women have been hanged in Goulburn. In the 1800s, at the crest of residential streets and near the Court House they were left for all to see. Today the old town is serving as the backdrop for a new slasher horror movie, Alice. Dan Sanguineti of Canberra and Goulburn-based colleague Michael Watson agreed to shoot their latest film...

There's always more to art than the painting on the wall. And if you bring together genius, towering ego and social tumult, the results will be both volatile and spectacular. The story of Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, their friendship and their intense rivalry, is at the heart of the National Gallery of Australia's summer exhibition, open now. https://www.facebook.com/riotactnews/videos/801799360241573/ Matisse...

As an artist and producer of organic skincare and beeswax products, Greta Sharman appreciates the value of a space dedicated solely to the wares of local artisans. Her Broulee store, Bliss & Trove, has been established in that spirit. Mogo’s Greta – known for the well-loved Bliss honey products, produced by her beekeeper husband Tom – recently opened a Broulee...