Explore your endless creativity with the CDU Arts Immersion Program.
Our program offers a variety of open and student-focused professional development opportunities for the community. Discover new artistic mediums and methods, add to your portfolio, expand on your current skills and progress in creative practice.
Attend your favourite face-to-face short courses run by artists who are specialists in their field.
The ultimate setting for your artistic exploration, the Northern Territory promises enjoyment of countless exhibitions, festivals, performances, markets and more.
For further information please contact us via email at artsacademy@cdu.edu.au.
What's on
2024 Arts Immersion courses coming soon.
Past workshops and programs
Creative Practice Responding to Country
An Arts Immersion Course in Kakadu National Park.
In 2023, Charles Darwin University's Academy of the Arts is pleased to offer a personalised field trip for a small group of creative practitioners, writers, educators and art students and appreciators to experience Australia's world-heritage landscape, Kakadu National Park, in the Northern Territory.
Participants will have the opportunity to develop their creative practice (from any discipline/media) with a team of practising artist-teachers as guides and mentors and with opportunities to collaborate across disciplines with each other.
Who: This learning experience is open to General Public Participants and University Students.
For those participants enrolled in a higher education degree and who wish to gain credit, this course is available for enrolment through CDU's Academy of the Arts. The unit code is IAS403 Independent Study (10 credits).
Workshop Details:
Format: On-Country Immersion Course
Previous cost: General Public: $3,300.00 (GST inc.)
University Students: Cost: $550.00
Intensive fee for CDU/other University students who must also enrol in the unit and pay the unit tuition fee to register.
Remix RISO Workshops
These workshops were in collaboration with Darwin Festival 2023.
Participate in full or half-day RISO for beginners’ workshops and create posters on the NT’s only Risograph printers. Posters will be pasted up at Festival Lawn as part of the Remix installation, a polyphonic paste-up of the fluorescent Risograph posters produced in the workshops
Risograph Printmaking for Beginners – full-day
Join Matthew van Roden, SPLIT/SHIFT PRESS cofounder, for an introduction to Risographic printmaking. Learn the basic principles of designing with this unique Japanese Risograph duplicator. At the end of the day, you will have a small collection of posters that reflect the layered CMY-Kinda print process.
Collaborative Risograph Poster Workshop – half-day
Join Matthew van Roden, SPLIT/SHIFT PRESS cofounder, for a fast-paced, collaborative poster-making workshop.
Workshop Details:
Format: In-person half-day & full-day workshops at CDU Casuarina Campus.
Previous workshop cost: half-day - $60, full-day - $120
Adobe Character Animator Short Course
Adobe Character Animator is a new method of animation that is performative; you can animate characters by moving and talking in front of the computer's camera and microphone. In this course, you will learn how to use this performance capture animation software and integrate it into other Adobe tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Premier and After Effects. Traditional animation and storytelling principles will be integrated into learning outcomes throughout the course.
Course tutor: Michael Roseth Michael has a background in visual arts and has worked in media production, specialising in producing education and information resources for social and community messages. He is an experienced educator across schools, tertiary and community sectors. His art and media work can be seen on these websites: michaelroseth.net and educationalanimations.com.au
Workshop Details:
Format: In-person workshop held on Saturdays in June at CDU Casuarina Campus.
Previous cost: $300 Participants 18yrs+ (5 places)
Weaving Wellness with Aly de Groot
Join Fibre Artist and CDU Alumna Dr Aly de Groot to weave a basket using recycled materials as well as locally harvested plant fibres. The rhythm and repetition in basket weaving are known to calm the mind and release stress from the body. Slow crafts such as basket making give us a well-needed break from the digital world, allowing us to connect and create. You are welcome to attend both sessions and make more baskets, work on a larger project, or extend your knowledge further.
Workshop Details:
What to Bring: All materials will be supplied.
Format: In-person workshop held at Lakeside Community Garden.
Previous cost: General Workshop Participants: $50.
Free for CDU students – Kindly funded by CDU Student Services Amenities Fees (Max 10 students)
Screen printing with Jocelyn Tribe
CDU HART LAB Creative-in-Residence Jocelyn Tribe will facilitate a 3-4 day journey into the versatile world of screen-printing designs on textiles. Bring your own project ideas or start from scratch. CDU screen-printing facilities include an eight-metre textile printing table and four colour T-shirt carousel (Optional 4th day).
Workshop Details:
What to Bring: All materials will be supplied.
Format: In-person workshop held at CDU Casuarina campus.
Previous cost: Workshop participants - 3-day $450 or 4-day $500
Printmaking with Jocelyn Tribe
Creatively experiment and innovate with various printmaking techniques and design concepts to develop professional practice and an individual style.
Workshop Details:
What to Bring: All materials will be supplied.
Format: In-person workshop held at CDU Casuarina campus.
Previous cost: Workshop participants - 3-day $450
Woodcut printing with Jacqueline Gribbin
A 3-day weekend introductory class to woodblock printing. Participants will be introduced to traditional tools and techniques for carving woodblocks using Japanese shina and paper.
Workshop Details:
What to Bring: All materials will be supplied.
Format: In-person workshop held at CDU Casuarina campus.
Previous cost: Workshop participants - 3-day $450
Evening drawing course hosted by Sarah Pirrie with guest artists
Come together on Monday evenings for six weeks to explore technical and communicative principles of drawing. Great for portfolio building, fun and engaging this course will be facilitated by Lecturer in Visual Arts Sarah Pirrie who will invite specialists in this field to host sessions. Don’t miss these unique drawing master classes.
Workshop Details:
What to Bring: All materials will be supplied.
Format: In-person workshop held at CDU Casuarina campus.
Previous cost: Workshop participants - 6 sessions $300
Art and Natural Well-being Workshops with Anne-Marie Cullinan
Experienced art teacher and yoga instructor Anne-Marie Cullinan will facilitate 3 workshops that explore the benefits of combining Art with mindfulness and Yoga.
Suitable for all levels of ability, participants can choose to complete all three connected workshops to receive a unique CDU digital badge or complete workshops individually.
What to Bring
Yoga mat or thick towel, a small cushion, and if you have one, an eye pillow, extra clothing (room can become cool) and a water bottle. All art materials are supplied. Please arrive by 9 am for a 9.15 start.
Workshop Details:
What to Bring: All materials will be supplied.
Format: In-person workshop held at CDU Casuarina campus.
Previous cost: Free – Kindly funded by CDU Student Services Amenities Fees.
Suitable for all levels of ability, participants will receive a unique CDU digital badge on completion of both days.
Introduction to Wheel Throwing with Emma Franklin
This course teaches you to wedge clay and centre it on the wheel. Open out, pull up walls, shape and trim your vessel. Attach a handle. Experiment with surface decoration. Learn about styles of ceramics and key artists. Learn health and safety requirements for working in the ceramics studio.
This course is suitable for beginners with no experience in clay as well as those with some experience who would like to develop their skills further. The course covers CUAPPR211 Make Simple Creative Work/CUACER201 Develop Ceramic Skills, which are accredited units from CUA20720 Certificate II in Visual Arts.
Workshop Details:
What you need to bring: Clay, a basic set of pottery tools (available from Mad Harrys, Jacksons or online), an apron, plastic garbage bags and covered shoes
We provide: Pottery wheels, glaze materials and kiln-firing.
Format: 4-week intensive, In-person workshop held at CDU Alice Springs campus.
Previous cost: Workshop participants - 6 sessions $300
Botanical Art Workshops with Anastasia Maximova
Suitable for all levels of ability, participants will receive a unique CDU digital badge on completion of both days.
Botanical artist and tutor Anastasia Maximova will facilitate a two-day workshop that combines observation, drawing and watercolour painting skills to connect with the native flora of the Northern Territory. This unique opportunity is designed to extend knowledge and understanding of local flora while equipping students with the skills to pursue their creative pathways.
Workshop Details:
What to Bring: All materials will be supplied.
Format: CDU students only. In-person workshop held at CDU Casuarina campus
Previous cost: General Workshop participants: $50, CDU Students: Free with proof of Student ID (max 15 participants)
Drawing with the Natural World – Debbie Walter
In a relaxed environment, enhance your drawing skills and discover some of the tricks of the trade from an experienced artist and teacher. Using nature as inspiration for subject matter, grow your confidence beyond a reliance on outlines, and add depth to your designs. The workshop will cover negative space, highlights and shadows, and the illusion of depth. Suitable for all levels of ability from beginner to intermediate.
Workshop Details:
What to Bring: All materials will be supplied. We kindly ask that you arrive by 1.45 pm for a 2 pm start.
Format: CDU students only. In-person workshop held at CDU Casuarina campus
Previous cost: General Workshop Participants: $50, CDU students: Kindly funded by CDU Student Services Amenities Fees. Please provide proof of Student ID (max 20 participants)
Ecological Watercolour Workshop with Louise Foletta and Dr Ian Hance
This Plein Air Workshop with Louise Foletta at Lakeside Drive Community Garden will help you interpret the landscape using watercolour. We will look closely at the ecology, recording items such as feathers and butterflies. Using a variety of techniques to mix and record local colours, you will be guided through multiple ways of applying watercolour and discover those most suitable for any project.
Louise Foletta is an award-winning artist. Her paintings concerning the environment have been included in major Australian and International exhibitions. Louise also teaches and is sought-after as a speaker and judge in major Melbourne exhibitions.
Dr Ian Hance is a locally celebrated mixed-media artist. Ian shares his extensive knowledge and skills in drawing and watercolour combined with an acute environmental awareness and knowledge of the local flora and flora ecologies.
Workshop Details:
What to Bring: All materials will be supplied.
Format: In-person workshop held at Lakeside Drive Community Garde
Previous cost: General Workshop Participants: $50 per workshop, CDU students: Free with proof of Student ID (max 15 participants)
Interested in studying further?
