Get Creative in Shellharbour this Summer 

It’s time to get your creative juices flowing this summer, with Shellharbour City Council offering many opportunities throughout the region to ignite your art spark.   

Shellharbour has always been a strong hub for innovation and artistic talent, and 2025 will be no different with an array of creative workshops being run out of The Imaginarium by the Shellharbour Art Society in Shellharbour Village throughout January.  

Caption: Whether it’s painting, dot art, meditation, or visualisation, there is so much on offer for art in the region in January. Image courtesy of Shellharbour City Council.  

There will be a huge variety of workshops on offer to suit anyone’s artistic talents. Events include, but are not limited to watercolour painting, fabric painting, dot art, fingerpainting, as well as visualisation and meditative art, totalling to 16 workshops between 2-22 January.  

Council will also be holding a number of other art workshops for both adults and kids alike at the Shellharbour City Library and the Civic Centre. 

Get involved and creative via a number of free and low-cost events at the Shellharbour City, Warilla, and Oak Flats Libraries including Button Art & Craft, Perfect Pompoms, Rainbow Wooden Birds, Connecting the Dots, Rainbow Wall Hanging, and Friendship Bracelets. Check out all the dates, times, venues, and costs at the Shellharbour City Libraries website.  
 
Meanwhile the Civic Centre will be hosting their Dr. Seuss-themed Create & Play workshop, a free event held on 8 January 2025.  

Council Arts and Cultural Development Officer Sarah Townend said there were a number of great local art initiatives in the Shellharbour region and that the community should get out and check them out. 

“Local artists are so important to our community and the Shellharbour community should get out and support their wonderful skills they bring to our community,” Townend said. 

“There are a number of events and workshops being held around the city in January, so get out to as many as you can.”   

Lake Illawarra Art Trail  

If the above events are not enough to tickle your fancy, the Lake Illawarra Art Trail is the perfect location to observe some of Shellharbour artists’ best work such as ‘Burri Burri’ by local a Yuin Educator Jodi Edwards.  

Walk or cycle the trail at Reddall Reserve to explore a range of sculptures including ‘Long Distance’, ‘Synergy’, or ‘Fauna of the Lake’. The artworks were created by local artists in collaboration with the community in response to the lake, its history and its people. You can check out the full list of works at Reddall Reserve on Council’s website. 

An easy way to find some art near you is by checking out our Public Art Map. Use the map to discover and explore public art collection within Shellharbour. Plan your own public art tour, or find out what artworks exist near you.