Resilience in the Face of Adversity
Exhibition: Fri 7 Mar - Sun 13 Apr 2025
Launch: 5.30pm, Sat 8 Mar
Workshops: Every Saturday (free)
Storytelling is one of the most powerful and ancient forms of sharing information, education, wisdom, and inspiration. Although we are all very different in many ways, each of us will face adversity in our lives, and this will look different for everyone.
In alignment with International Women’s Day, this exhibition features artworks by nine female artists in response to interviews they made with a hundred women about the tools, strategies, and resources that helped them through their toughest times. This is a wonderful opportunity for a diverse community to come together to share, learn, and most importantly, connect through the sharing of stories, knowledge, and wisdom.
The exhibition offers a series of free workshops for the community, and there will also be an interactive space for people to share their own words of wisdom.
Artists: Annika Harding / Cristina Bevilacqua / Diljá Thorpe / India Collins / Lauren Carter / Marnie Hutchinson Awram / Mum'a Nai / Nicola Bryars-Parker / Nicolette Worth
The Resilience Workshops
Join us for free workshops each Saturday throughout the term of the exhibition.
Facilitated by a diverse group of local women, these workshops offer a range of activities designed to foster resilience, connection, and community. Explore creative arts, dance, singing, mindfulness practices and more. This program provides a unique opportunity for people to come together, share experiences, learn from each other, discover some local resources and develop new skills in a supportive and empowering environment.
These workshops are scheduled in alignment with International Women’s Day, but everyone is welcome to attend.
Spaces are limited and bookings are essential. Scroll down for more information.
Booking form available 9am – 4pm Mondays to Fridays. Workshops are filling fast – see the booking form for current availabilities.
Saturday 8 March
Dr Amanda Nickson is an author, speaker, social worker and pastor. As a professional trainer and motivational speaker, she is skilled in connecting with audiences and imparting knowledge and skills.
In this workshop, Amanda speaks about how women will often settle for other people’s expectations of them and because of doubts or barriers, not go for their dreams. This is a workshop where you can think about you goals for the next year and set up a visual reminder and representation of this – a vision board. Goals could be in areas of career, fitness and health, family, finances, travel – or any combination.
Materials will be provided to create your vision board using pictures and inspirational quotes in an environment of supportive women. Suggestions for next steps moving forward are covered in the workshop.
Presenter: Dr Amanda Nickson
When: 10.30pm – 12.30pm
Where: Mulgrave Gallery
Spaces: 20
Bookings essential.
LaToya Burton is a creative, space holder, artist + designer who creates and shares tools and experiences for expression and creative self-discovery; supporting and empowering you to uncover a sense of belonging and inner knowing.
Qoya - Inspired Movement is an embodied dance movement practice based on the idea that through movement we remember, like nature, we are Wise, Wild, and Free. We will be dancing our relationship to Resilience - moving through a series of guided movements that draw on the contemplative practice of yoga, feminine movement, and free dance - to tap into the wisdom of your
body. It doesn’t matter what it looks like and there is no way you can do it wrong. No experience necessary.
Please bring a cushion to sit on (chairs available on request).
Presenter: LaToya Burton
When: 1.00pm – 2.00pm
Where: Mulgrave Gallery
Spaces: 20
Bookings essential.
Dr Amanda Nickson is an author, speaker, social worker and pastor. As a professional trainer and motivational speaker, she is skilled in connecting with audiences and imparting knowledge and skills.
Every person is at risk of being overwhelmed at some stage in their lives. Recognising the early warning signs of stress and taking action to prevent burnout by learning skills in resilience is vital to long-term health and well-being.
Three simple strategies in avoiding being overwhelmed include identifying and managing stress responses: the importance of setting boundaries and making tough decisions. In this workshop, these strategies are explored.
Developing self-care plans and prioritising one’s own wellbeing is essential. How to make a self-care plan is proposed, including five areas of wellbeing in which resilience skills can be learned and practised.
Keys to managing stress and navigating challenges can be found with sustainable self-care practices
Presenter: Dr Amanda Nickson
When: 2.30pm - 3.30pm
Where: Court House Gallery
Spaces: 30
Bookings essential.
Saturday 15 March
In this workshop you will explore the soothing process of making an earth mandala. Nicola is a proficient printmaker and one of the tools that has honed her skills has been a curious mind and the power of observation. Plant medicine and the natural world are powerful places to empty our minds and clear our thoughts.
In the making of an Earth mandala, you slow down and pay attention - and you may find your mind empties and you are more in the moment.
Nicola will be providing all natural materials and a screen-printed mandala template for participants to join in small groups and create their own Earth Mandala.
Presenter: Nicola Bryars-Parker
When: 10.30am - 12.00pm
Where: Mulgrave Gallery
Spaces: 30
Bookings essential.
Boost your resilience with guided wellbeing practices that easily and effectively nourish and uplift your emotional, mental, physical and spiritual body and being.
Elani draws on 30 yrs of facilitator experience as a wellbeing and vocal coach, to bring a genuinely rewarding journey. As a participant you get to lean back and be relaxed deeply with a Sound Healing and then activate and practice a fusion of techniques that unwind, relax, nourish and elevate us body and soul.
Your workshop will include:
- Sound Healing: Receive relaxation and healing via a Sound Immersion, a gentle sonic immersion utilizing a spectrum of instruments and voice.
- Breath Work: Breath work and guided meditation to de-frag and calm body mind and soul and then tune UP into higher frequencies.
- Body Work: Open and activate body systems and increase oxygen and blood flow and general positivity via an eclectic selection of modalities including light yoga and shiatsu stretches.
- Whole Being: Relax, unwind and raise frequency via mindfulness, some body work and sound activation.
Please wear loose comfortable flexible clothing and note everyone will be sitting on the ground (chairs available on request).
BYO yoga mat (we will have some extra mats for those who cannot access one).
Presenter: Elani Butler
When: 10.30am - 12.30pm
Where: Court House Gallery
Spaces: 30
Bookings essential.
Ella shares her many years of experience as a relationship counsellor and sex therapist in this free 1hr workshop. Individuals and couples over 18yrs old are welcome to attend (workshop is totally PG content).
Ella holds a Masters Degree in Professional Sexology and Graduate Certification in Emotion Focused Therapy (a leading couples therapy model). She has supported hundreds of FNQ couples and individuals over the last 9 years and is excited to share her wisdom with you. Ella is also a fully qualified trauma therapist, specialising in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) and Internal Family Systems Therapy.
Find out more about Ella here.
Presenter: Ella Shannon
When: 12.30pm - 1.30pm
Where: Mulgrave Gallery
Spaces: 30
Bookings essential.
Caitlin is an intimate communication coach. She supports individuals and couples with her Make Love Happen program to create deeply fulfilling, authentic relationships.
Caitlin will share some clear and concrete embodied communication skills that will bring new depth, harmony and aliveness to all your connections and relationships.
She will begin by guiding you into deeper presence inside your body, relaxing the grip of the mind, and coming into an embodied, whole person, being state. She will give you the vocabulary and tools to express yourself from there, describing the experience of energy, emotions, intuition and other impulses from inside you. Then you’ll practice attuning to others energetically and emotionally, learning how to co-create a connected and potent we-space that goes beyond the judgments and habits of head-talk. Lastly you will practice profound, embodied listening that supports each other to be fully heard, seen, accepted, and welcome to release, unravel and bloom.
Presenter: Caitlin White
When: 1.00pm - 3.00pm
Where: Court House Gallery
Spaces: 20
Bookings essential.
Naomi Evans is a local artist; she has been in solo and group exhibitions in Cairns. Naomi has 15 years’ experience working in the Community in a variety of roles and worked for a short period as a florist, before completing a Diploma in Visual Arts. She has a deep passion for fostering projects that create meaningful community connection, and helping others explore their inner selves in a nurturing and playful way.
Working productively with our hands is profoundly pleasurable! There is something primal about this, we are made to be active and have used our hands as part of our daily survival for thousands of years. It may actually be the key to maintaining a healthy mood, and the lack of this type of activity may contribute to feelings of irritability, apathy, and depression. Research shows that do-it-yourself projects are rewarding to the brain, improving our cognitive function, helps us come up with great ideas, and supports our mental wellbeing by helping lower stress and bring us pleasure and happiness with the extra production of dopamine and serotonin that are secreted, leaving a person feeling positive and refreshed… a simple tool to use to build and maintain resilience.
This workshop is aimed to provide:
- Community connection
- Connection to the natural world (technology break)
- Provide a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction
- Opportunity to learn new skills and problem solve
- Creating a calm and relaxing state
- Playful self-expression
In this 2 hour workshop you’ll have access to a variety of dried flowers and foliage and all of the materials and tools you’ll need to make your creation. As you play with the different textures and get into the creative process, you are encouraged to slow down, share stories and take the opportunity to connect with others. At the end of the class, you’ll have your very own dried flower wreath to keep forever.
No previous experience is necessary.
Presenter: Naomi Evans
When: 2.00pm - 3.30pm
Where: Mulgrave Gallery
Spaces: 6
Bookings essential.
Saturday 22 March
Amanda is a Cairns based multidisciplinary artist working in many different mediums including various printmaking techniques, paint carving, photography and millinery.
Try this UV activated printmaking method, where images appear like magic. This workshop will summarise the basics of the dry cyanotype technique. Participants will create images on A5 size paper that has been precoated with the UV sensitive emulsion.
Workshop participants have the option to send us a photo of something, someone, or someplace that makes you the most happy before the workshop, and we will create a photographic negative and make a beautiful blue print of that image, or you can create a more traditional cyanotype using leaves and flowers provided.
If you want to use a photo - please send it through to amanda.rowen@gmail.com before the workshop.
Presenter: Amanda Rowen
When: 10.30am - 12.30pm
Where: Court House Gallery
Spaces: 10
Bookings essential.
Marnie Hutchinson studied a Diploma of Fine Art through TAFE in Perth and has more than 30 years’ experience as a practicing artist. With a Bachelor of Creative Industries (painting major) from JCU, she then went on to study Design Project Photography at the University of Applied Sciences, Wurzburg University, Germany 2015 and 2016 and travel to New York, London, Venice and Germany to gain insight into the contemporary Art trends and practices.
Her practice explores ideas of memory, place and identity, using a multidisciplinary approach allows her to cross between traditional and digital media with ease. This is demonstrated in her interest in creating multi-sensory immersive installations. She teaches drawing, painting, and digital media at TAFE Queensland.
This imaginative workshop will be a fun and creative session based on inspiration from sculpture of the early classical period.
using collage and paint to recreate your own whimsical and fun composition in a contemporary context.
Open to all ages over 15 years.
What to bring- Open attitude and clothes to paint in.
No experience needed.
Presenter: Marnie Hutchinson Awram
When: 10.30am - 1.30pm
Where: Mulgrave Gallery
Spaces: 12
Bookings essential.
LaToya Burton is a creative, space holder, artist + designer who creates and shares tools and experiences for expression and creative self-discovery; supporting and empowering you to uncover a sense of belonging and inner knowing.
Oracle Play is an opportunity to learn how to use oracle cards for daily inspiration, as creative prompts, and to tap into your inner knowing. We will use the Earth Offering Oracle as our guide. You can ask the questions that are most on your heart and mind and see what cards reveal themselves to you as support along your journey.
Presenter: LaToya Burton
When: 1.00pm - 2.00pm
Where: Court House Gallery
Spaces: 10
Bookings essential.
Amanda is a Cairns based multidisciplinary artist working in many different mediums including various printmaking techniques, paint carving, photography and millinery.
Flowers are pure happiness. They bring beauty and positive energy to their surroundings, and they put us I a good mood! Flowers are known to stimulate several chemicals like dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin in our brains. These are the ‘happy’ chemicals and whenever we see or receive some pretty flowers our brain instantly recognises that as a good, rewarding thing.
In this workshop, participants will be able to create a few simple flowers out of paper and share the joy.
Presenter: Amanda Rowen
When: 2.00pm - 3.30pm
Where: Mulgrave Gallery
Spaces: 5
Bookings essential.
A shamanic woman crafter, creatrix, songstress and drum maker. Jillian brings the wisdom of ancient times into the present moment.
She invites and inspires us to drum and share our voices, in a way that is freeing, and healing for the whole space. Feel yourself becoming more centred and empowered, as Jillian leads you in songs that speak to your bones and heal your bloodlines.
Come play with your voice while learning songs of the women’s circle.
Some drums will be available for use, please feel free to bring along your medicine drum if you have one.
Please bring along a cushion to sit on the floor with (chairs also available on request).
Presenter: Jillian Zamora
When: 2.30pm - 3.30pm
Where: Court House Gallery
Spaces: 30
Bookings essential.
Saturday 29 March
Join artist India Collins for a hands-on creative workshop exploring themes of strength and resilience. Through guided reflection and storytelling, you are invited to share elements of your personal journey and design a symbol that represents the determination and perseverance you have developed throughout your life.
Using recycled materials such as clothing, fabric offcuts, and yarn, you will create a unique piece inspired by pivotal moments that have shaped your inner strength and resilience. Whether abstract or representational, your symbol will celebrate your journey and personal victories.
This workshop is open to everyone, regardless of age or artistic experience. You will have the opportunity to share your work and engage in meaningful conversations about the diverse ways strength and perseverance are expressed in everyday life.
Celebrate your story, connect with others, and leave with a tangible reminder of your triumphs. As part of the Resilience exhibition for International Women’s Day, this workshop honours the collective creativity and determination of women everywhere.
Participants are encouraged to bring an item such as a piece of fabric, clothing, an object, or material that holds personal significance which can be incorporated into your creation.
Materials: recycled clothing and yarn, textiles, cardboard.
Presenter: India Collins
When: 10.30am - 11.30am
Where: Court House Gallery
Spaces: 15
Bookings essential.
Would you like to feel the courage and confidence to share your own story of resilience with an audience in a way that inspires and connects?
This workshop blends personal development and the creative performance art of storytelling, inviting participants to take the journey of your own life, and enjoy the fulfillment of sharing your times of transformation, meaning, and resilience with others, creating value and rich connection.
Caitlin is a theatre director and embodied communication coach, and she will share tools that help you to feel grounded, present, embodied and confident to connect with your audience authentically.
We’ll discover and celebrate participants’ own unique way of engaging listeners with your story, learning about the narrative arc, how to use your voice and body, share with integrity, and connect with feeling.
Presenter: Caitlin White
When: 10.30am -12.30pm
Where: Mulgrave Gallery
Spaces: 12
Bookings essential.
Discover the power of your breath to transform your resilience in this dynamic one-hour workshop with Mim Beim, a naturopath and one of Australia’s leading Buteyko trainers.
Breathing isn’t just about oxygen; it's the secret key to unlocking your nervous system and activating your vagus nerve - a powerhouse for emotional, mental and physical resilience.
Through simple yet effective techniques, you'll learn how to breathe better and live healthier. Mim will guide you in understanding the vital connection between your breath and your body, empowering you with practical skills to calm your mind and enhance your well-being.
The Buteyko Technique is celebrated for its benefits in managing stress, anxiety, asthma, snoring and sleep issues, making this workshop a must for anyone aged 12y and up.
Join Mim and take the first step toward a stronger, more resilient you - one breath at a time!
Presenter: Mim Beim
When: 12.00pm - 1.00pm
Where: Court House Gallery
Spaces: 30
Bookings essential.
Mara is a local artist and arts educator and has lived in the region for over 40 years, she values the rich tapestry of art culture and the connections that creative people foster to share ideas and create the wonderful art community that we have here in Far North Queensland.
Mara’s ‘Hand Painted Bottle Vase’ workshop is designed for artists, creators, dabblers, and experimenters of all abilities to play with visual story telling or simply create a beautiful piece of décor.
The two-hour workshop will provide all paints, bottle, example designs and patterns and guided instruction. It will be an opportunity for women to talk while they work and share ideas about colour, patterns, shapes, and designs and how personal experience can influence our art.
Presenter: Mara Turner
When: 1.00pm - 3.00pm
Where: Mulgrave Gallery
Spaces: 30
Bookings essential.
Tess and Caitlin from Lila are best known for their monthly Sensual Delight events - an evening of heart-lead, embodied connection held in Kuranda. They love to create spaces that traverse the deep and transformational to the light and fun.
They’ll be taking you on a ride through deeply embodied movement and connection practices designed to bring you into a state of greater Wholeness. We’ll explore a deeper awareness of your nervous system, how to honour it and be sensitive to all parts of yourself and everything that’s moving through you, free to express and meet others authentically in play.
You could find yourself mirroring each other’s inner children, partner dancing with your fingertips, introducing yourself to each other through your feet, and leading and flowing with each other’s masculine and feminine energies.
This is a workshop your nervous system will thank you for. You’ll leave feeling whole, integrated and radically alive.
Presenter: Caitlin White and Tess Slack
When: 1.30pm - 3.30pm
Where: Court House Gallery
Spaces: 30
Bookings essential.
Saturday 5 April
I am an artist and designer with a Diploma in Art Therapy, passionate about using art to help us explore emotions and express what words cannot.
In this activity, we’ll create a “Dual Self-Portrait.” One half of the portrait will represent your inner self, while the other half will reflect how you present yourself to the world.
This exercise encourages us to reflect on the different sides of who we are, building awareness of our inner and outer selves. It’s a chance to check in, embrace all aspects of ourselves, and think about how we align with our goals and values.
This workshop will help you:
- Reconnect and embrace yourself as a whole
- Engage your creative spirit
- Encourage self-reflection
Presenter: Nicolette Worth
When: 10.30am -12.30pm
Where: Mulgrave Gallery
Spaces: 15
Bookings essential.
Prepare to unleash your creativity, learn valuable techniques, and have fun! Spaces are limited to ensure personalized attention, so register early.
Workshop Schedule
Welcome and Introduction (15 minutes)
- Meet and greet
- Overview of the workshop goals
- Icebreaker: Share what you’ve brought and what excites you about photography
Session 1: Fundamentals of Composition (30 minutes)
- Rule of thirds, leading lines, and framing
- Hands-on activity: Practice framing your subject
Session 2: Understanding Light (30 minutes)
- Types of lighting (natural vs. artificial)
- How to find and use the best light
- Hands-on activity: Experiment with lighting on your subject
Break: (15 minutes)
- Light refreshments and informal discussion
Session 3: Camera Basics and Technical Know-How (30 minutes)
- Adjusting settings for different devices (film cameras, DSLRs, and phones)
- Aperture, shutter speed ISO: Understanding the triangle
- Hands-On activity: Apply settings to capture different effects
Session 4: Creative Flow and Personal Vision (30 minutes)
- Embracing storytelling through photography
- Tips for overcoming creative blocks
- Hands-on activity: Create a mini photo story using your subject
Closing and Q&A:
- One-on-one feedback on participants’ work
- Personalized advice for growth and development
- Recap of key takeaways
What to Bring:
- Your preferred photography tool (film camera, DSLR, or phone)
- An object, a person, or a piece of your own artwork for creative practice
Presenter: Cristina Bevilacqua
Participants: Open to all ages, backgrounds, and levels of experience
When: 10.30am - 1.30pm
Where: Court House Gallery
Spaces: 10
Bookings essential.
You are invited to step into the cosmos, where anything goes…
Join us for a 2.5 hour workshop where you will get to play with paper and create an unexpected world that suddenly makes sense.
You can expect to find humour and delight in taking the ordinary out of its original context and making it extraordinary!
A range of magazines and books will be supplied for images to cut up, but please bring any special paper resources or images you may like to incorporate into your piece.
Presenter: Diljá Thorpe
When: 1.00pm - 3.30pm
Where: Mulgrave Gallery
Spaces: 10
Bookings essential.
Originally from Berry NSW, Lauren Jaye Carter is a Cairns based print artist. She has held solo exhibitions in Townsville (2021) and Melbourne, and group exhibitions in Sydney, Cairns, and Santander; Spain. Carter was the recipient of the ‘Collie Print Trust Award’ scholarship at the Australian Print Workshop in 2013 after graduating from a Bachelor of Fine Arts - Printmaking at RMIT University, Melbourne. Her prints can be found in collections and folios at the Australian Print Workshop, Print Council of Australia, National Art School, Curtin University Perth, RMIT Melbourne University and Townsville Regional City Council, and private collections in Australia and New Zealand.
Carter’s intricate and subtle linocuts explore the aesthetic relationship between colour, form and construction. Evocative and atmospheric, her landscapes are created through a reconstructive process using drawing, relief printing, dissection and collage. Her unique state artworks explore Carter’s ideas on the self-constructive nature of perception
Introduction into paper embossing using a miniature etching press and textural 2D materials. We will be printing small postcards without ink (‘blind embossing’).
Participants will be creating their own small works on paper and experimenting with printing different patterns and textures. This introductory workshop is for beginners and suitable for people with no printmaking experience.
Presenter: Lauren Carter
When: 2.00pm - 3.30pm
Where: Court House Gallery
Spaces: 6
Bookings essential.
Saturday 12 April
Astrid is a local potter who developed the creative hub Juggle Pots for people to come be creative, unwind and connect with themselves and the earth in a fun relaxed and therapeutic environment. Providing kids holiday workshops, pottery parties, and 4-week programs including wheel throwing and hand building techniques.
Astrid invites 6 women to come together to create their own unique earth figure, to reflect their inner strengths, to be an amulet of protection and or own personal guide. To honour yourself and the power of the earth through your own hands.
You will be working with local clay from the tablelands and learn some simple techniques using your own hands as tools to create beautiful unique little earth figures.
All figures will be fired and ready to pick up 6 weeks after workshop, to be collects from Juggle Pots studio.
Presenter: Astrid Elika
When: 10.30am - 1.00pm
Where: Court House Gallery
Spaces: 8
Bookings essential.
Annika Harding is an artist, curator and arts administrator based on Ngadjon Country in the Atherton Tablelands, Far North Queensland. Her art practice explores how people interact with environments.
This drop-in session invites visitors to the exhibition to contribute to a collaborative drawing exploring places where we find peace, inspiration and strength. Participants are invited to add something to the drawing that reflects their experiences of such a place, which could include elements or imagery from a place, map, colours, or text. Paper and pencils/pens provided. All ages and skill levels welcome to participate.
Presenter: Annika Harding
When: 10.30am - 2.30pm
Where: Mulgrave Gallery
Spaces: Unlimited
Bookings essential.
Amanda is a Cairns based multidisciplinary artist working in many different mediums including various printmaking techniques, paint carving, photography and millinery.
Learn a unique technique that combines elements from printmaking and sculpture, to create a small piece to take home with you.
In this workshop, you will learn the basics of this unique technique and carve a two-tone design on a small board. You may bring a design of your own (100mm x 100mm in size) or we will have some images you can choose from.
If you are going to make/bring a drawing, remember that the end result is going to be a simple, two-colour design, black and white works well.
Presenter: Amanda Rowen
When: 1.30pm - 3.30pm
Where: Court House Gallery
Spaces: 5
Bookings essential.
Join me in an embodied nervous system nourishment journey. We will use Breath, Sound, Scents, Qi Gong and Cross Patterning to replenish and regulate our systems. You will learn many ways to give your body what it needs for free at home so that you can cruise through 2025 in relaxed way.
When there is prolonged dis-regulation in our nervous-system everything begins to collapse. Not only are we stressed and unbalanced in our lives, but due to our fight or flight response, the other systems in our body lose their capacity to function.
I have been working in the field of Massage, Somatic Movement, Breathwork and Nervous System Regulation for over 15 years. And I absolutely love supporting people to relax into themselves.
Some of the benefits this workshop may bring are:
- Reduces stress and anxiety
- Resets our nervous system
- Boosts our immunity
- Improves circulation
- Improves digestion
- Lowering blood pressure
- Increased bone density
- Deepened our sleep
- Improved Focus
- Increased Creativity
Please bring a yoga mat or something similar to lay and sit down on.
Presenter: Erin Reece
When: 2.00pm - 3.30pm
Where: Mulgrave Gallery
Spaces: 20
Bookings essential.
Image credit:
Off Kilter (detail) mixed media: paper collage, alcohol inks, resin by Diljá Thorpe, 2025
Last Updated: 26 February 2025
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