Speaker Wanted
Merle Thompson is currently organising a seminar on behalf of the Blue Mountains Group of the Australian Plants Society on the depiction of native plants in art and design. This will be their 13th seminar. Two years ago the theme was native plants from an Aboriginal perspective and last year was from the perspective of white settlers and visitors to late 19th Century.
This seminar will have one session on botanical art and botanical illustration and one on design and crafts. The first part of the design session will be a talk by Dr Margaret Betteridge along the lines of the introduction to her book "Australian Flora in Art" in which she has photos of a wide range of crafts mainly from the Powerhouse collection. This will be followed by a panel of people giving short talks about their own craft area and hopefully displaying some work.
She wonders if the Guild knows of anyone who has a special interest in native plant designs who would be prepared to participate in the afternoon.
This is not a 'high power' event. Attendances usually range from 40 to 80. They draw participants from our own Group, other people in our Society in metropolitan, Central West and Southern Highlands areas and from contact with other local organisations including local art and craft organisations. and ads in local paper.
When: Sunday, August 2, 9.30 am to 4 pm
Where: Blaxland Community Centre, Hope Street, Blaxland. About 10 minutes after crossing the Nepean for those driving west, few hundred metres from Blaxland Station.
Information: mkthom@bigpond.com
They only charge $20 including lunch. They are not in a position to pay speakers but reimburse local travel and invite anyone who accompanies the speaker to have lunch. They describe the level of talk as committed amateur - not really for people with no background at all but not academic even though they have had speakers who are professors or senior lecturers etc. The topic often is adjusted to accommodate the interests of the speakers.