Aimee Frodsham on how a tight-knit industry is helping keep a rare art form alive

Australian TravellerBy Australian Traveller
hero media
For a snapshot in time, we asked eight people around the country to reflect on Australia Now. Here, Aimee Frodsham, Artistic Director of Canberra Glassworks in the ACT, shares her thoughts on what the global pandemic has taught her.

Keep reading our Australia Now series here.

 

What do three-metre-long eel traps and a pair of cowboy boots have in common? They’re both currently on display at major Melbourne exhibitions: Maree Clarke: Ancestral Memories at the NGV and Patricia Piccinini’s A Miracle Constantly Repeated at Flinders Street Station. And they were both created in glass at Canberra Glassworks.

 

Working with some of Australia’s biggest names in art on commissions like these is one of many strands that Canberra Glassworks – Australia’s leading centre for contemporary glass art, craft and design – deals in. Housed in the historic Kingston Power House, which powered the early development of the city, it’s a place that simultaneously innovates and celebrates the centuries-old glassmaking tradition in all its multifarious forms.

Canberra Glassworks Shop
The new shop at Canberra Glassworks, Australia’s leading centre for contemporary glass art, is winning plaudits for its interior design. (Image: Pew Pew Studio/Skeehan Studio)

A day in the life of an artistic director

In her role as artistic director, Aimee Frodsham looks after the centre’s exhibition program and helps facilitate making in the studios (whether that’s the fabrication of work for exhibitions and commissions or glassmakers operating their own business from the centre).

 

A glassblower herself who trained at ANU School of Art & Design (then Canberra School of Art) during a febrile time in the 1990s, Aimee often finds herself on the floor working with the makers across the various areas, including the hot shop and kiln, helping to facilitate fabrication of works that take many forms and specialisms. (“I’d never ask a goblet maker to make a bead for me," she explains, to highlight the sheer diversity that exists within glassmaking.)

 

“I love the history, the tradition and the skill, and I love and admire the artists that have dedicated their whole careers to mastering one particular area," Aimee says of her passion for glasswork. “I think that is just so mind-blowing in this contemporary world; nothing that we do is done on the computer." Without these phenomenal makers, she says, these crafts would be lost: consider the neon signs we see everywhere from shopfronts to Sydney’s famous Coca-Cola billboard.

What she loves about glassmaking

The knowledge of this now-rare trade is at the risk of dying out, and the relationship Canberra Glassworks has forged with the industry is helping to fill the skills gap, demystify long-held secrets (that no longer need to be kept from a commercial sense), and turn the trade into an art form; as part of the National Portrait Gallery’s Australian Love Stories exhibition earlier in 2021, artist Harriet Schwarzrock created 120 sublime glass heart sculptures pumped full of neon.

 

The skill and craft involved in glassmaking necessitates collaboration and breeds a tight-knit artistic community. “We all really love and support each other," says Aimee. “We have to, to be able to make our work." And this sense of community extends outwards, too, embracing the public through education programs and school tours (“For us it’s quite strategic, because it’s really important for the next generation to know that glassmaking is a career") or team-building exercises for, say, the local police force or volunteer firefighters post-Black Summer bushfires. And, of course, workshops, from jewellery-making to glassblowing, which were booked up for months in advance after the Netflix series Blown Away aired. “We really encourage people as hobbyists to come and learn and to make, and to be part of our community."

Colourful glassworks for sale at Canberra Glassworks
The knowledge of this now-rare trade is at the risk of dying out. (Image: Pew Pew Studio/Skeehan Studio)

What the pandemic has taught her

Learning to be a better communicator, especially in terms of safety issues, and to be more agile within the organisation are some of the positive takeaways of the pandemic for Aimee. And missing having people around in the same way forged a different type of connection, by way of weekly Zoom sessions for the Australia-wide glassmaking community: “Every week another group of artists leads a conversation. They’re quite informal and a way for us to see each other and connect. We’ll keep going with those kinds of things because it has made me realise how fragile access can be, and providing access in different ways is really important. Zoom has given us the ability to reach out to people in our community who maybe felt isolated without us realising it."

 

Aimee says she feels lucky to live in Canberra, which she found transformed upon her return in 2015 after living and working in London for 12 years. “It had grown into a really wonderful, exciting city that had lost quite a bit of that stigma around it being a public service town." The past 18 months have left her feeling in some ways more connected and rooted to Australia in general and optimistic that we’re leaders in the world for art: “I feel really connected to the arts community and the amazing things we’re doing here."

Australian Traveller
See all articles
the scenic Queanbeyan Riverside Caravan Park
Canberra

An essential Canberra caravan park and camping guide

Connect with nature at one of these top spots.

Read more
the stylish lobby of the East Hotel Canberra
Canberra

East Hotel: why I’ve been staying at this Canberra accommodation for more than a decade

A review of one of Canberra’s most distinctive boutique hotels, from rooms and dining to location and lived-in details.

Read more
the Mindjagari Track in the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
Canberra

14 Canberra walks for when you can’t get enough of nature

If you’re looking to lift your spirits and your heart rate, here are 14 of Canberra’s best walks, the most wondrous wanderings for a bespoke weekend in the exhilarating ACT outdoors.

Read more
Hot Air Balloon Flights with Balloon Aloft Canberra
Canberra

The perfect 5-day Canberra itinerary for families

This Canberra itinerary for families proves there are more reasons than ever to visit the national capital.

Read more
hero media

What it’s really like to stay on the world’s largest sand island

    Kassia ByrnesBy Kassia Byrnes
    Continue
    Exploring the world’s largest sand island starts with the perfect K’gari homebase.

    The morning light is still soft, but it’s already a perfect sunny day. We left our K’gari homebase at Kingfisher Bay Resort  with our guide, Peter Meyer, at 9 am to make the most of our time to explore all that the world’s largest sand island holds. The size of K’gari is hard to grasp until you arrive here. This is no sandbar. Stretching 120 kilometres, unique lakes, mangrove systems, rainforest, 75 Miles of beach, historic shipwrecks, small townships and even one of Queensland’s best bakeries are all hidden within its bounds.

    But first, one of the island’s most iconic sights: the pure silica sand and crystal clear waters of Lake McKenzie.

    Laying eyes on it for the first time, I’m finally able to confirm that the photos don’t lie. The sand is pure white, without the merest hint of yellow. The water fades from a light halo of aqua around the edges to a deeper, royal blue, the deeper it gets (not that it’s particularly deep, six metres at most). The surface remains surprisingly undisturbed, like a mirror.

    Arriving with our guide before 10 am means that no one else is around when we get here. Which means we have the pleasure of breaking the smooth surface with our own ripples as we enter. As a self-confessed wimp with chilly water temperatures, my fears are quickly assuaged. Even in the morning, the water stays around 23 degrees – perfect for lazing about all day. But we have more sights to see.

    Exploring K’gari

    ariel of in lake mckenzie on k'gari fraser island
    Relax in the warm waters of Lake McKenzie. (Image: Ayeisha Sheldon)

    This was the Personalised 4WD tour offered by Kingfisher Bay Resort, and my absolute top pick of experiences. Over the course of the day, we had the freedom to create our own bespoke itinerary (plus a provided picnic lunch along the way), with an expert guide who had plenty of stories and local expertise to give context to what we were looking at. From the history of the SS Maheno shipwreck, which survived the First World War only to be washed ashore by a cyclone in 1935, to a detailed description of how an island made of sand could sustain such diverse flora.

    If it’s your first time to K’gari, the Beauty Spots Tour is another great option. Departing daily from Kingfisher Bay Resort (you’ll start to notice a trend, as many of the tours do start and end here), an air-conditioned, 4WD bus takes guests to the island’s most iconic locations, including the best places to swim, like Lake McKenzie and Eli Creek. The latter offers a gentle current, perfect for riding with a blow-up tyre out towards the ocean.

    The next day, for a look at a completely different side of K’gari, I joined one of Kingfisher Bay Resort’s Immersive Ranger-guided tours to kayak through the mangroves of Dundonga Creek. This long, snake-like stretch of creek winds its way inland from the ocean outlet we entered by, at times too narrow for three kayaks to be side-by-side. Small insects buzz from leaf to leaf, while birds call overhead. Occasional bubbles indicate we’ve passed some fish that call this place home.

    kayak tour through the mangroves at k'gari island
    Learn about the island’s mangroves from your Ranger. (Image: Reuben Nutt/ TEQ)

    If kayaking isn’t for you – or if, like me, you simply want more – other ranger-led experiences include nature walks and a dedicated Junior Eco Ranger Program for kids ages five to 12 (these run every weekend, and daily over the peak December holidays). Just ask for a timetable of upcoming tours when you check in.

    While during whale season, Hervey Bay Whale Watch & Charters operates tours from the hotel’s jetty to get up close to the famous Humpback Highway of Hervey Bay, from 7 November to 31 May, attention turns to the Aqua Oasis Cruise . Departing from the resort every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for resort guests, adventure along the island’s remote western coast, pointing out wildlife like dolphins, turtles, flying fish and eagles along the way.

    The cruise drops anchor so guests can jump into the water using the boat’s equipment – from SUP boards to inflatable slides and jumping platforms. Then refuel with a provided lunch, of course.

    Unwind at sunset

    two people drinking cocktails at sunset bar, kingfisher bay resort
    Unwind at the Sunset Bar. (Image: Sean Scott)

    As much as days on K’gari can be filled with adventure, to me, the afternoons and evenings there are for unwinding. Sunsets on K’gari are absolutely unbelievable, with Kingfisher Bay on the west side being the best spot to catch the colours.

    The Sunset Bar , located at the start of the resort’s jetty and overlooking the beach, is the ultimate location for sundowners. Let chill beats wash over you as you sip on cool wines, beers and cocktails in a relaxed, friendly vibe. Personally, a cheese board was also absolutely called for. As the sun sinks, the sand, sea and horizon turn a vibrant shade of orange, with the jetty casting a dramatic shadow across the water.

    When the show is over, head back to the hotel for dinner at the Asian-fusion Dune restaurant, or the pub-style Sand + Wood. But if your appetite is still whetted for more lights and colours, the evening isn’t over yet.

    Settle into the Illumina stage for Return to Sky, an immersive light and sound show leading viewers on a captivating journey through K’gari’s stories and landscapes.

    Indulge and disconnect

    woman setting up massage room at kingfisher bay resort Island Day Spa
    Find bliss at Island Day Spa. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

    Of course, there is a type of traveller who knows that balance is important, day or night. While Kingfisher Bay Resort offers more than one pool for guests to spend all day lounging by (they’ll even serve you food and drinks while you do it), you’ll find me at the Island Day Spa.

    The masseuses could match the magic hands of any big city spa, and I felt the warm welcome as I walked into the light, breezy reception. Choose from a range of botanical facials, beauty treatments and soothing massages using traditional techniques (obviously, I couldn’t go past a relaxing massage). All products used contain organic, native botanical ingredients with nutrient-rich plant extracts to soothe skin and mind. To really indulge, try out one of the packages, couples treatment or even a pre-wedding day offering.

    Getting there

    kingfisher bay resort 4wd tour driving passed ss maheno on k'gari island
    The world of K’gari awaits. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

    Getting to K’gari is shockingly easy. Find daily flights into Hervey Bay from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Kingfisher Bay Resort offers a shuttle bus between the airport, their headquarters in Hervey Bay and the ferry to take you to K’gari.