What’s your favourite local animal?  From the fabulous fairy wren to the spiky echidna, from the bouncing kangaroo to the elusive spotted quoll, our very own indigenous animal parade is coming to the Celebrate Gungahlin Festival this October! 

Local artists Megan Daley and Pinal Maniar invite you to open up your creativity and explore your own imaginative relationships to the wonderful wildlife that fills our region.  You’ll have the opportunity to create costumes props, banners, flags and decorations that reflect your own inner wild animal and your connection to the environment we all share.

You can drop in to a single workshop, or come along for multiple sessions to keep building and refining your creations.

Everyone who takes part in the workshops can join in the festival parade at Celebrate Gungahlin on 26 October and share their creations with the local community!

Workshops are suitable for ages 4 and up, and children must be accompanied by a guardian at all times.

This project is supported by the Australian Government through the Regional Arts Fund.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Megan Daley

Megan is a Ngunnawal/Wiradjuri artist living on Ngunnawal country in the Gungahlin region and is excited by the opportunity to develop a project with local families.

Megan has been working as an artist for several years, and has exhibited at Belco Arts in 2021 for a show called HeartStrong celebrating Aboriginal female artists living on Ngunnawal Country. 

Megan has also completed several corporate commissions including artwork for an ACT Emergency Services water tanker, a commission for an ACT Parks and Conservation Service community trailer, RAP plans for the YMCA and YWCA and an artwork redesign for Koori Preschool for the ACT Education Directorate.

When she is not painting, she is empllyed as a Children and Family Cultural Officer throught the ACT’s Child and Family Centres and has 9 years of experience working with children in a greou setting.

Pinal Maniar

Pinal’s passion lies in creating meaningful experiences through art, particularly with younger audiences.

Her lifelong passion is in handcrafted textiles, which are the medium she uses to explore the creative fusion of

natural materials with ancient techniques. These artworks convey a message about local and sustainable

creation, using materials from the environment to reflect the specific time and space of their making.

I have consistently demonstrated a commitment to fostering interdisciplinary learning experiences.

Pinal has worked with communities in the USA and Australia to deliver a wide range of creative community projects and workshops catering to diverse age groups, ranging from 5-year-olds to adults, with a particular focus on the intersection of art and science.