🎉 Presenting at Arts Up Front Conference

Jen Everart of Everart Photography

What an incredible weekend it’s been! I was honoured to take part in this year’s Arts Up Front Conference, a vibrant gathering of educators, artists, and creatives from across primary and secondary schools in Canberra, all passionate about the transformative power of the arts in education.

One of the highlights for me was presenting a hands-on workshop, "Sculpting Expressive Puppets". Designed specifically for primary school educators, this workshop explored how simple materials, guided creativity, and a little puppetry magic can open up exciting avenues for student expression and engagement.

The results? Absolutely stunning. Participants brought to life a gallery of wonderfully expressive puppet characters—each one unique, full of personality, and made with joy. It was inspiring to see educators so immersed in the process, thinking about how to take these techniques back to their classrooms to empower their students through creative storytelling and hands-on art making.

I was thrilled to hear from the organisers that the workshop was one of the most well-received of the weekend—nine participants selected it as their highlight of the entire conference (tied for first place with the ever-popular Orff workshop by Susan Curbishley)! What an honour!

In addition to the workshop, the conference was a special moment, as I officially launched our brand-new courses in puppetry, art, and languages! 🎉 These offerings are designed to support educators, artists, adults and lifelong learners with creative, inclusive, and practical resources—whether in the classroom or personal development.

My stall was buzzing during all the food breaks, and I was grateful for the chance to meet so many passionate professionals and creatives. From sharing ideas to swapping stories, the energy was infectious. There’s nothing quite like being in a space filled with people who truly believe in the power of arts education.

If you missed us at the event (or just want to dive deeper), you can explore all our new courses and offerings over at:
👉 www.accessartacademy.com

A heartfelt thank you to Emily Appleton who organised such an amazing conference as well as to everyone who attended the workshop and stopped the our stall, and helped make this event so meaningful. I’m already looking forward to what’s next!

Until then—stay creative, stay curious, and keep making magic. 💛

#ArtsEducation #Puppetry #CreativityInLearning #AccessArtAcademy #VisualArts #TeacherProfessionalDevelopment