Upcoming Events
Exhibition Opening: A Subtle Omen - Frances Cannon
Thursday, 20th March 2025, 6-8PM
Join us to celebrate the opening of A Subtle Omen at The Dax Centre on Thursday 20th March!
In this solo exhibition, Cannon explores elements of their gender identity, especially focusing on their relationship with self-love, and how their lived experience with anxiety manifests in the body. Cannon reflects on their upbringing as a girl and how that has informed their non-binary queer identity. The title, A Subtle Omen refers to moments in Cannon’s upbringing that were expressions of their queerness within the context of a Christian household and heteronormative society. Through this exhibition, we hope to highlight the importance of creative expression to mental wellbeing, especially for the queer community.
Frances Cannon (they/them) is a lesbian, multidisciplinary artist based in Melbourne/Narrm. They have solid practices in many mediums including illustration, oil painting, jewellery smithing, ceramics and sculpture. Frances' work examines the human form, religion, fairytales, queerness, and memory. Much of their work is political, as it often deals with marginalised identities and bodies, as well as current events. Frances has had many successful solo shows locally and internationally.
Details:
Date: Thursday 20th March
Time: 6-8PM
Where: The Dax Centre, 30 Royal Parade, Parkville
Refreshments provided.
Louise Meuwissen Creative Workshop - Vessels for Emotional Holding
Back by popular demand, The Dax Centre is excited to announce new creative workshops with artist Louise Meuwissen! To mark the final weeks of the She Who Persists exhibition, Louise Meuwissen will host the craft-based workshop: Vessels for Emotional Holding.
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:
Join artist Louise Meuwissen in a workshop celebrating craft-based artmaking as a generative and restorative practice for emotional wellbeing. This workshop celebrates the power of adornment, symbology, and personal expression. Create your own soft sculpture, in the form of a small, lidded vessel for emotional holding, embellished with recycled vintage and contemporary beads and sequins from Louise’s collection.
In a friendly and relaxed environment, you will be guided through hand-sewing construction techniques and the principles of bead embroidery.
Participants with all levels of experience are welcome and encouraged – no prior sewing experience necessary. All materials provided. (Please feel welcome to bring along any materials of significance or sentiment you would like to include in your own work).
Details:
Date: Saturday, 5th April, 2025
Times: Session 1: 10am-1pm Session 2: 2.30-5.30pm
We are running two workshop sessions on the 5th April. Participants are welcome to attend either session. The ticket price covers the attendance of one session. Participants are not required to attend both sessions.
Tickets: $65 (excludes GST + Booking Fee)
Drinks and snacks will be provided to fuel the creativity - with a glass of bubbles on arrival!
ABOUT LOUISE MEUWISSEN:
Louise Meuwissen works with textiles and found materials to make intricate embroidered paintings, sculptures and wearable art – transforming components of costume and dress into objects imbued with uncanny psychological and spiritual resonances. Her work employs DIY methodologies and craft techniques to blend post-consumer materials – high and low – with time, care, and attention. Meuwissen’s practice considers the complex individual and collective relationships we form with objects, and how they come to embody meaning and value; carry energetic, symbolic, and intellectual charge; and become anchors for thoughts and beliefs. Her work is informed by adornment and decoration, and the fluxing of fashion – underpinned by discarding and collecting, the interplay between labour and luxury, and environmental sustainability. Her practice considers the intangible, unknowable, and mortality, informed by eclectic research investigating devotion, the Sublime, hoarding, storytelling and mythology.
Learn more about the workshop and Louise's creative practice here:
WORKSHOP- Vessels for Emotional Holding — Louise Meuwissen
Public Program Archive
Documentary Screening - Left Write Hook
1 March 2025
1 March 2025
Left Write Hook Documentary Screening & Panel Discussion
As a part of our She Who Persists exhibition programming, The Dax Centre hosted a special screening of the incredibly moving documentary, Left Write Hook, followed by a panel discussion with the Shannon Owen (Film Director), Donna Lyon (Program Creator), and Lauren Wraight and Julie (Program Participants).
Learn more about the Left Write Hook program:
Left Write Hook
Bottle Person Creative Workshop led by Christina Darras
15th February 2025
15th February 2025
The Bottle Person Creative Workshop was led by artists Christina Darras. During the workshop, participants learned papier mâché and painting techniques to create their own unique bottle person to keep. It was a fantastic opportunity to flex those imagination muscles and dive into creativity. It also provided a wonderful chance to connect with other creative souls in the community, make new friends, or catch up with old ones.
The Anxiety Project Artist Panel
27th November 2024
27th November 2024
In The Anxiety Project panel included a discussion about the artist’s interest in how art practice interacts with a lived experience of anxiety and exploring how anxiety manifests and operates within the creative process. This panel discussion was a great opportunity to come together as a creative community for authentic discussion about the hurdles that anxiety creates, and how it can serve as fertile creative ground.
Pocket Zine Workshop with Jacqui Stockdale
9th November 2024
9th November 2024
In conjunction with The Anxiety Project, The Dax Centre and Jacqui Stockdale hosted a pocket zine workshop in November 2024
With the surrounding exhibition to inspire creativity and encourage reflection on anxiety and mental wellbeing, the workshop involved making a pocket zine out of paper materials. Following a tour of The Anxiety Project exhibition, workshop participants were led by Jacqui in drawing, painting and writing on their pocket zines.
What is a pocket zine?
A zine is a small booklet or ‘mini magazine’ - they are created with collage, drawing and writing.
Why make a pocket zine?
In moments of stress or anxiety, it can be useful to have a tangible object to focus on to help ground you. In this workshop, you’ll create a zine for yourself or to gift someone, inspired by The Anxiety Project artworks. The small zine can be kept in your pocket and pulled out whenever needed!
Craft & Connection Workshop led by Louise Meuwissen
12th & 19th October 2024
12th & 19th October 2024
Louise Meuwissen works with textiles and found materials to make intricate embroidered paintings, sculptures, installations and wearable art. Louise specializes in delivering relaxed, fun, craft-based workshops that celebrate our innate creativity, personal expression, and belief that making is for everyone. Louise’s previous workshops have been delivered with institutions such as the NGV, Bunjil Place, and Craft Victoria
We had an two incredibly successful workshops led by Louise Meuwissen, over two Saturdays in October, as our first public program run alongside She Who Persists.
Louise guided workshop attendees through the process of creating an embroidered clothing patch to adorn a personal item, such as a tote bag, jacket, jeans, or even a cushion or blanket!
Using materials from Louise’s personal collection, attendees were be guided in the creation of their design, its translation to textiles, and learnt sewn embellishment techniques to create a unique piece inspired by She Who Persists. Louise spoke to her practice, and her experience in crafting’s capacity to facilitate mental wellbeing
The workshop presented a chance for attendees to connect with others in their community who enjoy craft and tour our current exhibition She Who Persists.