Recently, a group of women from Bonnie’s Creative Space connected over inspiring art and fine dining. They visited the 2017 Archibald prize exhibition at the Casula Powerhouse and ignited their taste buds at the Bellbird Dining and Bar for a special celebratory lunch.

Bonnie’s Creative Space runs each school term for 8 weeks, with a break during school holidays. The women expressed that they really missed meeting with the other women during these breaks. I and the other facilitator thought it would be nice to treat the women to something special, to bridge this gap; we decided to arrange an outing, something that would be both creative and nurturing for the women. The venue was important as the intent was for the women to feel relaxed, removed from the worries and pressures of everyday life.

Six women attended, meeting at Casula Powerhouse, an easy place for most and close to public transport. The women strolled around the gallery, pointing to artwork that caught their eyes and feeling inspired by what they saw. They connected in a different way, sharing more of themselves and feeling relaxed in such an inspiring environment. It was a chance to get to know each other in a different context and it worked!

It was a lovely experience to view the art exhibition as a group; we all had favourites and we found Anh Do’s portrait of Jack Charles not only powerful but also intriguing, as up close, there appeared to be interesting objects embedded in the paint.

After feeding our creativity it was time to feed our bodies. We had a sumptuous lunch at the Bellbird Dining and bar, located in the Powerhouse. No one had been to the restaurant before and it was a real treat: most of the women do not indulge themselves very easily. Some of the women are fabulous cooks and they were impressed with the food. The conversation turned to creativity, some of the women had ideas for the next term as they had been researching during the break. Ideas flowed around the table.

It was a lovely sunny day, perfect for a wander around the vegetable garden after lunch. There are some very keen gardeners in the group who happily shared their knowledge of the plants and herbs that we smelt, felt and saw.

Near the end of our time together, the women decided that meeting between School terms was not only enjoyable but also necessary. It was such a nurturing outing and so different from the everyday norm. The women talked about returning with their families and took home flyers and information about upcoming events.

We left feeling re-inspired and excited about the upcoming term and especially, thrilled about sharing more of these sorts of outings together.

Alison D loves spending time with her daughters, grandson and granddaughter. Her life consists of frequenting coffee shops (all shops to that matter) and listening to inspiring podcasts. She loves yoga, astrology, numerology, tarot and creating anything that makes a home look good. She also loves researching real estate (slight obsession), dancing and music and most importantly, laughing at her own jokes!

Photos by Alison D