School Holidays 'Go Wild' in Lake Mac

Published on 01 July 2020

Kids are set to go wild, writing, printmaking and facing off with giant dinosaurs as part of Lake Macquarie City Council’s July school holiday program.

Manager Arts, Culture and Tourism Jacqui Hemsley said a range of activities and shows had been tailored to comply with COVID-19 guidelines, with smaller group sizes creating a more intimate atmosphere for participants.

“Our school holiday programs are always popular and we expect the July edition to be no different,” Ms Hemsley said.

SEEN@Swansea will host the new exhibition Tyrannosaurs: Ultimate Predators, featuring life-sized bone casts, models and information panels to catalogue the history of these prehistoric carnivores.

Dino-themed zine-making workshops will be held in conjunction with the show, hosted by local illustrator Tallulah Cunningham.

Lake Mac Libraries will feature a ‘Go Wild for Libraries’ theme, with colourful animal sculptures at each branch and a series of writing, illustrating and zine workshops to bring them to life.

Successful local zine-maker Bastian Fox Phelan will host the Thursday 16 July zine workshop at Warners Bay Theatre, aimed at children aged 13 and older.

Meanwhile, hands-on artmaking is making a return to the Museum of Art and Culture for the school holidays.

Printmaking classes for kids aged seven and older will take inspiration from the gallery’s Yapang exhibition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, while separate ‘Connect and Reflect’ classes for kids aged 10-plus will create artworks based on the theme of ‘hope’.

Lake Macquarie Mayor Cr Kay Fraser said the school holiday program provided a chance for families to re-engage with the community.

“After months in lock-down, this is a chance for kids and parents to get out and enjoy our libraries and other cultural venues,” Cr Fraser said.

Ms Hemsley said numbers for all school holiday activities would be strictly limited to comply with COVID-safe guidelines.

“We will have a range of measures in place to help make our school holiday program COVID-safe, but they won’t detract from the fun and fascination for kids who take part,” she said.

Lake Mac Libraries

Go Wild Writing Workshop (July 7 and July 14)

Do you love writing? Would you like to have your work published and distributed throughout Lake Macquarie? Enjoy two writing workshops to write your story that will be included in a published book.

Go Wild Illustrating Workshop (July 9 and July 14)

Do you love drawing? Would you like to illustrate a story to be published and distributed throughout Lake Macquarie? Join us in the July school holidays for illustration workshops to create pictures for a book Lake Mac Libraries are producing for our “Go Wild for Libraries” “place-marker” project.

Go Wild Zine Workshop (July 14)

In this workshop, zine legend Bastian Fox Phelan explores zines and how to make them and will guide you to create your own Zine. This is for anyone - beginners and more experienced - with an interest in writing, drawing, collage, poetry, fan art and comic books!

Museum of Art and Culture (MAC)

Simple Printmaking (July 7, 8, 9)

Be inspired by some of the etchings from MAC’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collection, and create your own artwork using simple printmaking techniques. Ages 7+

Connect and Reflect (July 14, 15, 16)

Explore the exhibition Reconnected: a recovery story And enjoy artmaking with a range of materials based on the concept of HOPE. Ages 10+

SEEN@Swansea

Tyrannosaurs: Ultimate Predators (Opens July 4)

Dinosaurs return to SEEN this winter with a special exhibition all about the king of the dinos... T-Rex! School tours and workshops available.

Dino Zines (July 8, July 15)

Explore the exhibition, be amazed by the king of the dinos, ‘T-REX’ and design your own dino mini-magazine with local Illustrator Tallulah Cunningham.