Imprint Symposium Program

‘The Art of Storytelling’

Symposium Program

Symposium Tickets & Pricing Sunday 4th of May Full Symposium | $75 (includes catered lunch) bookings essential Concert Only | $40 Adult $35 Concession/VAS Member ‘imprint’ Supporter Package | $195 Adult Ticket to imprint symposium & Portraits in Song Concert Descript by Jennifer Fyfe Hardcover Book Prologue & Epilogue Events An Evening with Kate Ceberano (reserved seat with rsvp required) Entry to ‘Eggs Libris’ trivia for Lucy Fekete’s Official Book Launch Chance to win a Jennifer Fyfe original And much more!

IMPRINT symposium

9.45-10.15

Registration & coffee

10.15am

Welcome & Acknowledgement of Country Keynote: Charli English Artist and CEO of Oaktree Turning Trash into Treasure: how to be a sustainable artist Richard Roberts Set designer Stage Design as Storytelling

11.30am

Break: Coffee and viewing of Descript with artist Jennifer Fyfe

12.00pm

Marnie Rose-Smith Braille Librarian, Vision Australia Storytelling Through Touch: Braille and Tactile Art Tanya Duckworth Artist, Activist & Neuroscientist The Neuroscience of Creativity & Storytelling: how our brains shape the stories we tell’

1pm

Lunch

2pm

Prof Dan Golding Music & the Moving Image Megan Jane Johnstone AO Nursing scholar, contemporary art practitioner The Anaesthetics of Aesthetics: the role of art in managing chronic pain

3.15pm

3.30pm

Sammi Edeny Tattoo artist Stories on the Skin Discussion, questions for any presenters

4pm

Marketa Kemp: "Love You George" in the Cato Gallery

4.30pm

Break

5pm

Ensemble Creatus Led by Toni Lalich OAM and Liane Keegan Recital presentation: Portraits in Song

3

Charli English CEO of Oaktree & Artist Keynote speaker Passionate about advancing youth education and environmental sustainability, Charli is an artist and the CEO of Oaktree. This passion is the foundation of her artistic practice—giving new life to materials that would otherwise be discarded and minimising environmental waste.

‘The Art of Storytelling’ Symposium Keynote’ - Charli English will share her transformative journey from inheriting her great uncle's oil paints to pioneering sustainable art practices.

In this presentation, Charli explores the hidden environmental impact of traditional art-making—from excessive plastic packaging to toxic materials—while demonstrating practical alternatives that reduce our ecological footprint without compromising artistic vision.

Perfect for artists, environmentalists, and anyone interested in how creativity can drive positive change, this talk will challenge how we think about consumerism, waste, and the powerful role artists can play in preserving our natural world.

Richard Roberts Set Designer ‘Stage Design as Storytelling’ Richard is an award-winning freelance theatre designer and design teacher, based in Melbourne, Australia. His design experience has included designs for drama, dance, film, television and opera.

‘Stage Design as Storytelling’ - Richard Roberts, an accomplished freelance theatre designer and educator, explores the transformative role of stage design in narrative creation.

With extensive experience across drama, dance, film, television, and opera, Roberts will discuss how design elements—sets, costumes, lighting—serve not just as backdrops, but as integral parts of storytelling that enhance emotional resonance and deepen audience engagement.

Drawing on his vast experience with major Australian and international performing arts companies, Roberts will illustrate how effective stage design reflects and amplifies the themes and emotions of a performance.

Marnie Rose-Smith Braille Librarian, Vision Australia ‘Storytelling Through Touch: Braille and Tactile Art’

Marnie is the Senior Librarian at Vision Australia Information Library Service. The library supports people living with print disabilities to access information and recreational reading in print alternative formats, such as DAISY audio and Braille.

‘Storytelling Through Touch: Braille and Tactile Art’ Marnie Rose-Smith explores the ways people living with blindness or low vision can learn about art and experience art firsthand.

She will delve into the braille format and learning to read it alongside a display of some different kinds of braille and tactile books.

Tanya Duckworth Neuroscientist, Artist, Activist The Neuroscience of Creativity & Storytelling: how our brains shape the stories we tell’ Tanya Duckworth is a neuroscientist and artist whose work focuses on the science behind creativity. With a background in Psychology and Neuroscience, her research has explored the mechanisms behind creative thought processes, as well as managing research projects at the intersections of space and neurophysiology.

‘The Neuroscience of Creativity & Storytelling’ - Tanya Duckworth explores the cognitive processes behind storytelling and creativity. By examining how the brain forms narratives to connect information and spark new ideas, the talk illuminates the neuroscience that makes storytelling a powerful tool for learning and empathy.

Duckworth discusses how storytelling engages emotional and cognitive responses and provides practical strategies to enhance creativity. Drawing from insights in neuroscience, she explores how we can tell more compelling stories while promoting brain health through improved creative and divergent thinking.

Prof Dan Golding Professor, Composer ‘Music and the Moving Image’ Professor Dan Golding is Chair of Media and Communication at Swinburne University, the host of Screen Sounds on ABC Classic, and an awardwinning composer and writer. Dan co-hosts the popular film music podcast Art of the Score, and in 2018, Dan presented What Is Music for ABC iView and Triple J with Linda Marigliano.

‘Music and the Moving Image’ - In this presentation, Dan Golding will talk about the power of music and vision combined, and give an insight into his own practice of composing for media.

From the very beginning, the moving image had music.

Even the earliest films shown in Australia were often accompanied by musicians, a practice that not only continues to this day but that tapped into older traditions of combining visual art and sound together.

Megan-Jane Johnstone AO Nursing Scholar, Artist ‘The Anaesthetics of Aesthetics: the role of art in managing chronic pain’

Megan-Jane Johnstone AO is a Melbourne-based abstract artist, author and ethicist. A retired professor of nursing, she has had an enduring interest in the relationship between art, health and well-being and the role art can play in helping people live with illness and injury.

‘The Anaesthetics of Aesthetics’ - Megan-Jane Johnstone explores the potential of active, engaged art to alleviate chronic pain. Despite chronic pain affecting approximately 20% of people, and remaining challenging to treat, emerging evidence suggests that art can play a significant role in pain management.

Through processes like distraction analgesia and the positive emotional impact of beauty, art offers a unique form of relief. Drawing on the experiences of renowned artists like Frida Kahlo, Michelangelo, and Renoir, this presentation will highlight how art can serve as an adjunct to traditional pain treatments, providing both distraction and aesthetic comfort.

Sammi Edney Tattoo Artist, Artist ‘Stories on the Skin’ Sammi Edney is a tattoo artist using electric machines and an Acrylic/oil painter exploring romantic, imaginative realism. She capture moments of beauty in simple interactions using the figure, subtlety of expression and body language, poetic linework and a warm, rich palette across both disciplines. Sammi’s works are atmospheric and dynamic with an inquisitive and evocative nature.

‘Stories on the Skin’ - Sammi Edney explores the personal and cultural significance of tattoos as an evolving narrative, rooted in tradition yet shaped by individual experiences. This presentation will cover the historical role of tattoos, how the act of getting tattooed becomes a profound part of the client's story, and how it transcends the physical to forge deeper connections.

Sammi will discuss cover-up tattoos as a blend of old and new stories, and examine the perceived limits people place on themselves, ultimately illustrating how tattoos serve as a medium for personal transformation and storytelling across generations.

Ensemble Creatus Concert with Liane Keegan & Toni Lalich OAM ‘Portraits in Song’ | from 5pm Ensemble Creatus join the Imprint program to present Portraits in Song, a captivating recital exploring the intersection of poetry and music. The theme of the portrait takes center stage, reflecting how the same face can be portrayed in vastly different ways by multiple artists—much like how the same poem can inspire a variety of musical interpretations. his program features Australian dramatic contralto Liane Keegan and pianist Toni Lalich.

IMPRINT Exhibitions

Jennifer Fyfe: descript Upper Galleries April 16 - May 12

Erica Wagner: The Colt from Old Regret Cato Gallery | April 16 - 27

Lucy Fekete: Unconventional Beauty Cato Annex | April 16 - 27

Charli English Mackley Room April 30 - May 11

Marketa Kemp: Love you, George Cato Gallery April 30 - May 11

Melbourne Polytechnic Illustration Student Artists Mackley Room | April 16 - 27

MON

TUE April 15

WED April 16

THU April 17

12pm: Prologue 6.30pm: Eggs Libris trivia

April 21 10am: Live portrait painting in the gallery

April 28

April 22 Lucy Fekete workshop: Illustrating Children’s books

April 29 1pm conversation: Prof Peter Tregear OAM & Dr Julie Cotter with Anne Scott Pendlebury

May 5 10am: Live portrait painting with VAS Hansen Little Coterie

May 6

April 23 Jennifer Fyfe workshop: Finding a Likeness in Negative Space

April 30

Book binding workshop with Zetta Florence

Upper Gallery feature events

SAT

SUN

April 18

April 19

April 20

Closed for Good Friday

April 24

April 25

Erica Wagner workshop: Poetic Collage

Jennifer Fyfe workshop: Finding a Likeness in Negative Space

May 1

Jennifer Fyfe Masterclass: Messing Around in Portraits

May 7

FRI

May2 An evening with Kate Ceberano

April 26 Marketa Kemp workshop (day 1/2): Monotype: Landscape Reimagined

Lower Gallery events & studio

May 9

Book launch The Colt from Old Regret

May 3

May 4 Imprint Symposium -----------Portraits in Song

in conversation with Desiree Crossing

May 8 Artist demo: Marketa Kemp

April 27 Marketa Kemp workshop (day 2/2) ----------------

May 10

4pm Epilogue:

Portrait & poetry, and Sunday Stone

Unreserved free access events

VAS Gallery | 430 Albert East Melbourne

May 11

feature exhibition by Jennifer Fyfe Supported by the City of Melbourne, Jennifer Fyfe presents a body of work created over five years.

These artworks are a combination of vintage texts, oil paintings and community stories told in oil paint, ink, and braille.

Displayed with accessibility in mind, the artworks are complemented by two installations designed to inspire visitor interaction and discussion.

The Victorian Artists Society Free Public Hours 10am - 4pm Weekdays 11am - 4pm Weekends & Holidays 430 Albert Street East Melbourne (03) 9662 1484 vasgallery.org.au