School Holidays Botanical Printing with Emma Stenhouse
Free
Date: Thursday 17 April 2025
Time: 11am–3pm
Duration: 4 hours
Admission: Free (bookings essential)
Location: KHT, Level 3, Birrarung Building, Fed Square
On the day: Tools, material and light catering included (feel free to bring your own plants and fabrics – see below for suitable flora and materials).
In this workshop, you will discover the art of creating amazing botanical prints on fabric with Emma Stenhouse (Ngarrindjeri) using a portable printing press. The process involves pressing plants to extract tannins, natural compounds found in plant tissues. These tannins are then activated using a simple iron/water solution, resulting in a beautiful and unique print on the fabric. You will learn about the different types of Indigenous plants that can be used for printing, as well as the various techniques for achieving different effects. You will also have the opportunity to experiment with different fabrics and create their own plant prints to take home.
Weather Permitting, afternoon tea will take place in the Fed Square Test Garden, with a talk with the Fed Square Gardener.
Suitable flora – nothing too dry, spiky, shiny or furry
Kangaroo Apple, Tree fern, Bracken, Casurina, Geranium, Eucalyptus, Grevilleas, Acacia (wattles), Banksia
Suitable fabrics – natural fibre (anything with polyester will not work)
Calico, Cotton, Linen
About Emma Stenhouse
Emma Stenhouse is constantly connected with her Ngarrindjeri heritage. A multifaceted creative, she explores diverse practices. Each piece is braided with learning, exchange between artist and viewer, a continuation of culture – a platform for cross cultural exchange, with skills and knowledge passed down from her Elders, and a vast teaching background, workshops are a wonderful way to engage and connect with cultural arts practices.
Emma is a recent participant in our Blak Design Program (2024) and her pieces can be found in the current exhibition Stitchin Stories: Blak and Threadly
We acknowledge the generous support of our public programming partners: Viva Energy Australia, Krystyna Campbell-Pretty and Family, and The Orloff Family Charitable Trust. And also Fed Square for access to the Test Garden.
