One City, Many Cultures: Making workshops

Next date: Tuesday, 14 April 2026 | 02:00 PM to 04:00 PM

A hand held palm up with yellow, blue, red, green and orange paint on each finger. In the background, is a circle with stick inger people around it.

Moreton Bay is proudly home to a rich tapestry of cultures and languages. One in five residents are born overseas, and more than a third have a parent born abroad.

At these workshops, participants will get hands‑on with creative activities inspired by traditions from around the world. Participants will connect with cultural diversity through making and artistic expression.

Designed for adults, the workshops are led by professional artists who draw on their own cultural heritage in their practice.

Join us to learn, create, and share in a welcoming environment embracing inclusivity and artistry across cultures.

Explore the workshops

Roots and colours with Magdalena Marciniak

Many painted images of leaves and flowers

This hands-on workshop invites you to create mono prints using native plants and culturally inspired colours.

The workshop starts with an introduction to the materials and techniques. You’ll then choose your organic materials and immerse yourself in playful experimentation.

Together, we’ll explore personal stories of place, belonging, and identity.

This workshop is your chance to explore nature, texture and colour in a calm and supportive space.

You’ll get to slow down, connect with nature, and experience the joy of creative expression.

What's included

Guided mono printmaking
Native plant materials
All printmaking supplies
Finished artworks and test prints to take home

What you'll learn

How to create mono prints
How to work intuitively with natural materials
How colour can express personal and cultural identity
How creative play can support wellbeing and connection

About the facilitator

Magdalena Marciniak is a glass and mixed-media artist whose practice is inspired by nature, light, and the emotional connection to place. Working with glass, printmaking, and light-based processes, she explores themes of perception, belonging, and interconnectedness.
Alongside her studio practice, Magdalena facilitates inclusive community workshops that prioritise accessibility, play, and wellbeing. She is passionate about creating gentle creative spaces where participants of all backgrounds can explore self-expression, connection, and joy through making.

When

Tuesday 3 March
Thursday 5 March
Tuesday 10 March
Thursday 12 March
Tuesday 14 April

Wind-powered mandalas with Sara Nejad

This hands-on workshop invites moments of shared making and reflection.

You will be guided through simple, engaging techniques inspired by mandalas, sacred geometry, and natural patterns found in the world around us.

As you work, you’ll explore rhythm, repetition, and mark-making, allowing your creativity to unfold.

The workshop encourages creativity, mindfulness, and a sense of belonging. It offers a calm space to connect with your materials, with others, and with your own inner stillness.

What's included

All materials
Mandala making on card (turned into a wind-powered pinwheel)
Finished work to take home

What you’ll learn

About mandalas
Access your creativity
Make a pinwheel

About the facilitator

Sara Nejad is a Brisbane-based visual artist working across painting, mixed media, pyrography and installation. She holds a Doctor of Visual Arts from the Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, where her research and studio practice explored themes of nature, belonging, and identity.

Born in Iran and shaped by extensive international travel, Sara’s work is deeply informed by sacred geometry and pattern traditions found across cultures, with particular influence from Persian art and Sufi philosophy. Mandalas form a central visual and conceptual language in her practice, used to explore connection, transformation, and the relationship between inner experience and place.

Her recent Artist in Residence at the Museum of Brisbane combined large-scale installation with community-engaged projects that reflect her ongoing commitment to storytelling, cultural dialogue, and collective making.

When

Tuesday 17 March
Thursday 19 March
Tuesday 24 March
Thursday 26 March

Image credit: 2025, Sara Nejad in her exhibition ‘Sacred Circles’. Photographer Katie Bennett.

Pasifika inspired 3D structures with Abe Tongia

A group of Pacific huts made of bits of match sticks.

This workshop explores 3D structures inspired by Pacific huts with Tongan/Niuean mural artist Abe Tongia.

Abe will soon be creating a large-scale mural on an exterior wall as part of the upcoming Burpengary Sports Complex Basketball Court upgrade.

This workshop offers a unique opportunity to learn directly from the artist behind the design.

Abe will teach you about his creative process and how to use design and shapes to create an artwork that you can take home.

What's included

All materials
Guidance on how to make a 3D structure with sticks and tape
Finished work to take home

What you’ll learn

About Pacific huts
How to construct small 3D structures
Abe’s Tongan/Niuean influences

About the facilitator

Born in New Zealand, Abe is a Polynesian artist profoundly influenced by his Tongan and Niuean heritage. He lives in Burpengary. His background in architecture informs his multi-disciplinary artistic practice. He uses diverse mediums to craft narratives that celebrate identity, culture, and resilience. In developing the concept design for the mural, he will utilise dynamic patterns and vibrant colours to create the energy of spontaneity and capture a sense of movement and interaction.

When

Tuesday 31 March

What to bring

You are not required to bring any materials. We recommend wearing comfortable clothing suitable for crafting. This event is located in the building at the entrance to the park on the left-hand side.