Shoalhaven Regional Gallery brings back-to-school to life with after-school art classes. Children can explore and play with a range of different art materials, learn new skills and make friends while experimenting with media such as watercolour, printmaking and painting.

Quarterly courses for adults are also offered, with two printmaking workshops held over four weeks offering printmaking skills with linocuts. Participants will create designs, learn creative processes and printmaking techniques, and take their prints home.

There are also fascinating events associated with the gallery’s two high profile exhibitions.

Contemporary artist Zanny Begg, exhibiting wonderfully exploratory cinematic works in These stories will be differenttalk to Shoalhaven Hive Roundtable on Saturday May 28.

Begg is interested in contested stories, and one of his works, The Beehivefocuses on the controversial 1970s disappearance of Sydney style icon and housing activist Juanita Nielsen.

Drawing inspiration from the mystery of Nielsen’s disappearance, the panel will examine ways to balance development and the need for more housing with the maintenance of heritage, culture and community.

The issues Nielsen campaigned on still matter, and during the roundtable, Begg and other panelists will explore the challenges and opportunities facing our community.

Providing viewers with a completely different style of work is MindScapes – a vibrant collection of paintings by artist, curator and long-time National School of Art teacher Graham Blondel (pictured).

Works range from 1970s abstracts to decidedly contemporary 2021 Pandemic Suite and Wallpaper works.

The works are abstract, vibrantly colored and highly structured, building layer upon layer, deconstructing and reconstructing, and drawing inspiration from Blondel’s history of travel and fascination with other cultures, mixed with introspection and the inner space of his psyche. There’s a chance to hear from Graham as he shares some of his art secrets on Saturday, May 21.

To visit shoalhavenregionalgallery.com.au/bookings for information and reservation.