From March – December 2020, Reverse Garbage artist and educator Fiona Arnold ran a series of workshops with Burwood Council and Metro Assist to empower members of the community to build up their skills and create art. Participants and their carers worked together to learn and build using reuse materials that they can find at home. I sat down for a chat with Fi about her experience leading this workshop series and exhibition.
Fiona taught participants to take inspiration from Van Gogh and Kandinsky, guiding them to “have the choice, using both hands” to build personalised artworks that left participants feeling part of their creations.
Participants grew their skillset week after week, starting with basic weaving and moving through to learn principles of shape, light, colour, medium and form. Using calming and repetitive techniques, as well as forming a community through art, everyone left “so hungry for the next activity”.
Week 2 of the program explored shapes – using different materials in combination.
[Image description: an artwork of lots of circular cardboard tubes and buttons on a flat surface to create different shapes and forms]
Over time, participants and carers became more and more confident in their skills to work as a team. By providing support and guidance in a joyful and creative space, Fi showed how art improves people’s concentration.
Week 3 was a collage inspired by Van Gogh’s vases. Participants learn how to fold and roll paper to create texture in their art
[Image description: A participant holding up their artwork of a colourful collage of flowers in a vase made from paper, cardboard, teabags and pompoms]
Using all reuse materials participants and carers improved their community and built agency in tackling environmental problems.
Every week, there were discussions about how everyone could help reduce their waste, from refusing single-use items to creative reuse.
Week 4 was inspired by the work of Kandinsky to build shape and silhouette into participants’ artistic practice.
[Image description: Two people demonstrate their felt collages of various shapes and colours, including human silhouettes and profiles]
At the end of the sessions, Metro Assist put on an exhibition to showcase the weaving, collages and jewellery that participants had made over the weeks. Although the initial plan to exhibit the works at Burwood library was not possible, an online exhibition cemented the achievements and hard work of the seven weeks. As Fiona put it, it wasn’t seen as the ending of the program but something “others can use as a beginning”. It was a great opportunity to build community and create art and joy while learning new skills.
