Follow your art
Published on 16 December 2022
A range of free new programs aimed at young Onkaparinga creatives—including masterclasses with top street artists and a much-loved Star Wars actor—are helping to kickstart creative careers.
City of Onkaparinga’s new Spray Society Ink program, supported by a $20,000 grant from Carclew, will provide young people with legal opportunities for creative expression, and support their professional development in street art.
The program kicks off on Wednesday 11 January with a free open studio day and aerosol practice (for 12–26 year olds) run by talented local street artists, Mark Twohig and Zhaine Reynolds, at Aldinga’s Studio 20 Youth Centre. There’s no experience necessary and all materials—and a pizza lunch—is provided.
Then, on Monday 23 January, a free Spray Society Masterclass will be held (for 15–26 year olds) with gun local street artist, Thomas Readett, also at Studio 20.
The two events are just the first offerings of the Spray Society Ink program, which will offer up to 40 young people the chance to participate in 275 art opportunities delivered by 10 local professional artists and support staff throughout the first half of 2023.
The program will also include additional masterclasses, workshops, paid opportunities to create public art works, and an exhibition where participants can show and sell their work.
Spray Society Ink coincides with another new offering for young artists at Studio 20 Youth Centre, with City of Onkaparinga now accepting applications for its inaugural Studio 20 Artist in Residence (AiR) program until midnight on Sunday 15 January.
Four three-month open studio residencies are being offered to young emerging Onkaparinga artists (aged 18–30)—working across any discipline—at the youth centre from March to August 2023.
Four three-month residencies are being offered through the program during March 2023 to August 2023, providing the artists the opportunity and space to develop new work in a large, open, shared studio workshop.
The artists will be invited to create artwork responding to one of three key priorities young people want action on, according to council’s 2022 Your Voice Matters report – climate change, the environment and sustainability; mental health; or access and inclusion.
The program includes free studio access seven days a week; comfortable studio, amenities and administrative support; and access to Studio 20’s equipment, including commercial printing press and printmaking facilities, easels and sewing machines.
Artists will facilitate at least one considered and planned opportunity for the wider community to engage with the artists; and they’ll have the opportunity to showcase their work at the completion of their residency with an open studio event or exhibition showing.
The stellar 2023 offerings, come in the wake of a recent booked-out acting masterclass—also supported by Carclew—with Jay Laga’aia at Reynella’s Base 10 Youth Centre.
The professional actor and singer (credits include Star Wars, Home and Away, Water Rats, All Saints, McLeods Daughters and Play School) presented the free three-hour masterclass to 27 Onkaparinga youth (12–20 year olds) at Reynella’s Base 10 Youth Centre on Monday 12 December, covering how to work on film, TV and stage; how to overcome audition fears; improvisation; how to learn and deliver lines; and how to “claim the room”.
Delivered alongside the new offerings is Carclew’s ongoing ExpressWay Arts program, supported by City of Onkaparinga, which aims to nurture and invest in creativity in the southern suburbs.
ExpressWay Arts allows young creatives the chance to meet weekly at Port Noarlunga’s Arts Centre, supported by professional makers and mentors, to explore complex social issues directly affecting their lives and then develop and deliver arts projects.
City of Onkaparinga Team Leader Youth, Jenna Bloom, urged young Onkaparinga artists to apply.
“We’re stoked to be able to offer so many amazing new opportunities to young Onkaparinga creatives, particularly with the level of talented mentors and presenters involved,” she said.
“It’s also super pleasing to provide solutions to some of the issues local youth have been telling us about, such as a lack of legal spaces for them to follow their passions.
“We received a number of requests, for example, for people to practise aerosol art, which was what prompted us to apply for the grant from Carclew.
“We’ve identified four Onkaparinga graffiti hotspots, and we aim to not only turn this negative into an opportunity for young people to pursue their art legally via public art murals in those spaces, but also provide them space and time to work and learn, and an opportunity for some to get paid for their art.”