Event Summary

The Contemporary Craft Retreat is an annual combined Polymer Clay, Metal Clay, Air-Dry Clay, Paverpol and Mixed Media Workshop Event.
Attendees learn a variety of contemporary art and craft skills from experienced, talented contemporary Clay, Paverpol and Art/Craft instructors from around Australia.

Organisation

Team

Lex Sorrentino, Jennifer Tattam - Metal Clay Australasia Pty Ltd Denise Keeley- Paverpol Australia

Event Details

The Contemporary Craft Retreat venue, Greenhills is located on the Murrumbidgee River, overlooking scenic rolling foothills and the lovely Cotter Valley on the outskirts of Canberra. The venue offers comprehensive teaching space, comfortable accommodation and full catering.
The Contemporary Craft Retreat is an annual event and our aim is to provide a relaxed, happy learning environment for a wide demographic of creative folks from Australia and the world. As well as offering a variety of Contemporary Craft workshops, the Retreat weekend includes educational discussions and presentations designed to shed light on new products, new developments and opportunities within the art craft industry. Attendees spend time with friends old and new, enjoying the pleasures of learning new skills and being with like minded people in a beautiful, relaxed atmosphere.
Experienced Instructors from around Australia are invited to teach a selection of up to 20 Contemporary Art/Craft classes over the weekend. Classes include Precious Metal Clay Silver, Bronze and Copper plus Polymer Clay Bead/Jewellery Making and Air dry clay sculpture. Other classes include Fabric Sculpture, Felting/Beading and Mixed Media Classes.
Attendees come from New Zealand, England and Australia-wide to learn new techniques, skills and share ideas.

Innovation

The Contemporary Craft Retreat concept is unique. Our hallmark is to offer a welcoming, fun, relaxed and creative learning experience. We are not one dimentional in our creative focus and offer a variety of creative courses covering a wide band width of art/crafts. Many of our classes are original concepts which have only been taught in Australia and our intention is to increase the variety and depth of classes we offer in future.
Attendees enjoy a relaxed weekend away surrounded by beautiful birds and kangaroos in a fabulous Australian bush setting. The Contemporary Craft Retreat attendees have the option of living-in with full catering for the weekend or dropping in each day for invididual classes. Time is set aside during evenings for ideas to be shared and there there are opportunities to attend new skills/ techniques and product demonstrations.