Arts & culture

Art on the Edge at Clifton

Building on the success of the first Clifton School of Arts (CSA) Art Fair, held in 2022 as the community emerged from the Covid pandemic, the event is back for 2025. Organisers artist Vyvian Wilson and CSA president David Roach have tweaked the...

Caroline Baum

Local award-winning short film to screen at Flickerfest

Locally made short film ‘Over’ has been selected to screen at at the Academy® Qualifying Flickerfest Short Film Festival 17 - 26 January 2025, held at Bondi Beach, Sydney. ‘Over’ stars young actor James Carey, whose character takes a stand...

Tyneesha Williams

Act now: Join Stanwell Park Arts Theatre’s singers and shows

SPAT’s Christmas panto Santa’s Secret, written by our very own Sage McAteer was a fitting close to our 50th anniversary celebrations. In the five sold-out performances, Santa and his helpers time travelled back to several of the previous pantos...

Lauren Mitsak

What’s On at the Writers Centre in 2025

The South Coast Writers Centre has a fantastic calendar of events lined up for the start of 2025. On 21 and 22 January, join authors Pat Simmons and Liv Lorkin at Coledale Hall for the SCWC School Holiday Program. Pat will be reading from her books...

Elizabeth Heffernan

Elon Musk, Gauguin and are we Australia fair? The 10 best podcasts of 2024

I’ve only heard this happen once before, when American oral historian Studs Terkel interviewed survivors of Hiroshima to open his acclaimed documentary Born To Live

The Conversation

See the Australian Folk Band of the Year at January’s local festival

By Illawarra Folk Festival honorary publicity officer Nick Hartgerink The 38th Illawarra Folk Festival at Bulli Showground gets underway on January 17, and organisers received a timely boost when one of the festival’s headline acts, Austral, was...

Nicholas Hartgerink

Time to join the Illawarra Film Society

Janice Creenaune meets Austinmer resident Lynn Read, who worked in human resources before retirement. She continues to utilise her skills as a past president and current member of the Illawarra Film Society. Inspiring films can make you think and...

Janice Creenaune

Play time for Little Mermaid at Roo Theatre

“They both did amazing auditions and we couldn’t choose between them!” said Renee of the relatively experienced Lily Savelli and Madison Isaac, appearing in her first Roo show after a role in Wollongong High’s staging of Mamma Mi

Brian Kelly

Celebrate 10 years of the HONK! Oz street music festival

Wollongong’s HONK! Oz street musical festival is in its tenth year this January, and it’s time to celebrate a decade of honking good fun. The festival is a veritable cavalcade of creative arts, mixing alternative community bands with related arts...

Emma Rooksby

Catch-up on some of the most popular books of 2024 at Wollongong Libraries

Thanks to Nina Jauncey and the team of librarians at Thirroul for sharing this list of good books. With social calendars filling up, make sure you’re not left out of reading conversations. Borrow these popular 2024 titles at the Library. Funny...

The Illawarra Flame

We Mavericks to launch new album at Illawarra Folk Festival in January

By Nick Hartgerink, honorary publicity officer for the Illawarra Folk Festival Acclaimed folk duo We Mavericks don’t call Corrimal home these days, but in a nod to their time in the region they will be launching their new album at the Illawarr...

Nicholas Hartgerink

Behind the Lens with Linda Fury, president of Kiama Shellharbour Camera Club

Although living on the South Coast means she is spoilt for choice when it comes to snapping spectacular landscapes, award-winning photographer, Linda Fury from Albion Park, says her extensive travels have definitely played a significant role in the...

Lesley Roulston

What will you be reading this summer? We asked 6 avid readers

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article

The Conversation

Claire Foxton’s colourful mural makes a splash at Shell Cove’s Waterfront Marina

Most of Illawarra would be familiar with local artist Claire Foxton’s spectacular 14m high mural of Shellharbour Matilda’s soccer star Caitlin Foord - located on a wall of Wollongong Central. It was unveiled to a flurry of media and public...

Lesley Roulston

Honk! Oz exhibition opens at Wollongong Library

The exhibition can also be viewed online

Jo Oliver

Wobble at Artspace: How cancer triggered the creative within

Tonight Bellambi dad Tim Donnelly will be celebrating the triumph of art over adversity, as he ends a year battling bladder and throat cancer with his first exhibition. Wobble – a collection of fantastical fish, jellies and other sea creatures –...

Genevieve Swart

Secret Santa: Sage McAteer gives back to SPAT with time-travelling panto

Sage McAteer, who first wrote a pantomime for the Stanwell Park Arts Theatre (SPAT) in 2017 at just 16 years old, returns to celebrate the theatre’s 50th anniversary with Secret Santa, a nostalgic and heartfelt production. Running on December 7, 8...

Zachary Houtenville

Santa’s Secret: It’s carols and panto time at SPAT

Lauren Mitsak shares the latest news from Stanwell Park Arts Theatre (SPAT). A priceless comment on our 50th anniversary celebration Our 50th celebration – featured in November’s article – was spectacular and magical and I thought this comment...

The Illawarra Flame

Meet Deborah Ellsmore of Shellharbour City Arts Society

Jamberoo-based creative Deborah Ellsmore has been “playing with clay”, as she describes her passion for ceramics, for about 10 years. Before she retired, Deborah was a textile and design teacher at Kiama High School

Lesley Roulston

Being Alive: 2024 Emerging Concert Artists series ends with songs from musical theatre

Music and Tea at the Wollongong Art Gallery will end the year with Being Alive, a concert on December 5 featuring songs from musical theatre starring Molly Margaret Stewart. Molly is a 23-year-old NIDA graduate passionate about musical theatre and...

Felicity Woodhill

November 2024