Art workshops - Breathing Spaces: Miniature Worlds - 28 March 12pm & 1pm

A calm workshop for all ages where participants are invited to slow down and respond to simple forms found in nature.

Guided by artist Michelle Heldon, participants will be inspired by nearby natural elements and respond to simple forms found in nature through tracing, mark-making and gentle making. The workshop offers space to explore scale, attention and imagination; moving between the small and the expansive, the personal and the shared.

Participants may choose to take their miniature world home or add it to a growing collective artwork created across the day. The session is open-ended and designed to encourage curiosity, connection and quiet discovery.

What to Expect

• A relaxed, welcoming space with simple creative prompts
• Opportunities to work independently or alongside others
• Gentle, process-based making suitable for children and adults
• No pressure for finished outcomes
• All ages welcome (Children Under 16 years must be accompanied by an adult).

Drop-in participation is welcome on the day should space be available.

Accessibility - This workshop is inclusive and access-led. Please contact us ahead of time to discuss any access requirements.

CREATIVE WOLLONGONG STUDIOS – This workshop is being delivered as part of the Creative Wollongong Studios OPEN DAY (28 March 2 - 5pm). Michelle Heldon is currently a Creative Wollongong Studios resident artist. Participants are invited to visit the OPEN DAY Studios following the workshop (located Lower Town Hall, behind Wollongong Art Gallery).

About the Artist:

Michelle Heldon (she/her) is an artist living and working on Dharawal Country, Wollongong and is a current artist in residence with Wollongong City Council Creative Wollongong Studios.

Her practice centres on care, connection and community, working across painting, textiles, performance and installation. Michelle’s current body of work is a series of miniature paintings of special places of pause in nature; quiet sites she returns to for breathing, reflection and restoration. These works reflect an interest in transition, grief and renewal, and in how repeated connection with place can support healing and attentiveness.

Her broader practice is grounded in process-based making, collection and arrangement, and is deeply shaped by the groups and communities she works with. Through intergenerational and access-led programs, Michelle explores creativity as a connective force, linking people, place and more-than-human ecosystems. Nature, sensory experience and the elements often lead her work, allowing chance, transformation and subtle shifts to emerge.

Alongside her independent practice, Michelle is the Art and Dementia Producer at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and a Discovery Ranger with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, delivering creativity and nature-based programs. She is currently developing Kindling, a practice focused on nurturing wellbeing through art, nature and shared experience. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) from the National Art School and has completed artist residencies in Australia and overseas, with a strong focus on community engagement and access.

Instagram: @my.kindling