Rebus Theatre and Project Alchemy present:
Breathing Space: Artist Residency
From 26 September to 14 October, Project Alchemy artist Michele Grimston will be in residence at The Hive in Taylor. Michele will be spending her time exploring the powerful role of creative practice in rest and recovery through a series of workshops and events. See below for various workshops and session times
The Hive at Margaret Hendry School, 100 Sutherland Crescent, Taylor ACT
As well as working on her own creative practice, Michele will present multiple opportunities for the public to join her and create. You’ll be able to chat to the artist at an open studio, carve out some time to connect with your own creative practice through communal making sessions, and transform preloved textiles into treasured memories through guided workshops. The whole community is welcome at these events – you don’t have to consider yourself an artist or craftsperson to take part!
Dreamspace (VI)
Dream Space (VI) creates an environment to connect with your personal creative process or craft in the company of others.
Session times
Wednesday September 27, 10am-3pm
Thursday September 28, 3pm-8pm
Saturday September 30, 2023 10am-5pm
Wednesday October 4, 10am-3pm
Thursday October 5, 3pm-8pm
Saturday October 14, 10am-5pm
Join artist Michele Grimston in this open space for creativity, reflection, and restoration. Dream Space is an opportunity to work gently and creatively alongside others – carving out some space in your day to distance yourself from distractions and the infinite stimulation of our busy world and engage deeply in the creative process for a period of time.
You’re invited to use this time sitting with others to support your connection to your own creative energy in the space through whatever processes and mediums work best for you. All levels of experience are warmly welcomed – you don’t need to consider yourself an artist or craftsperson to participate – in fact you don’t have to have any artistic experience at all.
Emotional Repair Café
Emotional Repair Café is a full day creative experience that invites you to take some time and space out of the chaos of daily life.
Session times
Saturday 15 October, 10am-5pm
You will have the opportunity to rest and physically process your some of your feelings through engaging in gentle textile practices that connect you to your body and your emotional experience.
Bring along a piece of textile that is meaningful to you but no longer functional – a threadbare sheet, an old shirt, a favourite dress that is much loved but no longer fits. Throughout the day, you will be taken through a process of deconstructing this object and transforming it into a small vessel using twining and stitching techniques.
This shared experience of the simple process of creation and transformation creates a meditative space to just be, and to sit with what comes up. The simple processes and the personal meaningfulness of the materials helps to facilitate this. The physical process of deconstruction and creation helps to create a container to be present with yourself and others in the space.
There is no financial cost to participate in this experience, however places are limited, and because of this, participants are asked to complete a short expression of interest process to affirm their commitment to participating. Visit for
Breathing Space – Open Studio
The open studio is a chance to chat to the artist, find out what she’s been up to and view some of the residency works. All are welcome to attend.
Session times
Thursday 12 October, 3-5pm
About the Artist
Michele is a Canberra based artist who works predominantly with textile-based practices, including embroidery, tapestry and sewing, but often incorporate other media. These works are by their nature small, painstaking and slow. For her the process of creating these works is meditative and restorative. She is influenced by multiple traditions of textiles as a medium of care and connection, and this framework deeply influences her wider practice as a community arts and cultural development practitioner.
Michele holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours) from the Australian National University majoring in textiles. In 2015 she completed a Masters in Community Cultural Development with the Victorian College of the Arts. She has exhibited in solo and group shows in Canberra, Melbourne and Western Australia. In 2019, s was an Artist-In-Residence at Vancouver Arts Centre in Albany, WA, and had work acquired for the collection of Geoscience Australia. In 2020, she was a participant in the Cahoots Artist Development Program presented by You Are Here has presented several new community engaged works through You Are Here’s Cahoot’s Lab and Good Company programs between 2020 and 2023. In 2023, she was selected for Rebus Theatre’s Project Alchemy, a CACD program engaging artists to support their communities to help repair, reconnect and celebrate their community.
Project Alchemy is made possible by the Australian Government through the Black Summer Bushfire Grants program. Rebus is also supported by the ACT Government and Ainslie & Gorman Arts Centres.
Breathing Space is proudly supported by Mingle, the Suburban Land Agency’s community development program
Dreamspace (VI) and Emotional Repair Cafe were both developed with the support of You Are Here Canberra, through the Cahoots Lab and Good Company Programs.
