The 2024 MAANZ International Symposium in Geelong, Victoria during 14-18 November, will be the first real life MAANZ Symposium in five years (since 2019). It will be held on the spectacular Geelong waterfront, with the Novotel Hotel as the Symposium hub, close to other Symposium venues; The National Wool Museum, Geelong Library, and Hue and Cry Collective (Gallery).
As of 23 February 2024, registrations are sold out. Waitlist available.
There are still workshop spaces available for REGISTERED ATTENDEES only. Any unregistered people purchasing workshop tickets will have that money automatically refunded.
The exciting range of activities for registered participants includes:
- Symposium Opening Launch and International Exhibition Opening
- Plenary sessions with an inspiring mix of Australian and international speakers
- Vendors’ market
- Symposium Celebration Dinner
- Salon and Quiz Night
- 30:30 Exhibition Opening
Once you are registered you may purchase
- Mosaic workshops from a program offering a range of sessions led by renowned international and Australian mosaic artists. These provide new opportunities for everyone – from complete beginners to intermediate and advanced mosaicists – with sessions ranging from half a day up to two days in length
- An Exhibitor’s place at the Salon
- Gallery talks
Find out more information about activities and people by using the links on the sidebar
Presenters
The five visiting guest presenters are all leading international mosaic artists who have not taught in Australia before and we are honoured that they have agreed to participate as both plenary speakers and workshop presenters. They are:
- Keynote Speaker Luca Barberini, Italy
- Tamara Froud, UK
- Arianna Gallo, Italy
- Mireille Swinnen, Belgium
- Anabella Wewer, Venezuela/USA
We will have pecha kucha recorded sessions from Joanna Kessel, Scotland and Carol Shelkin, USA. Plus plenary presentations from Dan Mitchell, First Nations – Australia, and Sharon Pine, New Zealand.
We also look forward to a stimulating suite of workshops led by our international guests and by Australian and New Zealand mosaicists including workshops with Helen Bodycomb, Wendy Edwards, David Jack, Dominic Johns, Deanna Kernick, Paul Perry and more, plus gallery talks from Caitlin Hepworth; MAANZ Education Officer.
For any enquiries regarding the Symposium contact secretary@maanz.org
Launches
For anyone who missed the online Symposium launches, you can catch up on the MAANZ YouTube channel.
Time and Materiality
Time & Materiality is the 2024 MAANZ Symposium theme for the Plenary presentations and the International Exhibition. (The 30:30 Exhibition is un-themed).
This theme can be interpreted as either Time and/or Materiality.
“A work of art does not answer questions, it provokes them;
and its essential meaning is in the tension between the contradictory answers”
Leonard Bernstein (whose mosaics are musical)
Time is an inclusive concept that is very familiar to most people. For example, all things change over time, especially ourselves. We age! In some ways, change can be seen as a measure of time. So, time can be represented in a mosaic in many ways – from an expression of movement (as in the dandelion motif in the Symposium branding), to time-keeping as a way of measuring change.
There is no right or wrong way to express the concept of Time in a mosaic. This freedom of interpretation is an important part of being an artist. And it extends also to Materiality, the other half of the Symposium theme.
Materiality means matter or substance, as in ‘material’. Sometimes we choose certain materials because they relate to the meaning of the mosaic we want to make with them, such as broken treasured crockery used for picassiette, that is a form of memory-ware. Not all mosaics need to be made using permanent materials, which opens another realm of material possibilities. Some people choose to make mosaics using materials that they know will change over time, and this is part of the meaning in the work. Materiality could be a trigger to work with experimental media/materials in order to extend creative range beyond the traditional mosaic materials such as glass, ceramic and stone. The options are near endless.
There are countless ways to interpret the theme of Time & Materiality, and there is no wrong way. You can explore both Time AND Materiality or just one of these ideas. Do what you feel most inspired by and comfortable with, and be prepared to explore questions and contradictory answers. Have fun!
If you are unsure about how you might like to work to the theme of Time & Materiality for the juried International Exhibition or if you want to chat with someone about your ideas, contact your local MAANZ Branch Rep for help. For more information about the Symposium exhibitions, see the Exhibitions page.