Build a Stretcher Frame and Stretch a Canvas with JC

Dive in to the City of Belmont 2025 Art Awards Workshop Series!

Join JC, visual artist, set builder, props maker and general arts-related construction wizard for this hands-on carpentry demonstration. JC will demonstrate how to build a stretcher frame and stretch two different sizes of canvas.

Participants will have the opportunity to volunteer for a variety of hands-on tasks throughout the session. Power tool safety protocols will be taught and implemented. This workshop aims to encourage artists to learn practical skills which provide autonomy and are cost-saving.

This is a carpentry demonstration designed specifically for beginners, with no previous experience with tools or in workshops. It provides an inclusive and supportive environment for learning. Women and women-identifying folx are welcomed.

What to wear: long pants and sturdy closed shoes. We provide safety glasses and ear protection.

About Women on the Tools

Women on the Tools is the passion project of JC, an artist who trained at the WA Academy of Performing Arts as a set builder and props maker. They have spent more than twenty-five years working in workshops (their own and other peoples), building things, solving problems and teaching skills to all sorts of people.

They noticed that women often had little experience of handing tools and doing the basics but were keen to learn. After observing how other folks taught skills (especially the ‘heavy’ skills of carpentry and welding), they developed a strategy for teaching that was about making tools and processes accessible and inclusive.

Their workshop is equipped with tools, machinery and safety gear that fit women’s bodies, as well as men’s. They never assume prior knowledge: all introductory courses start with the principle that you’ve never picked up a tool in your life, let alone been shown how to use it. The courses support hands on, step by step, small group learning, with concrete outcomes, that build confidence as well as skills.

After years of formally (at TAFE and University) and informally (on the job) practicing this way of teaching, JC decided it was time to set up a dedicated space where folks could come to learn great skills from the ground up, have access to tools and call on an expert for support and guidance.

Art Awards Education Program

This workshop is delivered with support from Artsource as part of the 2025 City of Belmont Art Awards Education Program.

The program includes five workshops designed to help Artists develop their skills, learn the craft, and prepare their entries to the annual Art Awards.

Tickets are $5 for City of Belmont residents, $10 for non-residents and free for students. Students may be required to present a current valid student ID.

Check out the rest of the Art Awards Workshop Series

Find out more about the City of Belmont Art Awards and how to apply

If you have any questions about this event or need assistance booking, please contact the City's Arts and Place team on 9477 7248 or via email at artsandplace@belmont.wa.gov.au.

Please note:

• Do not attend if unwell.
• If you cannot make it to the event, we strongly encourage you to cancel your ticket to ensure your spot is allocated to someone on our waitlist.

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