Looking for art-block antidote?
You've come to the right place. Browse 2 Halves as A Whole's 10-week 'Art Block Antidote' workshop program below.
As part of our twelve-month artist residency at Yarra Youth Centre, we developed and delivered an 11-week art program, Art Block Antidote, designed for young people aged 15-25. We wanted to connect to young artists in a meaningful way by cultivating a space that welcomed two-way exchange—of ideas, questions, musings—pushing young people gently outside of their comfort zone and building their creative confidence through the magic of give-and-take. In a way, we were just showing young artists what it can look and feel like to work like us; with community at heart, 2 Halves as A Whole firmly believes there is only one way of working and making, and that is together.
The thing is...we loved running workshops so much that we never want it to end! Our workshop breadth includes visual art, performance, poetry, research, and so much more. If you work in a school, university, TAFE, library, community organisation (or are another keen bean!) interested in booking a workshop with us, check out our week-by-week session outlines and find our inquiry form below—we can't wait to hear from you!
A note to young people...
Our past participants will tell you that Ali loves a good ice-breaker question (none of those stressful ones that make you fret), but don't let that put you off; Paige will be there to back you up on whether a straw has one hole or two. If you're looking to make art, meet new people, or simply try something new, our workshop program gives you the chance to do exactly that! Led by professional practicing artists 2 Halves as A Whole (that's us!), our workshops offer a supportive, welcoming space to build your skills, experiment with different ideas and materials, collaborate with other young artists, and create work that matters to you. Whether you make art all the time or have never thought of yourself as “creative,” our workshops are a chance to explore, have fun, and make something meaningful together. Check out what we've got on offer below!
Meet Paige & Ali
Before we were 2 Halves as A Whole, we were two Fine Arts students who spent way too much time talking in class. Those endless conversations quickly turned into a friendship, built on a shared love of maximalist aesthetics, internet space junk, and Gen Z humour. In 2023, we held our first exhibition together under the name 2 Halves as A Whole and realised we make our best work when we’re making it together.
Since then, we’ve continued to present solo exhibitions across Melbourne, build collaborative projects, and work with local artists and musicians including The Vovos. Between the two of us, we have approximately 700 tabs open at all times, and somewhere between the glitter, Google Docs, and mildly chaotic brainstorming sessions, our ideas come to life.
The Program
Week 1 - Who Are You?
Whether you paint, write, perform, make playlists, doomscroll, sew, take photos or don’t think of yourself as “creative” at all, you already have a practice. This workshop is about figuring out what that is. Through playful exercises and self-portrait making, you’ll explore identity, habits, and values, connect with like-minded people, and leave with a self-portrait that defines you as an artist.
Week 2 - Appropriation
Explore how research fuels creativity in this hands-on workshop. You’ll dissect artists’ works, remix and appropriate ideas using your own materials, and map out inspiration visually. By the end, you’ll create an original artwork informed by research, discover new ways to generate ideas, and develop your own artistic approach.
Week 3 - Writing and Poetry
Develop your skills and explore writing as a medium in this multidisciplinary poetry workshop. Through visual making and timed writing exercises, you’ll play with words, build confidence in experimental poetic techniques, and leave with original pieces of writing inspired by both your own ideas and the work of others.
Week 4 - Place and Space
Explore how the places and communities around you shape the way you make. In this workshop, you’ll reflect on where you live, the spaces you move through, and the people you connect with, then turn those experiences into art. Through discussion, mind-mapping and making, you’ll create a work inspired by your own sense of place, identity and community.
Week 5 - Form and Materiality
Explore how the materials and forms you choose can completely change the meaning of an artwork. In this workshop, you’ll experiment with turning one idea into multiple artworks using different mediums, then reflect on why each choice matters. You’ll leave with a deeper understanding of how artists use form and materiality to communicate ideas with intention.
Week 6 - Collaborative Art
Discover what happens when creativity becomes a group effort. In this workshop, you’ll experiment with making alongside others, explore the strengths and skills each person brings, and create collaborative artworks that couldn’t be made alone. Through shared drawing, discussion and large-scale making, you’ll learn how collaboration can build stronger ideas, connections and communities.
Week 7 - Passion and Politics
Explore how your passions can become a form of political expression. In this workshop, you’ll begin with something you care deeply about and uncover the wider social issues, values and ideas connected to it. Looking at artists who use their work to challenge, question and create change, you’ll create an artwork that transforms personal passion into something powerful.
Week 8 - Performance Art
Expand your idea of what art can be in this workshop with guest artist Jemima Lai. Exploring practice beyond the visual, this theatre-focused session will use performance and sensory exercises to express emotion, script, and feeling. You’ll discover new ways of creating and leave with a broader understanding of your own artistic practice.
Week 9 - Cost-Free Making
Creativity doesn’t have to come with a price tag. In this workshop, you’ll experiment with found, unconventional, or entirely free materials, making art with what’s around you and your own skills. You’ll see how artists turn resourcefulness into meaningful work and learn to create powerful art without spending a cent.
Week 10 - The Artist Book
Join us for a mindful workshop where we bind our own visual diaries and come together as a community of practice. Over shared snacks and conversation, you’ll discover new ways of making, connect with yourself, write weird collaborative poetry, and leave with both a full book and a full heart.
