Step inside the studios, galleries and creative spaces that bring our local arts scene to life as part of our Bayside Creatives Month.
Running across the month of February, the program celebrates local artists and makers through open studios, exhibitions, workshops, performances and hands-on creative experiences.
Workshops will be held at Brighton Town Hall and Bayley Arts, with established artists Cecilia Jacobs and Vivi Palegeorge.
A number of local artists will also be opening their studios to the public to share their processes and working environment.
One of those spaces is Minnie Artspace, tucked away in Sandringham. Founded by local artist Kate Stewart, Minnie is a small creative space with a big focus on collaboration, connection and sustainability.
"It's not a traditional gallery," Kate said. "We operate from a domestic setting and it is designed to be intentionally modest, welcoming and grounded."
Minnie offers short-term studio residencies for artists along with informal critique sessions where artists come together to talk through work in progress.
"It's very much about open experimentation, open thinking, dialogue and exchange," Kate explains.
Sustainability sits at the heart of the space. Drawing from her own practice, Kate has shaped Minnie around collaboration and the use of reused and found materials.
"There's so much material that gets discarded that can be reused," she said. "We are creating a small material library that gives artists access to shared resources and materials, encouraging creative discovery and unexpected outcomes."
For Kate, opening studios to the public is a vital part of creative life.
"Seeing the working process gives people a way in," she says. "It strengthens the connection they have to the work."
Minnie Artspace will be open on Sunday 8 February, from 1-5pm.
You can also see Kate's work in Bayside Local at Bayside Gallery until 1 March.
