About Delvene
Delvene Cockatoo-Collins is a Quandamooka woman and artist who lives and works on Minjerribah – North Stradbroke Island, operating her small business ‘Minjerribah Art Studio and Cottage’. Based in a studio and retail store in Goompi – Dunwich, and open to the public, Delvene’s practice includes commissions, public art, workshops and a weekly walking tour across Goompi – Dunwich.
Recurring themes across Delvene’s artwork and expressions are the stories of her family’s lived experiences on Quandamooka Country, her responses to images and texts related to her family, the relationship to her great-great grandmother, through a body of work, titled Six Generations, Traditional mat making techniques, and the use of clays and pigments found across Quandamooka including the islands and mainland around Moreton Bay.
Site & Situation | Full-day workshop with Delvene Cockatoo-Collins
Politics of Place
Delvene Cockatoo-Collins has a gallery and studio space on North Stradbroke Island. She hosts creative tours and workshops at her place of birth, on her Country, on Quandamooka Country, teaching people to listen, feel and learn from the land that they are on, gently connecting and drawing on ideas to create meaningful art to share stories of place using traditional and contemporary techniques.
Delvene will share how she connects with her Country, the process of collecting natural materials, specifically the Cotton Tree Bark to make Cotton Tree yarn and dye it with natural dyes. This process is transformative, teaching slow practice and appreciation of First Nations traditional methods and techniques. The skills that will be shared can then be transferred to the attendees practice at home on their Country and others, when they work with meaning and connection to create.
The workshop will promote respect, understanding, and preservation of First Nations culture and traditions. Encouraging First Nations emerging artists to connect with their history and stories of place to share them with the world through their artwork.
Cost | FREE Event – Places Limited – Apply via EOI (see below)
When | Wednesday 24th May 2023
Time | 8:00am – 4:00pm
Where | Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island)
How to apply | Open to Gold Coast residents only. To apply to attend the workshop complete the expressions of interest form below. People of all backgrounds welcome to apply.
When applying to attend this workshop you are invited to submit your portfolio or examples of previous works (if applicable), CV, your biography and 250 words or less telling us why you want to participate in the workshop.
The full-day workshop program is as follows:
| 8:00am | SWELL team will meet and greet attendees at Middle Street Cleveland Jetty |
| 8:15am | Stradbroke Gold Cats Water Taxi – leaves from End of middle Street Cleveland |
| 9:00am | Delvene will meet everyone at the boat/jetty; walking tour around Goompi (Dunwich) – including Minjerribah Museum; North Stradbroke Island Housing Co-Op artefact and photographic display; morning tea at Quandamooka owned business, Island Fruit Barn |
| 12:00pm | Lunch at Perry’s seafood (First Nations owned Fish and Chip store) |
| 1:00pm | Beach visit to collect and harvest Cotton Tree Fibres |
| 2:00pm | Afternoon studio workshop with the fibres; using natural dyes. |
| 3:55pm | Water taxi, return to Cleveland |
Questions can be emailed to enquiry@swellsculpture.com.au
Site and Situation is an initiative of City of Gold Coast | Curated by SWELL Sculpture.