Mawang Holiday Art Club
Mawang printmaking stall at NAIDOC Week Main Event (For Our Elders), July 2023
Mawang (Wiradjuri for all together) returns for the school holidays! The workshop will be held from 8-10 July to celebrate NAIDOC Week 2026: 50 Years Deadly.
First Nations kids aged 9 – 12 are invited to join a 3-day screen-printing workshop led by local Wiradjuri artist Bethany Thornber. Kids will be shown how to design and print their own artwork onto wearable items to take home and wear during NAIDOC!
Wednesday 8 July: Kids meet Bethany Thornber, explore MAMA, learn all about silkscreen printing, and begin their own design inspired by the 2026 NAIDOC theme.
Thursday 9 July: Stencil making, practice silkscreen printing on paper and fabric.
Friday 10 July: Print final design onto tote bags, t-shirts and hats to take home!
Mawang is a First Nations art program originally developed by artists Aunty Glennys Briggs and Bethany Thornber in 2021, with a focus on First Nations creative practices from South-East NSW.
Workshop details:
Wednesday 8 July – Friday 10 July 2026
10.30am – 12.30pm
Registration includes all three morning sessions over the week 10:30am – 12:30pm. Lunch included. Please wear clothes that can get messy (aprons will be available).
This program is for First Nations kids in NSW and VIC. Suitable for all skill levels, and materials will be provided.
Contact: Alinta Maguire, MAMA First Nations Curator
alinta.maguire@alburycity.nsw.gov.au
Meet the Artist
Beth Thornber was born in Corowa, a small town on the banks of the Milawa/Murray River in NSW.
A First Nations curator, educator, and artist of the Wiradjuri people, she is currently based in Chiltern, Victoria. Her multi-disciplinary practice uses colour and a visual alphabet of animal, plant, and human motifs to question themes of impact: historical, environmental, and human impact on Country. Her work considers existing structures cemented in everyday life and applies this lens to reimagine ideas of sacredness, boundaries, common ownership, and shared responsibility.