Margaret River

Friday 14 November 2025
ARTSNATIONAL MARGARET RIVER LAUNCH
Time and Venue: 4 – 6pm Wilyabrup Garden, 4072 Caves Road, Wilyabrup WA 6284
Cost: $20

ArtsNational Margaret River is a not-for-profit volunteer organisation aiming to foster a community that is brought together by a passion for the arts coming to Margaret River in 2026.. We deliver a carefully curated lecture programme bringing art, in all its manifestations, to life with expertly researched and presented topics designed to open your hearts and minds.

An invitation to learn more about this friendly new arts community we would like to invite you to the launch of our 2026 programme, where we will be welcoming memberships.

Join us in the delightful surrounds of one of Wilyabrup’s most delightful gardens. A modest ticket price will cover the cost of the drinks and canapes to be served. Tickets are limited so don’t miss out. If you are unable to attend but would like information please email margaretriver@artsnational.au or visit the website www.artsnational.au/members 

Tuesday 3 March 2026
ABSTRACT / POP / MINIMAL: The New York Art Scene in the 1950s and 60s
Presented by Alan R. Dodge AM CitWA
Time and Venue: The Heart Studio Theatre, 47 Wallcliffe Road Margaret River, 2pm

Post World War II confirmed New York as the new international centre of art and commerce.  Artists came from all over the world to absorb the heady atmosphere. In dizzying succession, movement after movement vied for attention as Abstract Expressionism evolved out of European Dada and Surrealism, only to be overtaken by the Colour Field movement, Pop Art, Minimalism and Conceptualism in a wild array of creativity. Join Alan Dodge as he takes you on a journey through two of the most culturally dynamic decades in the 20^th century in one of the most exciting cities the world has known.

Alan R. Dodge AM CitWA, Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, has served in the art museum world for over 40 years. In 1975 he was the first Senior Research Officer of the fledgling Australian National Gallery (now NGA), where he stayed for 21 years. The former Director of the Art Gallery of Western Australia is an Honorary Fellow by Edith Cowan University and was recognised with an honour in the Order of Australia (AM) in 2008, for service to the arts. In 2011 Alan was named WA Citizen of the Year, Culture, Arts and Entertainment.

Monday 23 March 2026
IMPERIAL PURPLE TO MARIE ANTOINETTE’S FLEAS: The Colourful History of Textiles
Presented by Susan Kay-Williams
Time and Venue: The Heart Studio Theatre, 47 Wallcliffe Road Margaret River, 12:30pm

This lecture explores the fascinating story of how dyes were discovered, made, and used from the earliest time to the end of the 18th century. It shows the social importance of certain colours including red, blue, and purple. It is a story that travels from Europe to India and the Americas, a story of exploration, invention, war, the church, money, power, and sex.

Susan has a longstanding interest in textiles, especially colour. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Fellow of the Society of Dyers and Colourists in recognition of her work on the history of dyes. She has extensive lecturing experience and has published many books on textiles and needlework. She is eminently well qualified to deliver lectures on all areas connected textiles.

Monday 23 March 2026
JAPONISEME
Presented by Susan Kay-Williams
Time and Venue: The Heart Studio Theatre, 47 Wallcliffe Road Margaret River, 2:30pm

After Japan opened its doors to Europeans and Americans in 1854 the Japanese also visited the west at the international exhibitions in London, Paris and Philadelphia to show their work. This gave European artists the opportunity to explore the work of Japanese masters of paintings and woodcuts. This lecture shows how western artists from Van Gogh to Walter Crane were influenced by the works they saw from Japan and how they developed their own work as a response.

Susan has a longstanding interest in textiles, especially colour. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Fellow of the Society of Dyers and Colourists in recognition of her work on the history of dyes. She has extensive lecturing experience and has published many books on textiles and needlework. She is eminently well qualified to deliver lectures on all areas connected textiles.

Monday 11 May 2026
NOW AND THEN: My Journey, My Culture, My Art
Presented by Sandra Hill
Time and Venue: The Heart Studio Theatre, 47 Wallcliffe Road Margaret River, 2pm

As part of the stolen generation, Sandra Hill and her siblings, were taken from their mother while her father undertook compulsory army training in the Eastern States. Living in an orphanage, Sandra found a voice through her artwork. During her long journey through life, art has been the only constant. In this lecture, Sandra will talk about her stories and her art.

As part of the stolen generation, Sandra Hill and her siblings, were taken from their mother while her father undertook compulsory army training in the Eastern States. Living in an orphanage, Sandra found a voice through her artwork. During her long journey through life, art has been the only constant. In this lecture, Sandra will talk about her stories and her art.

Tuesday 2 June 2026
TIBET: The Roof of the World
Presented by Zara Fleming
Time and Venue: The Heart Studio Theatre, 47 Wallcliffe Road Margaret River, 2pm

An introduction to the history, art and culture of this extraordinary land, lying deep in the heart of Central Asia surrounded by some of the highest mountains in the world. Despite its geographical inaccessibility, it developed a rich and vibrant Buddhist culture and artistic tradition. This lecture gives a brief overview of Tibetan history from the time of the great Tibetan Empire (6th – 9th century) up to the present day; explores the fascinating art and culture inspired by Buddhism, introduced from India in the 7th century, and gives an insight into the current political situation.

Zara Fleming is a freelance lecturer, exhibition curator specialising in the art and culture of Tibet, the Himalayan areas and Mongolia. Initially Zara was based at the V&A, but also worked with the Central Asian Department of Bonn University, the Orient Foundation, the Royal Academy, Tibet House, the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside and Asia House. She lectures for museums, universities, Asian art societies, and private associations.

Monday 29 June 2026
MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN DESIGN
Presented by Sue Geddes-Page
Time and Venue: The Heart Studio Theatre, 47 Wallcliffe Road Margaret River, 2pm

Mediterranean garden design is partly shaped by climate and by the flora that evolved in Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Elements of xeriscapes, gravel gardens and Paradise Gardens have added to the visual language of the Mediterranean garden, along with traditions in other winter rainfall regions such as California and South-West WA. This talk illustrates some emblematic Mediterranean garden designs and traces the concepts of a regional garden style that has renewed relevance and global significance in current conditions.

Sue Geddes Page is a Principal Lecturer for South Regional TAFE Margaret River. Sue joined the TAFE staff as a full-time Ceramics Lecturer at North Metropolitan TAFE in Northbridge when it was known as Perth Tech. Sue has taught courses in visual arts and design, and she has a special interest in the history of garden design. Sue says she has never got over the privilege of being paid to spend most of her working life in art schools.

Monday 27 July 2026
FLORENCE AND THE BIRTH OF ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
Presented by Charlie Hall
Time and Venue: The Heart Studio Theatre, 47 Wallcliffe Road Margaret River, 12:30pm

We are all so familiar with the ideas and culture of the (Italian) Renaissance; a phenomenon that emerged in the 15th century. But why did Florence act as the midwife for this? What did this city provide that enabled this birth, and encouraged it to flourish? Is it something that was so efficiently reported and propagandised by people such as Giorgio Vasari in how we accept that Florence was indeed where the Italian Renaissance emerged?

Charlie Hall is a passionate arts educator, lecturer and guide, based in London and Italy. He is a director of the highly regarded John Hall Venice Course, (est. 1965) tour lecturer and leader of independent tours in Italy.  Charlie has designed a series of art talks and led courses for Christie’s Education and The Serpentine Gallery ‘Collector’s Circle.

Monday 27 July 2026
PEGGY GUGGENHEIM: A Life of Collecting
Presented by Charlie Hall
Time and Venue: The Heart Studio Theatre, 47 Wallcliffe Road Margaret River, 2:30pm

Describing herself by writing, “I am a museum”, Peggy Guggenheim’s life took a clear path, from commercial gallery in London, going on a single-minded shopping trip to Paris in the late 1930’s even as the German tanks were rolling in to the suburbs, to escape (with her selection of European artists) to New York and the subsequent establishment of her museum (and Arts centre), and finally the purchase of the eccentric ‘unfinished palazzo’ in Venice. Her collection remains one of the most iconic assemblages of Twentieth century art in the world.

Charlie Hall is a passionate arts educator, lecturer and guide, based in London and Italy. He is a director of the highly regarded John Hall Venice Course, (est. 1965) tour lecturer and leader of independent tours in Italy.  Charlie has designed a series of art talks and led courses for Christie’s Education and The Serpentine Gallery ‘Collector’s Circle.

Monday 31 August 2026
FASHION, FEATHERS AND FEMINISM: Women’s Fight for Change
Presented by Tessa Boase
Time and Venue: To be confirmed, 2pm

When social historian Tessa Boase told the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds she wanted to write their early story, they refused to let her visit their archives. To a former investigative journalist, this was a challenge she could not resist. This lecture looks at the intriguing story of women’s love affair with plumage – and the brave eco feminists who fought back on behalf of the birds. You will be taken back in time to a world where every woman, of every class wore a hat. Shocking and surprising, entertaining and moving, this pacy lecture remains Tessa’s most popular.

Tessa Boase is a freelance journalist, author, lecturer, and campaigner with an interest in uncovering the stories of invisible women from the 19th and early 20th-centuries – revealing how they drove industry, propped up society and influenced politics. She is the author of three books of social history of the women of this era.

Tuesday 29 September 2026
THE DUTCH GOLDEN AGE IN SIX PAINING
Presented by Mariska Beekenkamp-Wladimiroff
Time and Venue: Cowaramup Hall, Bussell Highway, Cowaramup, 2pm

The 17th century in the Netherlands, referred to as the Dutch Golden Age, was the time of Rembrandt and Vermeer, of extraordinary riches and incredible progress. This talk will use 6 paintings to examine how the arts flourished in this tiny republic during this period. With the help of these 6 paintings from private and public collections, we will learn about 17th century Holland, their cities, landscape, society, religious and socio-economic including an explanation of the iconography and symbolism used.

Mariska Beekenkamp-Wladimiroff  completed her BA and MA in Art History, majoring in The Dutch Baroque Arts from the 17th century at the Courtauld Institute of Arts. She offers art historical lectures, museum visits, courses, tours, travel and events from Amsterdam, London and New York.

Monday 2 November 2026
Annual General Meeting: 12:30 – 1:30pm
THE MUSIC OF THE CARIBBEAN
Presented by Graham Jones  
Time and Venue: The Heart Studio Theatre, 47 Wallcliffe Road Margaret River, Lecture begins 2pm

The effects of colonialism have played an intrinsic part in the musical culture of the Caribbean. They are a synthesis of African, European, Indian and indigenous influences. Each island has its own complex rhythm patterns and styles. Find out about the origins of calypso on Saint Kitts, jwé on Saint Lucia and much, much more in this lighthearted insight lecture full of the sounds of the Caribbean.

Dr Graham Jones was a musician in the British Army for 40 years retiring as the Senior Director of Music, Household Division and Director of Music, Coldstream Guards – a position unequalled throughout military music in Great Britain. Graham was made a Member of the British Empire by Her Majesty the Queen for outstanding service to military music in 1993. Graham is enjoying a second career as a guest conductor, adjudicator, guest speaker, lecturer, clinician, recording consultant and educator.