Contemporary Art Spaces Mandurah (CASM) welcomes their first ever studio artist-in-residence, Marie Mitchell.
New to the Mandurah locale, Ms Mitchell begins her tenure with 'Wetland Stories', a community art project which visitors can experience until March this year. She notes how she has taken inspiration from the Peel Region's unique and diverse wildlife, as well as stories from local and fellow nature-lovers.
"With all the nature lovers out there, I would feel extremely privileged to be trusted to illustrate awe-inspiring experiences from the community. I'm new to the region so my personal experiences are limited," Ms Mitchell explains.
Ms Mitchell is a conservation advocate and educator whose work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. When asked what drives her art practice, she says "I create art to encourage conversation and alternative thinking about sustainable living and climate change."
For her CASM exhibit, Ms Mitchell plans to collect, document, and illustrate community members' magical moments with local wildlife over the next 12 months.
Community members are invited to drop by the CASM Studio on Wednesday's during her residency, to share their anecdotes and observe Ms Mitchell's project.
"It's those magical moments when you think 'wow that was so cool to see' that I want to hear about and illustrate," Ms Mitchell says.
Ms Mitchell will use community stories as inspiration for a series of mixed media works intended for exhibition in 2023 with contributors receiving credit. All stories will also become part of a collaborative community art project included in the exhibition and will be gifted to the community.
In collaboration with Mandurah Performing Arts Centre and TEDxMandurah, Ms Mitchell has secured two exhibition opportunities for youth (13 - 25 years) who participate in the Aspiring Young Environmental Artists workshop starting late February. For more information, enquiries can be sent to: studio@mariemitchellart.com
In January she is holding an introductory sun printing workshop for all ages, where participants will use sun sensitive dyes and natural materials to create a colourful t-shirt or calico bag. Bookings can be made through the CASM Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/952254572335985
Workshops for all ages and future workshops will include monoprinting with nature and DIY seeded recycled paper cards.