Peggy’s Pass the Parcel
2023-09-28 11:00 - 12:30 (Australia/Sydney)
Peggy’s Pass the Parcel

Exhibition

Marvellous SURPRISES that await YOU when you join Peggy Zephyr in an “old-school” game of Pass the Parcel.

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

Re-visit your childhood with Peggy Zephyr as she invites you into her world of imagination, fun and adventure.

Play in an “old-school” game of Pass the Parcel, unravelling the parcel as it’s passed around, revealing five winning golden tickets.

Bookings required.

In your wildest dreams you cannot imagine the marvellous SURPRISES that await YOU!!

Stay behind afterwards for some fun refreshments and visit Peggy’s colour filled wonderland in her exhibition Please Walk on the Grass.

Related exhibitions and events

Please Walk on the Grass

16 Sep – 29 Oct 2023
Exhibition
Please Walk on the Grass invites you to enter a world of play with local artist Peggy Zephyr’s hyper-coloured paintings and tactile textiles.

Peggy’s Live Tufting Demonstrations

15 Oct 2023 at 11:00 am–12:00 pm
Program View all event dates
See first-hand how Peggy creates her work at these playful and inspiring demonstrations.

Podcasting in a Day
2023-09-28 11:00 - 14:30
Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25: Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast showcases a curated selection of outstanding HSC Visual Arts Bodies of Work from talented students across the region. The exhibition celebrates a diverse range of expressive forms and offers unique insights into the ideas and perspectives of young people on the Coffs Coast.

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

Suitable for young people 16 – 22 years, this FREE mini-class will inspire and teach you the skills to develop your amazing podcast idea. In three hours, you will learn the basics of how to interview, record, and edit at Yarrila Place’s brand new digital studio.

The session will cover:

What makes a good podcast

The art of interviewing

The basics of recording

Producing an effective introduction for your podcast

The basics of editing

What can I expect?

There will be presentations, listening exercises, demonstrations, and other practical exercises. There will be digital resources to take away.

Cost

FREE. Lunch is provided.

Bookings are essential as numbers a limited.

This workshop has been supported by the NSW Office for Regional Youth Holiday Break Program.

About the trainer – Liz Keen

Liz has worked in audio and radio production for over 20 years, and in leadership roles for the past decade. She has trained in radio, podcasting and storytelling throughout her career. Liz moved into the podcast space in 2017 as the Executive Producer and Editor of the award winning series Still Jill. In 2019 and 2020, she was EP on the 36-part series Little Green Pod. Liz has also been Content Director at ABC Radio Sydney; Chief of Staff for ABC Mid North Coast; and Digital Producer for Four Corners. She has produced documentaries for RN’s Earshot, Background Briefing and All in the Mind. She has taught at Macquarie University, The University of Sydney and Southern Cross University and also spent eight years as the ABC Open producer on the Coffs Coast, teaching media production and storytelling from Macksville to Grafton. She is currently working as a podcast consultant and Executive Producer with Headline Productions, creating series for the UN, ANU, Red Cross and Medibank. Her most recent podcasts, We Are Lonely, The Long Haul, After the Disaster and Managing Minds are available now.

Terms & Conditions

For participants under the age of 16, parents and/or guardians of children must remain in the library for the duration of the workshop.

If you arrive more than 15 minutes after the advertised start time and there are people in the standby queue, your spot may be allocated to the standby queue.

If you are unable to attend, please cancel your registration at least 24 hours prior to the event. As Library Programs have limited spaces, repeated failure to notify staff of cancellations may result in bookings being refused in the future.

Attendance at our events may be digitally recorded through photographs and/or videos. These images may be used by City of Coffs Harbour in their publications, social media, council’s website or newspaper. Please notify staff if you do not wish the participant to be filmed/ photographed.

First Nations Curator Walk and Talk
2023-09-30 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-11-04 11:00 - 12:00
Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25: Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast showcases a curated selection of outstanding HSC Visual Arts Bodies of Work from talented students across the region. The exhibition celebrates a diverse range of expressive forms and offers unique insights into the ideas and perspectives of young people on the Coffs Coast.

First Nations Curator Tori Donnelly

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

Join First Nations curator Tori Donnelly, in conversation with exhibiting artists Brentyn Lugnan and Alison Williams, for a curator walk and talk of Ngarraanga Ngaanya Junaaygirr Hear Me Speak at Yarrila Arts and Museum.

Tori will discuss the development, themes and significance of artworks in Ngarraanga Ngaanya Junaaygirr Hear me speak. Learn how this major exhibition, featuring new work by First Nations artists of Gumbaynggirr Jagun (country), came together.

Each talk will feature one of the artists exhibiting in the show.

Saturday 30 September 2023 – 11amJoin Tori Donnelly in conversation with exhibiting artist, Brentyn Lugnan.

Saturday 4 November 2023 – 11amJoin Tori Donnelly in conversation with exhibiting artist, Alison Williams.

This is a FREE, non-ticketed event.

Please meet at YAM reception area at least 5 mins prior to the talk.

This is a FREE, non-ticketed event.

This project is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

Brentyn Lugnan. Photo: and the trees photography

Alison Williams. Photo: and the trees photography

RELATED EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS

Ngarraanga ngaanya junaaygirr
hear me speak

16 Sep – 26 Nov 2023
Exhibition
Ngarraanga ngaanya junaaygirr hear me speak presents compelling artistic voices, showcasing the rich cultural heritage and contemporary practices of Gumbaynggirr artists.

Donna Brown Contemporary Jewellery Making Short Course

22 Oct 2023 at 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Workshop
Create contemporary jewellery inspired by the beauty of nature and local culture.

Dance & Movement Workshop (Ages 5-9)
2023-10-03 09:00 - 12:00
Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25: Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast showcases a curated selection of outstanding HSC Visual Arts Bodies of Work from talented students across the region. The exhibition celebrates a diverse range of expressive forms and offers unique insights into the ideas and perspectives of young people on the Coffs Coast.

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

So, who likes to Move It Move It? Join us for this fun and experimental dance and movement workshop with friends!

Can’t help but break into a dance move in the playground, or are you more of a kitchen twirler? These school holiday dance workshops will be an opportunity to cut some new movements, facilitated by the energetic dancer and local choreographer, Jade Dewi.

Over the 3-hour workshop, Jade will be working with young people to devise individual expression through movement and dance and choreograph the group for a final performance. If you’re keen, Jade will also help you develop a movement performance for the screen, with the option to capture movement using a green screen and combine your movements with video effects.

What can I expect?

This will be a fun dance/ movement workshop that is accessible for young people. There will be instruction on dance and movement, encouraging young people to build their confidence and work in a group setting to make a choreographed performance. There will be an opportunity to capture you dance or movement performance using a green screen to play with your movement and special video effects.

Cost

Free – Bookings essential . Lunch provided

This workshop has been supported by the NSW Office for Regional Youth Holiday Break Program.

Terms & Conditions

For participants under the age of 16, parents and/or guardians of children must remain within Yarrila Place for the duration of the workshop.

If you arrive more than 15 minutes after the advertised start time and there are people in the standby queue, your spot may be allocated to the standby queue.

If you are unable to attend, please cancel your registration at least 24 hours prior to the event. As Programs have limited spaces, repeated failure to notify staff of cancellations may result in bookings being refused in the future.

Attendance at our events may be digitally recorded through photographs and/or videos. These images may be used by City of Coffs Harbour in their publications, social media, council’s website or newspaper. Please notify staff if you do not wish the participant to be filmed/ photographed.

About the teacher

Jade Dewi Tyas Tunggal is a dancer, choreographer, facilitator and director. Born in Darkinjung Country she has Javanese heritage directly descended from Yogyakarta’s first Sultan and Borobudur temple and equally Australian Scottish Viking convict-settler.  Classical ballet, jazz, modern, Javanese court and Bali temple dance, eco-somatic improvisation and creative collaboration with First Nations Australian dance artists inform her unique movement language. Awarded High Distinction for a Master of Choreography Research at VCA Melbourne University her imaginative and highly theatrical work has been created and performed in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. An experienced mentor with NORPA, Arts Northern Rivers, Outback Theatre for Young People, Beyond Empathy and Sprung!! and co-directs Angourie Dance Youth Project. Her work is interdisciplinary and intercultural, grounded in inclusive spirituality and a deep personal reverence for place, nature and leaving the world better than she found it.  www.jadedewi.com

Digital Art with BKE (Ages 7-11) - School Holiday Workshop
2023-10-03 10:00 - 12:00
Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25: Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast showcases a curated selection of outstanding HSC Visual Arts Bodies of Work from talented students across the region. The exhibition celebrates a diverse range of expressive forms and offers unique insights into the ideas and perspectives of young people on the Coffs Coast.

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

Learn how to create eye-catching digital illustrations with Gumbaynggirr artist Bernard Kelly-Edwards.

Learn how to create eye-catching digital illustrations using a powerful tool like Adobe Fresco on the iPads using a stylus pen. In this 2 hour online course, immerse yourself in the captivating world of Adobe Fresco with Gumbaynggirr artist Bernard Kelly-Edwards. BKE will guide you through the process of using photographs or people, architecture, street scenes, nature, or landscapes to create compelling digital artwork. Artworks will be exhibited virtually using Augmented Reality software.

What to expect?

Using iPads, Adobe Fresco and a stylus, you will be guided how to turn a photograph into a work of art. You will be shown the hidden powers of Adobe Fresco as you explore brushes, layers, movements, perspective, and animation tools.

Bring your own photos or capture one at the workshop.

Cost

Free – Bookings essential

Lunch provided

This workshop has been supported by the NSW Office for Regional Youth Holiday Break Program.

Terms & Conditions

For participants under the age of 16, parents and/or guardians of children must remain in the library for the duration of the workshop.

If you arrive more than 15 minutes after the advertised start time and there are people in the standby queue, your spot may be allocated to the standby queue.

If you are unable to attend, please cancel your registration at least 24 hours prior to the event. As Library Programs have limited spaces, repeated failure to notify staff of cancellations may result in bookings being refused in the future.

Attendance at our events may be digitally recorded through photographs and/or videos. These images may be used by City of Coffs Harbour in their publications, social media, council’s website or newspaper. Please notify staff if you do not wish the participant to be filmed/ photographed.

About BKE

Bernard Kelly-Edwards is a single dad and digital artist, who belongs to the Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Dhunghutti Nations on the mid north coast of NSW. Bernard’s art incorporates textures and colours inspired by Mother Nature. He is also the Founder of BKE Consultancy, which is a service of rich cultural knowledge supporting deeper awareness of individual or group growth.

Artist, BKE

Digital Art with BKE (Ages 12-16) - School Holiday Workshop
2023-10-03 13:00 - 15:00

Dance & Movement Workshop (Ages 10-15)
2023-10-03 13:00 - 16:00

Rhythm & Percussion Workshop with Greg Sheehan (ages 7-11)
2023-10-04 11:00 - 12:30
Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25: Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast showcases a curated selection of outstanding HSC Visual Arts Bodies of Work from talented students across the region. The exhibition celebrates a diverse range of expressive forms and offers unique insights into the ideas and perspectives of young people on the Coffs Coast.

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

Keep young hands and minds busy in the Spring school holidays with this fun and rhythmic workshop for young people.

This workshop will get you clapping, stomping, and discovering music using your own body and a drum. The magnificent sounds of the group tapping and drumming in rhythm will be audio-recorded using Yarrila Place’s digital studio facilities and made available for participants to take home. The workshop will be facilitated by ‘Rhythm Magician,’ Greg Sheehan. Greg is a local artist with decades of experience, he will share his unique style of rhythmic notation and body percussion techniques.

What can I expect?

Learn to create your own rhythms and music through clapping, tapping, drumming, walking and number games! We will be working on polyrhythms, rhythmic numbers and patterns using creative games and improvisation to create a thrilling group rhythmic experience.

See a taster of Greg at TEDx: https://youtu.be/d-oXzkTPU4I

Cost

Free – Bookings essential. Lunch provided.

This workshop has been supported by the NSW Office for Regional Youth Holiday Break Program.

Terms & Conditions

For participants under the age of 16, parents and/or guardians of children must remain within Yarrila Place for the duration of the workshop.

If you arrive more than 15 minutes after the advertised start time and there are people in the standby queue, your spot may be allocated to the standby queue.

If you are unable to attend, please cancel your registration at least 24 hours prior to the event. As Programs have limited spaces, repeated failure to notify staff of cancellations may result in bookings being refused in the future.

Attendance at our events may be digitally recorded through photographs and/or videos. These images may be used by City of Coffs Harbour in their publications, social media, council’s website or newspaper. Please notify staff if you do not wish the participant to be filmed/ photographed.

About Greg

Greg Sheehan is one of the leading figures in Australian Percussion. In Greg’s 50 year career as a musician and teacher, he has worked with children in Schools, pre-schools , communities and festivals both in Australia and Overseas. The children find Greg very engaging, inspirational and humorous! Over the last 15 years Greg has been working in REMOTE COMMUNITIES with the Music Outback Foundation, in Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales. He is now running holiday activities and holds a weekly session for 3-8 year olds. Greg has also appeared on the popular television show PLAYSCHOOL, in what has become one of the most requested episodes ever!

Musician, Greg Sheehan

Rhythm & Percussion Workshop with Greg Sheehan (ages 12-16)
2023-10-04 13:30 - 15:00

STILL: National Still Life Award 2023
2023-10-07 00:00 - 2023-12-03 23:59
Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25: Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast showcases a curated selection of outstanding HSC Visual Arts Bodies of Work from talented students across the region. The exhibition celebrates a diverse range of expressive forms and offers unique insights into the ideas and perspectives of young people on the Coffs Coast.

Tamara Dean, The Suspended Moment, 2022, Photography

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

STILL 2023 Winner Announcement

$30,000 Acquisitive Award Winner

Alana Hunt…and fled swiftly (i and ii), 202235mm film / archival digital print800 x 530mm (each)

“This award means one more year of the economic puzzle of how to be an artist is solved. It will allow me to keep working. To keep thinking. And to keep making. And for that my sincere gratitude.” said Alana.

$1,000 Highly Commended Award Winners

Grace DlabikHasu, 2023Intuitively formed stoneware clay, Toru Uta fired with banana skins and palm leaves alongside documented process video.300 x 290 x 290mmMiranda HineCrime scene still life (Midsomer Murders s14e5), 2023Oil on Board (diptych)325 x 480mm

READ THE FULL MEDIA RELEASE

Visitors to the exhibition can vote for their favourite work as part of the $3000 People’s Choice award which will be announced on 28 November.

STILL 2023 Winning artwork by Alana Hunt, …and fled swiftly (i and ii), 2022, 35mm film / archival digital print, 800 x 530mm (each)

Highly Commended Award artwork by Grace Dlabik, Hasu, 2023, Intuitively formed stoneware clay, Toru Uta fired with banana skins and palm leaves alongside documented process video, 300 x 290 x 290mm.

Miranda Hine, Crime scene still life (Midsomer Murders s14e5), 2023, Oil on Board (diptych), 325 x 480mm.

The biennial acquisitive award, now in its fourth iteration, attracted 1143 entries from across Australia, the largest field in the award’s history.

The Award is open to all artists across Australia. STILL 2023 invited fresh and contemporary explorations of still life themes to highlight the diversity and vitality of still life in Australian contemporary art, broadening the interpretation of this enduring genre.

Still: National Still Life Award 2023 has a prize pool of $35,000

The $35,000 includes the following:

$30,000 Acquisitive Winner’s Award

$3,000 People’s Choice Award

2 x $1,000 Highly Commended Awards

The exhibition is now open; the winner was selected and announced by Guest Judge Max Delany, Artistic Director & CEO, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. The People’s Choice Award, voted by visitors to the exhibition, will be announced towards the end of the exhibition.

STILL 2023 is the first award exhibition to be presented at the new Yarrila Arts and Museum (YAM) and has been curated by Guest Curator, Sandra Conte.

Sandra Conte is based in the Glasshouse Mountains, Kabi Kabi country and is embracing the beauty of the lands of the Gumbaynggirr people at Coffs Harbour, curating the fourth iteration of STILL. An independent curator and arts consultant with a wealth of intercultural experience Australia-wide, Conte has developed new galleries and worked across multiple Universities, in directorial and curatorial roles, on projects at local, state, federal, and national touring, levels. A range of positions include an early career role as Foundation Director and Curator of Caloundra Regional Art Gallery to Visual Arts Manager and Curator, Tandanya (National Aboriginal Cultural Institute), Adelaide. She has curated in excess of 350 exhibitions, judged and opened many art awards and advised on state arts and grant boards.

“STILL 2023 presents an opportunity to showcase finalists from six of Australia’s states and territories in the sparkling, new Yarrila Arts and Museum (YAM)”.

STILL 2023 Finalists

Alana HuntGaspare MosconeRaelean HallAlicia CoxGerry WeddRaffi ButlerAlison MitchellGrace DlabikRaqiya AhmedAmelia LynchIsabella WuRaquel OrmellaAndrew ShillamJack Hodges andAlejandra RamirezRay MondeAngie de LatourJude WilliamsSam KenneallyAnita JohnsonKate DorroughSeabastion ToastAnthony ScibelliKeemon WilliamsStafford GaffneyBryce AndersonKiata MasonStephanie HicksChelsea GustafssonKyle Hughes-OdgersSusan JacobsenCherie AllanLeAnne VincentSuzanne KnightCheryl McCoyLucy RoleffTala KaalimChloe SmithManuel KangTamara DeanClare BelfrageMark MohellTim EllisClive StratfordMia ForrestVanessa EncarnacaoDavid TuckerMiranda HineVanessa HolleDenise FaulknerMirra WhaleVictoria ReicheltDrew SpangenbergMitch CairnsWendy SharpeEdwin DaughtryNick MountYabini KickettEleonora PastiNOTYandell WaltonEmma ThorpPeggy ZephyrZai Kuang

Major Sponsors

Supporting Sponsors

The award is made possible with the generous support of our Major sponsors, saso.creative and Bryant McKinnon Lawyers, along with supporting sponsors, Moving Art, Andrew Peace Wines, Arts Mid North Coast Arts Guide, and Friends of Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery.

RELATED EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS

Ngarraanga ngaanya junaaygirr
hear me speak

16 Sep – 26 Nov 2023
Exhibition
Ngarraanga ngaanya junaaygirr hear me speak presents compelling artistic voices, showcasing the rich cultural heritage and contemporary practices of Gumbaynggirr artists.

Please Walk on the Grass

16 Sep – 29 Oct 2023
Exhibition
Please Walk on the Grass invites you to enter a world of play with local artist Peggy Zephyr’s hyper-coloured paintings and tactile textiles.

When in Rome

2 Nov – 10 Dec 2023
Exhibition
When in Rome presents Gareth Budge’s photography series capturing the ever changing form of urban wildposting that produces untraceable layers and chance formations.

STILL: National Still Life Award - Panel Discussion 2023
2023-10-08 11:00 - 12:30
Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25: Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast showcases a curated selection of outstanding HSC Visual Arts Bodies of Work from talented students across the region. The exhibition celebrates a diverse range of expressive forms and offers unique insights into the ideas and perspectives of young people on the Coffs Coast.

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

Finalists Kiata Mason, Stafford Gaffney and the winner of STILL (yet to be announced) will be joined by Guest Curator Sandra Conte and artist mentor/arts broadcaster Wilamina Russo to discuss the past, present and future of contemporary still life. Together they will reflect on where the genre has travelled both in subject matter and materiality and provide commentary on where it might be headed into the future.

Accessibility Information:

The City of Coffs Harbour is committed to providing inclusive services and programs. Yarrila Place is fully wheelchair accessible. Please email still@chcc.nsw.gov.au with your requirements or support needs.

Terms and conditions:

• Participants under the age of 8 must be accompanied by a parent and/or guardian.

• For participants under the age of 16, parents and/or guardians of children must remain in Yarrila Place for the duration of the visit.

• If you arrive more than 10 minutes after the advertised start time and there are people in the standby queue, your ticket may be allocated to the standby queue.

• If you are unable to attend, please cancel your registration at least 24 hours prior to the event. As Programs have limited spaces, repeated failure to notify staff of cancellations may result in bookings being refused in the future.

PLEASE NOTE: Attendance at our events may be digitally recorded through photographs and/or videos. These images may be used by City of Coffs Harbour in their publications, social media, council’s website or newspaper. Please notify staff if you do not wish to be filmed.

After School Drop In and Create
2023-10-11 14:00 - 16:00, 2023-10-18 14:00 - 16:00, 2023-10-25 14:00 - 16:00, 2023-11-01 14:00 - 16:00, 2023-11-08 14:00 - 16:00
Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25: Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast showcases a curated selection of outstanding HSC Visual Arts Bodies of Work from talented students across the region. The exhibition celebrates a diverse range of expressive forms and offers unique insights into the ideas and perspectives of young people on the Coffs Coast.

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

Begin your own creative project and access the green screen, digital recording booth, editing equipment and get support and inspiration.

Bring your own project or learn new skills in this weekly, creative, drop-in session at the Digital Studio.

Learn how to make your own films, podcasts, 3D or AR development and get the latest tips and tricks to get your creative project to the next level.

Bring your own content or media capturing devices like DSLR Cameras or Smart Phones or you can use Digital Studio equipment.

Peggy's Live Tufting Demonstrations
2023-10-15 11:00 - 12:00
Peggy’s Live Tufting Demonstrations

Exhibition

See first-hand how Peggy creates her work at these playful and inspiring demonstrations.

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

Peggy Zephyr’s exhibition, Please Walk on the Grass, is a colour-filled world, with vibrant artworks full of conversation, play, creativity, and imagination.

Plan your visit to this fantastical world when Peggy is demonstrating her contemporary textile work and tufting at YAM.

Be captivated by Peggy’s creative process and learn firsthand how she creates her signature work.

This is a fun event suitable for people of all ages.

What is tufting?

Tufting is defined as the act of a needle punching through a backing material in the form of a loop. Depending on loop heights, these loops can add texture, dimension, and, if cut, the “cut pile” can add a velvet like appearance to the tufted area.

Tufting is used to create a variety of textile products, including carpets, rugs, and upholstery fabrics. Historically, tufting was a technique use to make warm garments and other practical pieces.

Today, tufting is used more widely to create textile art forms and other decorative pieces.

A tufting gun is a tool which is now more commonly used to automate the tufting process.

Peggy with her tufting gun

RELATED EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS

Please Walk on the Grass

16 Sep – 29 Oct 2023
Exhibition
Please Walk on the Grass invites you to enter a world of play with local artist Peggy Zephyr’s hyper-coloured paintings and tactile textiles.

Peggy’s Pass the Parcel

28 Sep 2023 at 11:00 am–12:30 pm
Program
Join Peggy for an “old-school” game of Pass the Parcel.

Teachers Tour of Yarrila Place
2023-10-31 16:00 - 17:30
Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25: Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast showcases a curated selection of outstanding HSC Visual Arts Bodies of Work from talented students across the region. The exhibition celebrates a diverse range of expressive forms and offers unique insights into the ideas and perspectives of young people on the Coffs Coast.

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

Join a Teacher’s Tour to see the new Yarrila Arts and Museum and Harry Bailey Memorial Library at Yarrila Place. This tour has been designed to inspire teachers with new art, resources and ideas.

Led by experienced Education Facilitator, learn about the 12-month exhibition calendar, educational opportunities, resources, and website.

Two identical sessions to choose from:

Wednesday 20 September 4 – 5.30pm OR Tuesday 31 October 2023 4 – 5.30pm

Please register your attendance and dietary requirements with Eventbrite to assist with afternoon tea catering. This event is free for teachers. Numbers are limited, so please book early. RSVP Friday, 15 September.

Digital Storytelling Workshops
2023-11-01 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-11-08 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-11-15 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-11-22 10:00 - 12:00
Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

Exhibition

Become a digital storyteller in a weekly workshop series in the Digital Studio, Yarrila Place.

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

Become a digital storyteller in this weekly workshop in the Digital Studio, Yarrila Place.

These two hour workshops , for ages 16 plus, covers all aspects of digital storytelling including imagery and story creation.

“…digital storytelling combines the best of two worlds: the new world of digitised video, photography and art, and the old world of telling stories” said Dana Atchley, Digital Storytelling pioneer. “The multimedia story or narrative that you create may include text, photos, video, audio, social media posts and interactive elements”.

Equipment: Bring your own content or media capturing devices such as DSLR Cameras or Smart Phones or use those at the Digital Studio. Archival material such as hard copy images, slides or documents can be scanned at the library.

The Digital Studio is equipped with the latest Mac & PC computers to drive your next creative work!

City of Coffs Harbour acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land, the Gumbaynggirr people, who have cared for this land since time immemorial. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging, and commit ourselves to a future with reconciliation and renewal at its heart.

When in Rome
2023-11-02 00:00 - 2023-12-10 23:59
Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25: Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast showcases a curated selection of outstanding HSC Visual Arts Bodies of Work from talented students across the region. The exhibition celebrates a diverse range of expressive forms and offers unique insights into the ideas and perspectives of young people on the Coffs Coast.

Gareth Budge, CURATED-CULT-URE, 2023, photograph.

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

Images and advertising saturate our urban environments. Budge is interested in how patterns and layers begin to emerge from the practice of wildposting, which sees the mass installation of posters to draw people’s attention. Both natural and social forces influence the layering and decay of old posters, which results in new forms.

Watch the video below, Gareth Budge provides a brief insight into Coffs Harbour and how it shaped him as an artist and an individual.

RELATED EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS

Wild Designs in the Digital Studio

26 Sep 2023 at 10:00 am – 2:30 pm
Workshop
Be part of the exhibition When in Rome at Yarrila Arts and Museum (YAM), Yarrila Place!

Ngarraanga ngaanya junaaygirr
hear me speak

16 Sep – 26 Nov 2023
Exhibition
Ngarraanga ngaanya junaaygirr hear me speak presents compelling artistic voices, showcasing the rich cultural heritage and contemporary practices of Gumbaynggirr artists.

STILL: National Still Life Award 2023

7 Oct – 3 Dec 2023
Exhibition
Now in its fourth iteration, STILL: National Still Life Award is a biennial, acquisitive award for still life artworks across all mediums.

Yaamanga (around here)

Ongoing
Exhibition
Yaamanga (around here) is an ongoing exhibition exploring the history and identity of the Coffs Coast through themes of place, community and belonging, with Gumbaynggirr culture at its heart.

Seabastion Toast Workshop
2023-11-18 09:30 - 16:00
Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25: Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast showcases a curated selection of outstanding HSC Visual Arts Bodies of Work from talented students across the region. The exhibition celebrates a diverse range of expressive forms and offers unique insights into the ideas and perspectives of young people on the Coffs Coast.

Seabastion Toast, Postcards from the Edge, Oil on Canvas, 1200 x 1500mm, 2023.

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

Join Still Exhibition 2023 Finalist Seabastion Toast in this Still-inspired painting workshop at Yarrila Arts and Museum (YAM). This workshop places emphasis on light, composition, and foundational skills which will benefit both beginners and experienced artists. Participants will leave with new insights, improved painting techniques, and a deeper appreciation for the art of still life painting.

Exercises can be completed in oil or acrylics. Acrylic paints, painting mediums, brushes and Canson canvas paper are provided in the workshop fee. (Oil paints are not included in the workshop fee. If using oils, please bring your own supply.)

Spaces are extremely limited, so book now to avoid disappointment! We look forward to creating with you in The Workshop!

Recommended for ages 15 years +

Workshop fee: $70 per participant

About Seabastion

Seabastion Toast lives and works on the Mid North Coast NSW, Australia. Among her achievements she recently won the $10,000 Darcy Doyle Landscape Award, was in the top 8 finalists of the Evelyn Award for painters under 45, a double award at the 2019 Glover Prize and is regularly a finalist in many prominent art prizes.

Co-existing with her very active outdoors lifestyle, Toast’s paintings embody a very physical approach to the subject, with layers built up, scraped down and obscured. Toast has a degree in Fine Art from SCU including an exchange placement with the Pratt Institute in New York.

She also loves teaching, running up mountains, surfing, her dog, Audrey, and horses.

Artist Seabastion Toast

RELATED EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS

STILL: National Still Life Award 2023

7 Oct – 3 Dec 2023
Exhibition
Now in its fourth iteration, STILL: National Still Life Award is a biennial, acquisitive award for still life artworks across all mediums.

First Nations Curator Walk and Talk

4 Nov 2023 at 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Program View all event dates
Join First Nations curator Tori Donnelly, in conversation with Ngarraanga Ngaanya Junaaygirr Hear me speak artists.

When in Rome

2 Nov – 10 Dec 2023
Exhibition
When in Rome presents Gareth Budge’s photography series capturing the ever changing form of urban wildposting that produces untraceable layers and chance formations.

Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2023
2023-12-01 10:00 - 2024-02-04 14:00
Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25: Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast showcases a curated selection of outstanding HSC Visual Arts Bodies of Work from talented students across the region. The exhibition celebrates a diverse range of expressive forms and offers unique insights into the ideas and perspectives of young people on the Coffs Coast.

My Country Burns, by Samuel Markham, Overall Winner 2023 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

This breathtaking exhibition allows us to witness the unique beauty of the flora, fauna and landscapes of our own backyard and the world around us.

See nature up close through stunning images by professional, emerging and junior photographers who have shown impeccable timing, patience, artistry and technique to capture incredible moments in time.

The 2023 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year, a South Australian Museum exhibition.

RELATED EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS

Halfway

8 Dec 2023 – 11 Feb 2024
Exhibition
Halfway invites us on a collective journey to explore the changing identity of Coffs Harbour, a regional City undergoing cultural and physical transformations.

Never Neverland

14 Dec 2023 – 4 Feb 2024
Exhibition
Never Neverland presents works by Karlee Rawkins in collaboration with her son Raj, exploring the perceptions, expectations and profound joy that being the mother of a son with a disability has brought.

Yaamanga (around here)

Ongoing
Exhibition
Yaamanga (around here) is an ongoing exhibition exploring the history and identity of the Coffs Coast through themes of place, community and belonging, with Gumbaynggirr culture at its heart.

Artist talk with STILL: National Still Life Award 2023 Winner Alana Hunt
2023-12-02 10:30 - 12:00
Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25: Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast showcases a curated selection of outstanding HSC Visual Arts Bodies of Work from talented students across the region. The exhibition celebrates a diverse range of expressive forms and offers unique insights into the ideas and perspectives of young people on the Coffs Coast.

Alana Hunt, …and fled swiftly (i and ii), 2022 35mm film / archival digital print, 800 x 530 mm (each)

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

Visit the STILL: National Still Life Award 2023 exhibition at Yarrila Arts and Museum (YAM) on Saturday 2nd December at 10.30am to meet this year’s STILL Winner Alana Hunt. Alana will be joining us to discuss her award-winning work “…and fled swiftly (i and ii) 2022” as well as her broader interdisciplinary arts practice.

During this artist talk, Alana will discuss her most recent body of work and take you on a journey to explore the development, themes and significance of her practice in contributing to social commentary on the impacts of colonisation in Australia.

About Alana

Born 1984, Gadigal Country, Sydney. Lives and works on Miriwoong Country, East Kimberley, Western Australia.

Alana Hunt is non-indigenous artist and writer. Currently based on Gadigal Country in Sydney, over the last twelve years she has lived on Miriwoong and Gija Countries in the North-West of Australia.

Her work examines the violence that results from the fragility of nations and the aspirations and failures of colonial dreams, both within the area she lives and in the context of her longstanding engagement with South Asia.

Her distributed art practice moves between publishing, exhibition making and public intervention. She communicates with a broad network of collaborators and peers in the development of her interdisciplinary works and regularly contributes to social commentary through podcasts, discussions and publishing.

Visit Alana’s Instagram to learn more @alanavhunt

STILL Major Sponsors

STILL Supporting Sponsors

Halfway
2023-12-08 00:00 - 2024-02-11 23:59
Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25: Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast showcases a curated selection of outstanding HSC Visual Arts Bodies of Work from talented students across the region. The exhibition celebrates a diverse range of expressive forms and offers unique insights into the ideas and perspectives of young people on the Coffs Coast.

Peter Wade, Mood Banana, 2023, White Beech, acrylic, ink

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

The exhibition explores how distance, time, speed, and space shape people’s perceptions of a place, and how an identity associated with being the ‘halfway point on the highway’ evolves over time.

Halfway embraces the evolution of Coffs Harbour by using contemporary art to explore the impact of major infrastructure projects and reflect on its shared history.

This exhibition is supported by the Dobell Exhibition Grant, funded by the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation and managed by Museums & Galleries of NSW.

RELATED EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS

The 2023 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year

1 Dec 2023 – 4 Feb 2024 at 10:00 am–2:00 pm
Exhibition
Celebrate the natural heritage of Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea with the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year. A South Australian Museum exhibition.

Never Neverland

14 Dec 2023 – 4 Feb 2024
Exhibition
Never Neverland presents works by Karlee Rawkins in collaboration with her son Raj, exploring the perceptions, expectations and profound joy that being the mother of a son with a disability has brought.

Yaamanga (around here)

Ongoing
Exhibition
Yaamanga (around here) is an ongoing exhibition exploring the history and identity of the Coffs Coast through themes of place, community and belonging, with Gumbaynggirr culture at its heart.

Halfway artist talk: Jane Skeer and Yannick Blattner
2023-12-09 10:30 - 12:00
Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25: Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast showcases a curated selection of outstanding HSC Visual Arts Bodies of Work from talented students across the region. The exhibition celebrates a diverse range of expressive forms and offers unique insights into the ideas and perspectives of young people on the Coffs Coast.

Left: Jane Skeer. Photo Sam Roberts @samrophoto RIght: Yannick Blattner. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

Halfway invites us on a collective journey to explore the changing identity of Coffs Harbour, a regional City undergoing cultural and physical transformations.

Jane Skeer will discuss her large-scale installation, True Blue. Comprised ofratchet straps, demonstrating her fascination with materials that come from the landscape and wear the landscape embedded in their surface.

Artist Yannick Blattner will share insights into his work Formal Arrangement For Casual Leisure 2023. An artworkcomprising of polyester camping chairs sealed and made rigid using materials typically found in auto-mechanic workshops ie; car filler, fibreglass resin and black car paint. As a practical object, the modified chairs facilitate the Australian penchant for leisure. Presented en-masse as an art object the work becomes a repetitive symbol of the ever-present intersection between labour and leisure.

Embrace this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the artistic visions and inspirations of these talented artists.

Saturday 9 December 2023

10.30am – 12pm

This is a FREE event, but bookings are required.

This exhibition is supported by the Dobell Exhibition Grant, funded by the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation and managed by Museums & Galleries of NSW.

Jane Skeer. Photo Sam Roberts @samrophoto

Yannick Blattner. Image courtesy of the artist.

Book your tickets to the artist talk here

Never Neverland
2023-12-14 00:00 - 2024-02-04 23:59
Never Neverland

Exhibition

Never Neverland presents works by Karlee Rawkins in collaboration with her son Raj, exploring the perceptions, expectations and profound joy that being the mother of a son with a disability has brought.

Karlee Rawkins, Drifting Away, 2023, Acrylic on cotton canvas, 1370 x 2100 mm

Exhibition

Yearbook ’25
Visual Art Students from the Coffs Coast

When

15 Nov 2025 – 8 Feb 2026

AdmissionFree entry Plan your visit

Karlee’s paintings explore the power of symbols and iconography to create a fantastical world of islands, tropical birds and portals of love, growth, resilience and transformation. We invite you to enter a world where imagination reigns supreme and freedom is celebrated.
