Eight things to do around Canberra this weekend (6–8 September)

Although spring officially started last weekend, celebrate the arrival of the new season this Saturday at BentSpoke’s Start of Spring carnival at its Mitchell cannery or at the annual Gunning Fireworks Festival at the Gunning Showgrounds.
A couple of new exhibitions open this weekend. The Museum of Australian Democracy is hosting a touring exhibition about craftivism—the combination of craft and politics—and the National Gallery has put together an exhibition of its post-war prints from its Kenneth Tyler Collection, the largest collection of post-war American art outside the US. Both of these exhibitions will run until early 2020.
And on Sunday the Old Depot Markets is hosting its second Makers-con complete with a Cosplay competition in the morning and there will be a parade of classic cars winding their way down from Black Mountain to Lake Burley Griffin to raise money for Camp Quality.

All weekend

Craftivism. Dissident Objects and Subversive Forms

Where: Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House
When: Friday, Saturday & Sunday 9 am–5 pm
A new exhibition is opening at the Museum of Australian Democracy this weekend which features the work of 17 contemporary Australian artists who use craft to explore ideas and issues. Craftivism. Dissident Objects and Subversive Forms has been curated by Shepparton Art Museum and is currently touring nationally. It will be at Old Parliament House until February 2020. The exhibition broadens our understanding of traditional crafts by challenging us to see craft in a new light. Some of the works respond directly to an artistic or political movement while others encourage social connection or participation through collective craft-making to create a work. Entry to the exhibition is free.

Handmade Market

Where: Budawang and Coorong Pavilions, Exhibition Park
When: Saturday & Sunday 10 am–4 pm
The Handmade Markets are on again this weekend with stalls selling wares from 260 local and interstate designers and producers. There will be stalls selling art, books, fashion, kids’ stuff, Canberra-themed produce, furniture, homewares, food, stuff for the garden and more. All set in a relaxed environment with plenty of food and good coffee to sustain you and live music to enjoy.

Lichtenstein to Warhol: The Kenneth Tyler Collection

Where: National Gallery of Australia
When: Saturday & Sunday 10 am–5 pm
In 1973 the National Gallery of Australia acquired the Kenneth Tyler Print Collection which is the most comprehensive collection of post-war American art outside the United States. Kenneth Tyler is a master printer, publisher and arts educator. He came to prominence during the 1960s and 70s when he established publishing houses and ran printing workshops on both the west and east coasts of America. Tyler’s technical printing expertise and ‘no rules’ mantra drew many artists to his workshops, and the Gallery’s collection includes over 7400 works created by 77 artists during these workshops. The collection includes editioned prints, proofs, drawings, paper works, screens, multiples and illustrated books as well as a large collection of photographs, films and sound recordings. The Gallery has put together an exhibition of exceptional works from this collection and it will be on display until March 2020. It features works by artists Josef and Anni Albers, Andy Warhol, Helen Frankenthaler, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Joan Mitchell, Robert Motherwell, Robert Rauschenberg, Donald Sultan, Frank Stella, Claes Oldenburg, Nancy Graves and David Hockney.

Friday

Black Robe

Where: National Film and Sound Archive
When: 2 pm
Black Robe (1991) is a Bruce Beresford film based on a novel by Brian Moore. Set in 1634, the film follows the epic journey of Father LaForgue, a Jesuit priest called upon to search for a remote Canadian mission surrounded by Huron settlements. The film stars Lothaire Bluteau as Father LaForgue and Aden Young and is an Australian-Canadian co-production. It is the lastest film to be restored by the NFSA as part of the NFSA Restores program and will be screened this Friday afternoon followed by a Q&A session with Bruce Beresford and the film’s producer Sue Milliken. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for concession, book here.

Saturday

Start of Spring Carnival

Where: BentSpoke Cannery, Mitchell
When: 11 am–8 pm
Local brewing company, BentSpoke is celebrating the start of spring this Saturday with a family-friendly, free event at its cannery in Mitchell. BentSpoke is partnering with local arts organisations PhotoAccess and M16 Artspace to host a fun interactive day which will be raising funds for the Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary. The carnival will have a threatened species theme and there will be kids activities, live music provided by Electric Tommy Johnston, Canberra Brass Inc. and The Fedoras, brewery tours, delicious food and of course, a 12-tap bar.

Gunning Fireworks Festival

Where: Gunning Showgrounds
When: From 6 pm
The Gunning Fireworks Festival has been an annual event for over 10 years. The festival features an hour-long firework display where fireworks are ignited one by one to demonstrate their effects, followed by a finale to rival Sydney’s NYE display. There will also be market and food stalls, live music, face painting, airbrush tattoos and amusement rides. Entry to the festival is $10 for adults, $5 for kids and $25 for families. Wrap up warm and bring a blanket—September can be cold.

Sunday

Makers-Con

Where: Old Bus Depot Markets
When: 10 am–4 pm
After a successful debut last year, Makers-Con returns to the Old Bus Depot Markets this Sunday. There will be stalls specialising in costume design, steampunk, leather, corsets, millinery, medieval recreation and comic books. For entertainment there will be a cosplay competition, live-action role-play, performances by the AFK (Away From Keyboard) Choir—a geek-themed choir who sing acapella, and a bat’leth duel! The Cosplay competition will be held from 10 am and includes a competition for under 16s.

Camp Quality Classic Cruise

Where: Black Mountain to Lake Burley Griffin
When: From 9 am
Raising money for Camp Quality, this Classic Cruise features vehicles 20 years or older, luxury exotic cars, company-branded cars, members of car clubs, unique vehicles and motorbikes. The cruise starts at Black Mountain Tower at 10 am and makes its way through Canberra to Lake Burley Griffin (behind Questacon) where there will be food vans and kids activities to enjoy while admiring the cars.

Original Article published by Zoe Pleasants on The RiotACT.