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According to the Global Footprint Network, if the world lived and consumed resources the same way Australians did, the years’ worth of resources on the planet would be used up by March 12.
But what if we all started to harness our inner artisan, embracing the capacity within to make and create ourselves instead of buying and tossing and leading an ultra consumerist path comprised of low-quality items, cheap plastics and products of low value.
Therein lies the premise behind the all-new Sovereign Hill Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades. Set to open up in September, the highly-anticipated facility will offer budding artisans the chance to dabble in a series of crafts they never knew existed.
An Australian first, the world-class space has been built from a love of heritage and a desire to create things that last.
The educational facility will provide an opportunity for traditional trades, crafts and skills to be explored in a bid to preserve knowledge, encourage innovation and sustainability, and create an environment that champions traditional arts and trades.
Through a series of regular workshops and masterclasses, participants will be offered advanced training in specialist trades including silversmithing, locksmithing, cane rod making, knifemaking, and longbow making, as well as Indigenous crafts such as traditional Wadawurrung weaving.
The Centre’s first workshop will launch in mid-September with local silversmith Rachel Grose where participants will be able to fashion their very own ring to take home.
Over the next few months, artisans including the likes of globally-accredited SAORI weaver Prue Simmons, Wadawurrung weaver Tammy Gilson, armourer and blacksmith Sam Bloomfield, edged tool maker Peter Trott, leather plaiter Bill Webb and bowyer Robert Geddes will take to the stage – showcasing their craft for the benefit of all.
Informed by the past, the Centre for Rare Arts has been imagined as “a world where contemporary practice and future innovation is supported by our dedication to expertise and skill sharing”.
And as it further states on the website: “We think value and worth is defined by more than just price, and that working with expert tradespeople, everyone has the potential to create and contribute to the enduring legacy of human skill.”
THE DETAILS
WHAT: Sovereign Hill Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades
WHEN: Spring 2022
FIND OUT MORE: raretradescentre.com.au
We wish to acknowledge the Wadawurrung people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.
