Back to nature at intimate Blackwood workshops

BLACKWOOD sculptor and installation artist Kathy Holowko will open her cottage garden to the public tomorrow for a unique Global Worming workshop for two to six year olds.

She’ll follow it up a month later on Sunday 2 March at Blackwood Mineral Springs Caravan Park with a Flying Seeds workshop for older kids.

Holowko, whose work has appeared at Sydney Opera House, Federation Square, NGV, White Night and the National Wool Museum, said the workshops are “a way of exploring ecology and environmental themes in a fun and creative way.”

“I thought it would be wonderful to bring projects that I’ve been delivering all over Australia to my little town of Blackwood and get the kids involved,” she said.

“A lot of inspiration comes from my garden, understanding how important cyclical systems are, especially when you tend and grow and nurture living things.

“The first workshop in the series is a one-off opportunity to have a look at an artist’s home and garden, and join in the wormy fun.”

One highlight of the afternoon will be the chance to meet Holowko’s famous Unsung Hero golden earthworm sculpture, which sat on display in Fitzroy’s Edinburgh Gardens from 2019 until 2022.

“It used to be high up on a plinth and you couldn’t reach it, but now it’s way down low on the ground and you can give it a hug, which is awesome,” she said.

“I’d like to invite everyone into my garden and they can meet some worms. We can talk about them and the important work they do and see the results in action in the veggie patch and flower garden.”

Attendees will also get the chance to make their own worm soft sculpture.

“It’s a fairly simple process for young kids – we’ll use recycled fabric and recycled cushions to make a very cuddly little wormy creature to take home and enjoy afterward,” Holowko said.

Fast forward one month later to the Flying Seeds workshop on 2 March, which Holowko described as being for “slightly older kids that have a bit more dexterity with their hands.”

“It’s inspired by seeds and how they fly to find a new place to land and grow,” she said.

“I always have a chat beforehand to talk about the subject and I’ll have a really beautiful selection of seeds. We’ll have some magnifying glasses to look at them as well.

“We’ll talk about how all the different ways seeds can find a home. Some rely on animals eating them, others use water to move distances, but we’ll concentrate on the ones that catch the wind.

“We’ll have a making session – lots of paper and things like that – and we’ll use the little bridge that crosses the river near the mineral spring, where we can let our seed sculptures fly.

“I think that’ll be the super fun part, to see how their aerodynamic engineering went.”

The Global Worming public workshop takes place tomorrow at Kathy’s Garden in Blackwood. The Flying Seeds workshop at Blackwood Mineral Springs Caravan Park takes place on 2 March. Further information is available for both on Eventbrite.

Check out the year of events ahead for Kathy’s Blackwood Art & Ecology Club on its website.