Local Artist in Residents inspires a new generation of ‘Forest Ambassadors’

Last month one of Council’s artist-in-residence Gloria Florez, worked with children from Cromer Public School to explore the Pittwater Spotted Gum Forest, inspiring a new generation of “Forest Ambassadors”.

She collaborated with local writer Zena Shapter, multi-media artist Alyson Bell and the children to create an artist book, poem and collage installation that celebrates the ephemeral beauty of this local but endangered eco-system likely to become extinct in our lifetime.

Gloria explored environmental issues through her artistic practice, showcasing sustainable printmaking methods and unique handmade paper techniques.

When we asked  the kids for their thoughts on the workshop they said:

“I love doing this because it is fun cool and your so fun to play with, you always let me know what to do. It was cool” - Jayda

“Nature is a special thing in this world that we need to look after” - Dariah.

“On the last few weeks I had the best time ever. It was so much fun learning about what you could do with nature. It was so much fun when I could make the poem” - Leila

“Hmmmm… It was a cool experience. My favourite part was making the paper, it was messy and fun” - Samara

“Thank you for letting me participate in this art program, I felt really connected to nature” - Erika

Council runs two Artist in Residency programs at Kimbriki and Eramboo where local emerging and more experienced artists are invited to apply once a year. If successful, artists  are allocated their own inspirational studio environment, rent free, and have a rare opportunity to engage with the community, experiment, and express their artistic vision, contributing to culture on the Northern Beaches.