Textile artist Sonya Else is among the workshop hosts and artists on the Rochester Ripple Fest line-up.
The inaugural Ripple Fest is set to impress across Echuca and Rochester.
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From Wednesday, May 21 to Sunday, May 25, the towns will be alive with visual, performance and interactive art.
Championed by Kris Tito and Greg Pritchard from Campaspe Shire Council’s arts and culture team, the Ripple Fest concept was dreamed up in August 2024.
Through the collaboration of 25 community members, split across co-design groups in Rochester and Echuca, the idea has emerged into a multi-day festival.
Rochy’s role in the events begins on Thursday at 7.20am with a Waking Up Creativity workshop, facilitated by Maggie Ellis.
In the 45-minute session, attendees will enjoy a walk, grounding exercises and explore drawing and sculpture together at Campaspe Park.
Keeping the movement going, at 8.30am, Christy O’Brien will guide FLOW Yoga on the River, meeting at the shire hall before heading down to the Campaspe River.
A key event in the festival’s program is the FAB GAB Creative Recovery and Regional Arts Symposium.
The symposium will run from 11am to 5pm, and will facilitate discussions about the role of creativity in recovery, as well as the role of the arts in regional Australia.
Keynote speakers include art program creation company The Cad Factory’s Dr Vic McEwan and Creative Recovery Network’s Scotia Monkivitch, discussing their experiences of regional recovery and art.
Two panel discussions will be facilitated, featuring Swan Hill Art Gallery’s Ian Tully, Shepparton Festival’s Kristen Retallick, ACT Natimuk chair and musician D’Arcy Molan, Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal’s Nina O’Brien, and Ripple Fest Rochester co-design group member Meg Sargent.
At RCH from 4.30pm to 7.30pm on Thursday, Maggie Ellis, Karen Mills and Sonya Else will host SLAP Dash HABBER Dash.
This costume and mask-making workshop is in preparation for Friday’s I Love Rochy – A Night of Spectacle! parade and Dressed to the Thirteens event.
Rochester Community House will be home to an ‘exquisite corpse’ giant collage, where each piece added to the collage fits a rule or takes inspiration from the addition before it.
RCH will be open from 2pm to 5pm on Thursday, May 22 and Friday, May 23, as well as Saturday, May 24 from 10am to noon for locals of all ages to contribute to the collage.
Also taking place across three days, textile artist Sonya Else will facilitate Mushroom Making Workshops, crafted from materials like Tyvek, wire and paint.
These are set for Thursday, May 22 and Friday, May 23 from 10am to 1.30pm and Saturday, May 24 from 11am to 12.30pm at Rochester library.
On Friday, artist Louise ‘Rockabilby’ Cooper will guide artists to design their own Rochester Silo mural from 3pm to 3.45pm at RCH; from 4.15pm to 5pm, they will create a squirrel glider street art.
Ripple Fest Rochester creative co-design group at the Rochester skate park. Photo: Supplied
Friday and Saturday will see the skate park transform.
Street art workshops, run by artists Retayner and Rochy’s own Matt McMillan, along with a legal graffiti wall, will give young people opportunities to be hands-on.
On Friday, May 23, from 1pm to 4pm, a paint-by-numbers session will be run by the duo, while on Saturday, May 24, from 10am to 2pm, live street art demonstrations are planned.
DJ Coby and Jam in the Van will soundtrack the skate park from noon to 5pm on both days.
Melbourne’s country-soul rockers Danny Walsh Banned will be keeping the tunes going on Saturday at the Cri from 8pm.
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