UPCOMING
Colour Box Studio Creative Conversations
Arts Centre Melbourne and Colour Box Studio presents a journey into the world of creativity with the Colour Box Studio Creative Conversation Series. Delve into the experiences of a diverse array of artists as they share their insights in front of a live audience.
Building upon the success of Colour Box Studio’s online Artist Interview Series, we are thrilled to announce a special in-person edition featuring six truly inspiring creatives to be showcased across three events in April, May and June. Hosted by Māori visual artist and podcaster, Maria Birch-Morunga, Colour Box Studio Creative Conversations aims to spark new ideas, forge connections, and inspire our local arts community.
The April 24th event will feature comedian Sashi Perera and visual artist and curator Paola Balla. On May 29th we’ll chat with contemporary artist Jody Haines and filmmaker and actor, Esther Fwati. June 26th will include artist, creative director and cultural leader Aseel Tayah (stay tuned for final June artist announcements!). This free event series will be held at The Channel, the dedicated learning space nestled in a prime central location along the Yarra / Birrarung next to Hamer Hall.
The series provides attendees with an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, fostering meaningful conversations in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. Snacks provided.
Come and connect, learn, and celebrate creativity together. See you there!
FREE EVENT REGISTRATIONS: Click here
Dates: 24 April, 29 May, 26 June
Time: Doors open 6pm
Where: The Channel, Arts Centre Melbourne: Google Maps Link | The Channel | Wayfinding Video – How to get to The Channel by train or from the tram and bus stops.
• All events will be recorded for eventual release as a Podcast in future | Wheelchair access | Auslan interpretation provided.
ABOUT THE CHANNEL: Each year, The Channel hosts hundreds of workshops, panel discussions, development opportunities and performances. Designed for performing artists, musicians, theatre practitioners, podcasters, comedians, magicians and producers. The Channel hosts a variety of programs suited for emerging, mid-career and established artists. The full program can be found here.
ABOUT COLOUR BOX STUDIO: With a mission to foster community engagement, Colour Box Studio provides a dynamic platform for artists, creatives and storytellers to explore their creativity and connect with audiences. Through its curated programs and initiatives, Colour Box Studio offers a range of opportunities including workshops, events, an online artist interview series and community projects. More about Colour Box Studio here.
ARTIST BIOS
HOST
Maria Birch-Morunga is a Māori podcast and event host, facilitator and visual artist. Based in Melbourne, Maria’s practice includes fabric art, collage and co-creating the podcast Being Biracial. Alongside Kate Robinson, Maria is part of the current cohort of Museums Victoria’s Culturemakers. The pair created Threads, an immersive digital film that is currently exhibited at Melbourne Museum. Maria has curated and hosted events at Footscray Community Arts, Bluestone Church Arts Space, MPavillion and The Round.
FEATURED ARTISTS, 24th April, 6PM
Sashi Perera is a Sri Lankan Australian comedian, writer and recovering lawyer. She was nominated as Best Newcomer at the 2023 Melbourne International Comedy Festival and featured as One to Watch on the 2021 UK Funny Women Awards. Her second solo show “Boundaries” will tour Australia and the UK through 2024.
Dr Paola Balla is a visual artist, curator, speaker, academic and writer. She is a Wemba-Wemba and Gunditjmara woman based at Moondani Balluk Indigenous Academic Centre, Victoria University where she works in Blak community research & teaches The Politics of Aboriginal Art, Indigenous units in the Masters of Teaching program & is Director of Creative Research Collective at Moondani Balluk. Her visual & curatorial practice is focused on Blak women’s resistance, sovereignty, self-determination and healing practices. Her art speaks back to racism & traumas inflicted on Blak women’s bodies & creates temporal spaces of healing & respite with bush dyed fabric installations.
FEATURED ARTISTS, 29th May, 6PM
Jody Haines (palawa) is a contemporary artist in Naarm. Her unique practice blends social practice, photo-media (photography/video/film), and public art, creating large-scale public activations that include projections, paste-ups, and street-wide photographic installations. Rooted in Indigenous feminist K/new/Known materialism, Jody’s work explores themes of identity, representation, and the female gaze.
Esther Fwati is an emerging actor, writer and producer based in Melbourne Australia. In 2022 her Web Series NO ORDINARY LOVE Presented by Screen Australia was released to an international audience with great reception. Esther acted as Producer, Marketing Strategist, Writer & Actor on the Series. In 2023 the series won BEST WEB SERIES at the LA SUN FILM FEST and Esther was awarded BEST ACTRESS in a Series/Pilot/Web for her role as series lead – Beck.
Esther has been acting since 2012 with credits including Kevin Hopkin’s THE CONTAINER and Chido Mwat’s FOR BECKY. In 2018 she was a participant in the inaugural Screen Australia x Equity Diversity showcase. Esther is inspired by the works of creators such as Issa Rae, Quinta Brunson and Shonda Rhimes and seeks to establish herself as a Showrunner/Writer/Actor across original Drama and Romance works.
FEATURED ARTISTS, 26th June, 6PM
Aseel Tayah is an award winning Melbourne-based Palestinian artist, creative director and cultural leader who uses her practice to advocate for artists of color, mothers, children and young people, focusing on identity, First Nation and climate, changing the world, one project at a time.
Aseel works globally, using the power of storytelling to create awareness, facilitate connections and humanise the experiences of people who have been displaced. As such, her work is embedded in the community and is often highly responsive to current issues of war and crisis .
She is the artistic director of Bukjeh, her signature project, that grew to be a movement for many around the world. Bukjeh, began as a one-off weekend event in 2017 and has grown into a significant collective of culturally diverse artists from refugee communities presenting public events, school workshops, and corporate programs right across Victoria. Aseel’s work with the Bukjeh company was recently endorsed by the receipt of the Green Room Award for the contribution to the community and art sector.
June Guest Artist TBA
Protecting Our Stories
A FREE workshop & conversation for Australian South Sea Islander community members.
Following up on our 2023 workshop, Australian South Sea Islander community members are invited to join us for this FREE online legal workshop and conversation.
Topics to be discussed:
• Case studies exploring how to protect our stories in arts, cultural, film & media projects.
• Copyright, consent, contracts & ICIP when dealing with museums, schools, companies, organisations & Government bodies.
• Question & Answer session with an Arts Law lawyer.
Please register in advance to receive Zoom links for your participation.
REGISTER FREE at Eventbrite: click here.
Project Team
Amie Batalibasi – Filmmaker and Founder of Colour Box Studio
Clacy Fatnowna – President | Queensland United Australian South Sea Islander Council Inc.
Suzanne Derry – Head of Growth, Innovation and Engagement | Senior Solicitor, Arts Law Centre of Australia
Jo-Anne Driessens – Artists in the Black Coordinator, Arts Law Centre of Australia
Presented by QUASSIC and Colour Box Studio in collaboration with Arts Law.
PAST EVENTS
Conscious Creative Practice
Colour Box Studio is committed to supporting wellbeing for artists and creatives through the creative journey, that’s why we’ve joined forces with Creative Therapist, Toya Ricci to bring you Conscious Creative Practice – A Wellbeing Circle for Artists and Creatives.
This online wellbeing circle for creatives offers an inclusive therapeutic space to connect and share the unique challenges facing our industry. Toya Ricci will lead the wellbeing circle from a place of compassion, incorporating elements of experimentalism, cognitive-behavioural therapy, compassion-focussed therapy and solution-focussed therapy.
This one-hour online session aims to give you the support to unleash your creative expression and navigate the challenges and blockages in your life. This event is a chance for our creative community to take a collective exhale.
Creative Jam Work Session:
Work on your project and then chat with like-minded creatives. This is not a pitch session – you don’t need to present your work.
This is an online session where you will work individually for 25-minute intervals and then join a small group during breaks to converse with other creatives. It’s the Pomodoro technique and informal networking combined.
$13 register ONLINE 12th December 2023, 6:30PM.
The idea is to carve out time to get your creative work done in solidarity with the community whilst encouraging the creative juices to flow. You never know who you’ll meet or what creative ideas might spark from new connections.
Is there a creative project you’ve been meaning to start? Do you have a work in progress? Are you working on a job application or writing a funding proposal? Do you have random ideas on your notes app that could developed? Are you in the midst of exhibition planning or a studio project? We hope to see you there.