• Home
  • Latest News
    • ReLeaf Lake Mac >
      • MAC tree trail
      • Tiny Forest
      • National Tree Day
    • Repair It Lake Mac
    • Plastic free Lake Mac >
      • Plastic Free Cafes
      • Plastic free Toronto
      • Ban the bag >
        • Bag Swap Stations
        • Champions
      • Green gifts
    • Waste to Art >
      • 2021 Exhibition Guide
    • Our Community Gardens
    • Renewal 2022
    • Sharing and training opportunities >
      • Celebrate 2022
      • Previous events >
        • Gathering Feb 2022
        • Circular economy gathering
        • Coal Ash update
        • Gathering Feb 2021
        • Picnic and celebration
        • Virtual Catch Up
        • Empowerment workshop
        • Celebrate 2019
        • T-shirt Order
        • Cake and conversation June 2019
        • Celebrate 2018
        • Celebrate 2017
        • Celebrate 2016
        • Health and safety training
        • Recruiting young people
        • Recruiting volunteers
        • Tips and lessons
        • Grants and fundraising
        • Annual Show and Tell
        • Success session - May 2014
        • Online collaboration
    • Newsletter
    • Decade of Sustainable Neighbourhoods
    • Superstars
    • School sustainability
    • Success Stories >
      • Citywide Clean Up
      • Lake Mac Awards 2020
    • Responsible Cat Care
    • Dog brochure
    • Coastal Wetlands Park
  • Local groups
    • Belmont Area
    • Cardiff Area >
      • Pollinator Project
      • Boomerang Bags Sewing Group
      • Past projects >
        • Bird Count BBQ
        • Waste-free Christmas
        • Instagram competition
        • Car Boot Sales
        • Beeswax wrap making
        • National Tree Day
        • Twilight picnic in the park
        • Halloween @ Cardiff
        • Cardiff Cycleway Forum
        • Green coffee grounds
        • Boomerang Bags
        • Eco Angel Cardiff South
        • Wreath making
        • Compost bin making
        • Australia Day Award
        • Shortland Volunteer Award
        • Cardiff Landcare
        • CLEANas Presentation
        • Plant Swap
    • Dudley >
      • Dudley Community Garden
      • Dudley Mural
    • Five Bays >
      • Neighbourhood gathering
      • Pamper care project
      • Awaba State Conservation Area
    • Greater Charlestown >
      • Motherload screening
    • Morisset & Peninsula >
      • Eco articles
    • Pelican Area
    • Rathmines Area >
      • Beeswax wrap workshops
      • Acheivements
      • Kilaben Bay - Rathmines Pathway
      • Rathmines Master Plan
      • Wicking garden beds
      • Bag It Film
      • Rathmines Park Litter Project
      • Camping in park
      • Asbestos removal
      • Celebration 2017
    • Redhead >
      • Redhead Latest News
      • Redhead Village Newsletter
      • Redhead committee
      • Redhead community
      • Redhead Landcare
      • Redhead past events
    • Toronto Area >
      • Projects >
        • Picnic in the park
        • Brighton Ave Footpath
        • Fire Retardant Garden
        • Community Garden
        • Tossers can be binners
      • Vision
    • Valentine >
      • Walking in Valentine
    • Warners Bay Area >
      • Indigenous connection
      • Winter Nature Play Adventure
      • Autumn Nature Play Adventure
    • West Wallsend District >
      • Sugar Valley
      • New projects
      • Holmesville garden
      • Landcare
      • Achievements >
        • Old Waste, New Art 2015
      • Old Waste New Art
      • News
      • Gallery
  • The Alliance
    • Strategic plan
    • Annual Report
    • Volunteer >
      • Waste to Art Coordinator
      • Photographers and videographers
      • Social media
      • Minutes secretary
      • Promotions team
      • Young Leaders
      • Marketing specialist
      • Living Smart Festival 2019
    • Become a member >
      • Annual renewal
    • Strengthening Sustainable Neighbourhoods
    • Alliance Board >
      • Alliance Board Meetings
      • Alliance Meeting Minutes Archive
    • Alliance AGM
  • Resources
    • Volunteer induction
    • Year Planner
    • Governance
    • Planning and implementing
    • Community Gardens
    • Promoting your activities
    • Survey Results
    • SNAPs
  • Supporters
    • Business Supporters
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy
  Sustainable Neighbourhoods Lake Macquarie

February art2264 brings everyone to their feet

28/2/2012

 
By Nikita Almond

As a wise Madagascar lemur once said “We like to move it!” and the youth attending this months art2264 really proved it. With hip hop dance classes a familiar dance style, young people engaged in numbers not seen in previous art2264s. The Irish dance classes, led by Marieclaire de Whit-Beekmans and her assistant Jaye Monkley, pushed participants to try a style they may not have come across before.

The passionate Marieclaire de Whit-Beekmans started the ‘Irish Dance Academy – Voyage of Irish Dance’ to share both her love and knowledge of Irish dance with others. It has grown to encompass areas of both Lake Macquarie and the Central Coast. Marieclaire spoke highly of the fifteen participants in her art2264 class. “The kids energy was really good, they loved the skipping and the group dances.”

Marieclaire believes that anyone can give Irish dancing a go, regardless of age or skill level. “The fun of Irish dancing is clear, it’s not boring, it’s energetic and has a very big social aspect” she said.

Jaye Monkley who has been teaching with Marieclaire since 2009 saw the participants respond positively to the new activity, “Trying new and different things made them curious – it is good to be exposed to a different experience” Jaye said. Jaye believes the reason Irish dancing has such a positive social aspect, and is easily enjoyed by many, is because of the  “different personalities mixing together, and because you don’t have to be super skilled, it’s about fun”

As a resident of the area for ten years, Marieclaire can see how the Morisset PCYC facility is what the community has needed for a long time,  “I’m glad the PCYC is here” she said.

Another person who can see the PCYC’s positive impact is Lynette Bawl, as the current caterer for art2264 Lyn has seen how the facility is greatly impacting the community. “It’s been a pleasure to work with good people, on a great community project and I am very happy to be a part this fantastic idea.” Lyn has also noticed how her own daughter is making friends through the facility and engaging in new activities.

Lyn’s catering company ‘Busy Baking’is based out of Bonnells Bay. She said that she uses real food to get real taste, and that you can expect home made flavours and quality time put into her catering. Lyn prides herself on hand making not mass-producing her food items and not using any preservatives. When eggs are used they are always free range “You have to look after the chickens you know” Lyn jokes. And the biggest reason for the great tasting food? “The secret ingredient to all my food is a big pinch of love!” Lyn beams.

With the smell of paint lingering in the air, this month’s murals put the art into art2264. Manga and cartoon style paintings are decorated with bright graphic colours and patterned backgrounds, which results in bright, bold and brilliant paintings. While barefoot youths wearing aprons adorned with paint splashes fill in the larger spaces, their parents carefully paint the more meticulous areas. The collaboration allows the paintings to be finished to a high standard and gives everyone a chance to participate.

The paintings are themed to either show various hip-hop dancers or teddy bears doing different sports.  Some standouts include a painting with a boxing teddy and a weightlifting teddy, which seemed particularly popular with the younger kids. The other popular choice was of a hip-hop girl with a polka dot background, which seemed more appealing to teenagers and adults. There were many more paintings either near completion or getting ready to be started, all designed by local youth artist Lillian Webb. The paintings were framed and will hang on the high walls in the entrance corner in the PCYC facility.

Without the helpers the paintings could not have reached the level they did in such a short amount of time. 14-year-old Angel Seiver art assistant helped out by directing children to create wonderful results, mostly supervising 4 and 5 year-olds. “They work pretty well and cooperate well with each other” Angel said. She has seen how the youths are interacting and says how it has been a positive experience. “The mixture of ages is a good thing, and it’s been really good actually helping out” she said.

Meanwhile artist Margrete Erling directs the art projects, offering advice to the young painters “you have to be slow and do a good job with the painting.” Margrete wants the paintings to be finished to a high standard so that everyone can enjoy them once they are displayed in the PCYC. She said that it will create a lounge room type feel, which will bring even more comfort and community to the facility.

As well as primary and high school students and their families, art2264 has attracted some extremely young art enthusiasts. Two toddlers marvelled at the pebbles on the mosaic project, communicating to each other with delighted squeals, while others pull ceiling high nets away to form a larger play area. Everyone looks at home in the space, whether they have a ball or a paintbrush in hand. Another successful art2264 completed.


Comments are closed.

    art2264 blog by Nikita Almond

    All about the fantastic activities at art2264@ Morisset PCYC

    Archives

    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    July 2011

    Categories

    All
    Art@2264
    Pcyc
    Sustainable House Tour

    RSS Feed

Picture
Sustainable Neighbourhoods Lake Macquarie
Our vision - Neighbourhoods that are empowered to live sustainably.
Our mission - Our work is to foster sustainable neighbourhoods and a healthy environment in Lake Macquarie
Our values - We are guided by our values of participation, inclusion, collaboration, empowerment and shared responsibility.
Picture
The Lake Macquarie Sustainable Neighbourhood Alliance is registered as a not for profit incorporated association under NSW Fair Trading. Sustainable Neighbourhood activities are managed and governed by volunteers and financed through grants, collaboration and community fundraising.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land and waters on which we live, work and play, the Awabakal People, and acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who now reside in this area. We pay our respect to Elders past and present, and future cultural knowledge holders.
Picture
Sustainable Neighbourhoods is an initiative of Lake Macquarie City Council.
www.lakemac.com.au
Picture
We are proud to be a Very Neighbourly Organisation and supporter of Neighbour Day.
www.neighbourday.org