The Artwork Circle Project delivered a series of weekly art workshops for a focused support group for young women (aged 12-25) from August to December 2021. These workshops were facilitated by artist Nancy Brown, and co-facilitated by two Zig Zag Sexual Assault Counsellors.
The project invited young women accessing Zig Zag who have experienced sexual violence to actively participate in creative expression through an array of artistic mediums including printing, badge making, clay, jewellery making, painting, book-making, and plaster casts.
Through consultation with young women, an online exhibition was decided, due to Covid19 restrictions, to display the collection of their chosen works created over the span of the workshops. This provided young women the opportunity to share their creations with the broader community if they wished, through public exhibition.
“The collection reflects young women’s personal journeys and experiences as well as providing individual key messages and attitudes regarding personal growth, change, nature, and healing.”
The workshops provided young women with an opportunity to express themselves beyond talk therapies as well as offering informal peer support, both of which young women reported as valuable. Young women created with their hands, shared stories, laughed, and sung. They also wore the earrings, necklaces and bracelets that they had made to following workshops, carried tote bags they had printed on, made gifts from family and friends, and shared works to be photographed to create a beautiful body of work that is captured on this site.
Young women provided positive feedback and reported feeling safe, comfortable, and relaxed; learning a range of new creative skills and techniques; connecting positively with new people; and in some instances making friends with whom they then connected with outside of the art workshops.
This project was
proudly funded by
Brisbane Lord Mayor’s
Charitable Trust.
The art workshop was actually life changing for me. It allowed me to reconnect in socialising with others in a safe and friendly space and express myself through so many different art forms, judgement free.
I felt supported by both Zig Zag workers and other women knowing we are all survivors in the same boat. I made incredible friends and it helped guide me into reconnecting with the outside world. It was the highlight of my year!
– Zoe
I had an incredible time at the art workshops held by Zig Zag in conjunction with the wonderful artist Nancy! It was so nice to connect with so many amazing women, one of whom now is my best friend. On top of that, I got to channel so many of my feelings and emotions into different forms of art, including learning new types and getting back to Impressionist painting that I used to do at a younger age.
It was such a supportive group, with Deb and Jacqui being wonderful and going above and beyond to make us all feel comfortable and truly caring in every way! I would highly recommend and would like to thank the entire Zig Zag team for organising and facilitating these workshops because I can assure you – it has been one of the highlights of my life and I’m so thankful I got to be a part of it.
– Soumya
The Art Projects
Artist Books
We began with gel plate printing, marbling and stamping, then learned some Japanese binding to assemble our pages into books.
Badge Making
Some message badges were made during a session at Hands On Art Brisbane.
Ceramics
Ceramic pinch pots made by the young women. We applied decals to pots and the pots were glazed and fired.
Mixed Media Printmaking
Gel plate printmaking using stencils and stamps, watercolour. Printmaking layers of textures and plants.
Jewellery
We learned jewellers knots for adjustable pendants, how to crimp ends and spring load jump rings.
Screenprinting
We screenprinted tote bags, combining images with words.
Sculptural Impressions
Impressions made from found objects using Plaster of Paris as the medium.
