First Fridays: Tending to nature through art

This First Friday we will be tending to nature through art in collaboration with the Nature Festival, join us to enjoy a selection of talks and activations. Listen to a panel discussion which will unpack how engaging deeply with art can be a tool for resilience in facing the ecological crisis and the other emergency states of our age. Join a floor talk about the meditative art of Ikebana, then witness a demonstration of techniques associated with Ikebana; the art of Japanese flower arrangement. Sit back and enjoy the sounds of DJ Shibuya-Bun who will bring Japan's nightlife to AGSA. Explore a collection of art inspired by the natural world with a Gallery Guide or discuss art's power to address climate change in a facilitated 'idea's circle' hosted by of our Vanguards.

5pm & 7pm*
Guided Tours

Join a Gallery Guide or Vanguard for a tour of works of art in the collection inspired by the natural world.
*7pm, an Auslan interpreter accompanies a tour of works inspired by the natural world.
Meet at the Information Desk

From 5pm
Musical Performance - DJ Shibuya-Bun

DJ Shibuya-Bun brings Japan’s nightlife to AGSA with a mix of Japanese EDM, avant-garde and electronic music.
In the courtyard

5.30pm
Nature Festival Symposium - Art, Climate and Resilience

Art, Climate and Resilience will unpack how engaging deeply with art can be a tool for resilience in facing the ecological crisis and the other emergency states of our age. This panel discussion will position art as a creative force for change, a way of orienting ourselves in the world and it will consider the art form of tending (tending to a garden, to a practice, to daily modes of connection) as a re-humanising activity in the face of upheaval.

Panel of artists, thinkers and researchers include;

• South Australian artist, arts writer and educator Sasha Grbich.
• Rana Kökçinar registered Senior Child and Family Psychotherapist with a special interest in utilising expressive and creative arts-based approaches, Rana has a keen interest in a number of alternative frameworks to address climate change related distresses.
• Jac Semmler leading plant creative and inaugural 'Gardener in Residence' with Nature Festival, Director of Super Bloom, and Author.
• Molly Ellis Hennekam is an applied ecologist with a strong interest in the arts, her work encompasses using emerging technologies to build capacity and improve sustainability and environmental outcomes. Molly is a current Vanguard Guide at AGSA.
• Moderated by Amber Cronin, independent artist and Art Curator at Nature Festival.
  Radford Auditorium

6pm
Floor talk - Pure form and the art of Ikebana

Hear from Russell Kelty, Curator of Asian Art, Ray Bywaters and Maureen Arnott, Director and Deputy Director of the Australian Sogetsu Teachers Association in SA, and Christopher James, Director of the Victorian ASTA, for a discussion about the art form of Ikebana and its continuing influence on ceramic artists of Japan. Join our panelists in the Pure Form exhibition to learn more about creating a conversation between plants + objects.
Meet in Gallery 20

6.45pm
Demonstration - Ikebana

Join Ray Bywaters, Maureen Arnott and Christopher James of the Sogetsu School of Ikebana as they articulate the finer points and principles of flower arrangement using Australian native plants. Drawing inspiration from the works in Pure Form: Japanese sculptural ceramics, Ray, Maureen and Christopher will demonstrate the techniques associated with the art of Japanese flower arrangement.
In the Atrium

7pm
Auslan interpreted tour - The natural world

Join a Gallery guide and an accredited Auslan interpreter for a tour of works in the collection inspired by the natural world. This tour is with an accredited Auslan interpreter for deaf and hard of hearing visitors.
Meet at the Information Desk