This year, Christmas at South Bank is Made with Love.

Sections of Brisbane’s most loved public place will be transformed into a wonderland of authentic experiences where people from all walks of life can create, indulge and celebrate. Whether it is creating memories or even handmade gifts, Made with Love: A South Bank Christmas – presented by South Bank Corporation – will engage and delight the whole community.

An inspiring series of classes will be held at the Christmas Craft Studio (Suncorp Piazza) where from 10 December, twice a day, expert artisans will educate participants of all ages on how to craft their own lovingly handmade gifts − many from up‐cycled and sustainable materials.

From Wednesday 14 December, visitors can also take time out with friends and family at the Under the Trees lawn (Little Stanley).

Soak up the ambience and luxuriate in the holiday spirit by relaxing in the beautifully styled picnic area – complete with bar and entertainment – or challenge a newfound friend to a spot of croquet or lawn games.

In the true spirit of giving, South Bank Corporation will host a private gala community picnic on 17 December, where 40 Red Cross families will be spoiled with decadent hampers and a special night under the twinkling trees.

The Under the Trees picnic lawns will be open daily from 10am to 10pm with drinks and music kicking off from 6pm each day.

Check out www.visitsouthbank.com.au for full details on the whole program and to book tickets for the Christmas Craft Studio.

The full Made with Love program runs from 10 December to 23 December 2011.

How we love our Brissy designers! Featured in our ‘Made with Love‘ special (have a read in the current issue of QH Spring 2011!), boutique greetings designer Alarna Zinn puts her little heart and soul in to her Little Jane St. collection of unique, handmade designer stationery.

With a knack for paper crafts, plus a creative eye for cute and quirky design, she creates the most adorable range of limited edition greeting cards, gift enclosures, custom invitations, signature wrap, art prints, paper decoration, ribbon, ceramic garden labels and personalised trinkets.

Putting the love back into greeting culture, giving the gift of a smile and a warm heart to the receiver, Little Jane St. is all about a revival in heartfelt moments. And little treasures that make you go ‘ohhh’.

> You can buy online, and have your parcel delivered in organic hand-stitched cotton carry-bags (cute!) … littlejanest.com.au

or

> Head out to explore Alarna’s recently opened Little Jane St. boutique at 5c Winn Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane.

Love handmade goodies? Check out our other fave designers featured in our ‘Made with Love‘ special here!

Above: Joan Miró | Silence

If you have been under a rock the last few years - you won’t know that GOMA is is Queensland’s premier visual arts institution and a leading art museum nationally. The Gallery’s driving philosophy is to connect art and people (which is acheived just beautifully) I am so proud to have this fabulous gallery part of my home city! Recently returning from visit to Paris I was pleasantly surprised to have part of the city follow me back to Brisbane! ’Surrealism: The Poetry of Dreams’ includes more than 180 paintings, sculptures, photographs and works on paper and films by 54 artists and  have travelled to GOMA directly from the Musée national d’art moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris!

The Musée national d’art moderne, housed in Paris’s iconic Centre Pompidou, is one of the world’s best museum collections of modern and contemporary art. Its Surrealism collections are the finest in Europe — and the core of this collection is now living in GoMA.! This exhibition presents more than 180 works by 56 artists, including paintings, sculptures, ‘surrealist objects’, films, photographs, drawings and collages. ‘Surrealism: The Poetry of Dreams’ is an opportunity to see important art works that rarely leave Paris, in an exhibition that will provide a fascinating and comprehensive overview of this important artistic movement. (some hightlights below!)

Above:  Jackson Pollock | The Moon-Woman cuts the circle

Above: Salvador Dalí | Hallucination partielle. Six images de Lénine sur un piano (Partial hallucination: six images of Lenin on the piano)

Above right: Dorothea Tanning | Chambre 202, Hôtel du Pavot (Room 202, Hôtel du Pavot)

Above: Victor Brauner | Loup-table (Wolf-table) 1939, 1947

Above right:  Man Ray | Oeuvres de Giacometti: Femme tenant l’objet désagréable (Works by Giacometti: Model holding a disagreeable object)

Film and photography are also represented throughout the exhibition, including films by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí, René Clair and Man Ray. Important photographic works by Hans Bellmer, Brassaï, Claude Cahun, Dora Maar, Eli Lotar and Jacques-André Boiffard also feature. The exhibition is rounded out with late works that show the breadth of Surrealism’s influence, and includes major works by Jackson Pollock, Arshile Gorky and Joseph Cornell.

‘Surrealism: The Poetry of Dreams’ will be accompanied by an innovative Children’s Art Centre program, an exciting range of public programs, including talks, discussions and performances, and a full-colour exhibition catalogue. The popular Up Late program will return on Friday nights from July, as well as an amazing film program at the Gallery’s Australian Cinémathèque.

DID YOU KNOW! GOMA also offers Surrealism High Tea? Take the visual feast that is Surrealism to a different level and indulge in a Surrealism High Tea. $35 per person, including glass of champagne and tea/coffee. Sittings: 10am & 2.30pm daily. Bookings essential, telephone (07) 3842 9916

Grab your tickets online > http://qag.qld.gov.au/exhibitions/current/surrealism_the_poetry_of_dreams/tickets_and_packages

Check out some fave behind the scene shots I came across on the GOMA Facebook page! View the entire gallery online here >  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150197778771716.301532.42483226715&l=bddfae172c

Like GoMA on Facebook too! >https://www.facebook.com/pages/Queensland-Art-GalleryGallery-of-Modern-Art/42483226715?sk=wall

Behind the scenes!

Don’t miss this exhibition. Im so excited to visit the exhibition this weekend!

Something I should know about? email me! > web@queenslandhomes.com.au
Joanne Thies - QH online

I always find it hard to think of a cool place to meet friends for a catch up in the city but The Villager Hotel has come to my rescue. Opposite the Treasury Casino in George Street this brand new gastrobar and Supper Club is an oasis amongst the dingy and drab city pubs. Cool furnishings and a quirky fit out give Brisbane a dose of inner city cool that it so desperately needs.

The Villager Hotel spans across three levels of a century-old building that formerly housed Jorge on George. It offers traditional comfort food and cocktails served till 3am (the first restaurant in the City to do so).

The downstairs gastrobar serves up breakfast (7am-10.30am), lunch (11am-3pm) and dinner (5pm-10pm), seven days a week, closing around 12am nightly when the upstairs Supper Club kicks on -  perfect for your late night cocktails and supper.

Drop by The Villager Hotel at 185 George Street or EMAIL: neil@thevillager.com.au, PHONE: 07 3211 1300 or FAX: 07 3003 1966

- Guest Blogger Melissa Reynolds, Sub Editor of QH

Exclusive to Brisbane, this exhibition is going to impress! Fashion lover or not .. I think Brisbane is pretty excited about this one.

Valentino, Retrospective: Past/Present/Future’ is a major exhibition exploring the work of the celebrated Italian fashion house Valentino, known for its sophisticated, timeless design and glamorous clientele. GoMA will be the exclusive Australian venue for this major exhibition, developed by renowned institution Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris.

The exhibition encompasses haute couture from the first collection designed in 1959 by the house’s founder, Valentino Garavani, through to work from the Autumn/Winter 2009–10 creations by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli – appointed as creative directors (more…)

Funky Fabrix www.funkyfabrix.com.au boast Australia’s largest range of contemporary retro fabric, and they post to Australia and worldwide daily. Although I interpret “contemporary retro” as a complete oxymoron, after browsing Funky Fabrix vast collection of textile goodies it is quite clear that the products they offer are impressive because of their vintage aesthetic, but have been fabricated (pun intended) by creative ideas that are ahead of their time. I’m especially loving the divine French Provincial florals by Annette Tatum’s www.annettetatum.com “House Fall” range for Free Spirit Fabrics.

Funky Fabrix also have an envious range of patterns and books available online. The range starts at bag/tote patterns, clothing patterns, quilt patterns, home dec patterns, and the end isn’t anywhere in sight. The One Red Robin www.oneredrobin.com patterns are absolutely  charming, and will bring to life soft toys and dolls that any child will love to bits. Thank you Funky Fabrix, I can now add recovering my Singer sewing machine from the chaos in my mother’s basement to my never ending to do list.

Keep an eye out on the Funky Fabrix blog: www.funkyfabrixonline.blogspot.com, or follow them on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FunkyFabrix, as some excellent competitions might just pop up! Or if you live close by in the real world visit them at: Shop 5/40 Blackwood Street, Mitchelton QLD 4051.

- QH guest blogger Michaela Tam

Experience your first look at the city’s most exciting new venue, The Laneway. Leading Queensland Architecture and Interior Design firm, Arkhefield, have contributed their designs to one of the first laneway transformations in Brisbane City as part of the ‘Vibrant Laneways and Small Spaces’ program. The Brisbane City Council initiated the program through the City Centre Master Plan to convert some of the city’s forgotten spaces to vibrant meeting, retail and dining destinations.

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View of the elevated restaurant, Centenary Pool, Brisbane. Photo: James Birrrell

Weekend walks along the Brisbane river allow you to get a sense of just how much the city is changing. Walking from Toowong to the City Botanic Gardens (aim for breakfast at the City Gardens Cafe), watch out for the Hale Street Link at Milton and the Tank St pedestrian and cycle bridge link being constructed from the city over to GoMA (Gallery of Modern Art).  Along with all the construction happening there are some great exhibitions over at the Art Gallery and the State Library. Hurry and see the American Impressionism and Realism exhibition at the Art Gallery (not GoMA). It closes on September 20. It not only showcases paintings from The Metropolitan Museum in New York but famous Australian works as well. While over at the state library next door,  Modern times: the untold story of modernism in Australia examines the Modernist movement comprehensively in Australia across a range of art forms and creative practices. (more…)

The latest range of gorgeous rugs hit the floor at the Designer Rugs showroom recently with the Brisbane launch of fashion label Easton Pearson’s rugs. The locally based design duo attended the launch of their rug collection at the Designer Rugs‘ Fortitude Valley showroom. The rugs, made from New Zealand wool, viscose and silk are scene stealers.  Their ‘Snow Drop’ design is featured in the Winter edition of Queensland Homes (out now) but you can see the whole range by visiting their new showroom at 628 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, which is now open seven days a week.

‘The China Project’ is a three-part display that considers contemporary Chinese art practice. ‘Three Decades: The Contemporary Chinese Collection’ presents around 140 extraordinary works by 40 contemporary Chinese artists from the 1980s to the present, drawing primarily from the Queensland Art Gallery Collection. 

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