Currents of Practice
Description
Currents of Practice is an annual arts program shaped by a guiding theme, bringing together contemporary art, place and community through World Wetlands Day.
In 2026, Currents of Practice unfolds across multiple sites on the Mornington Peninsula, including an exhibition at Coolart Wetlands (24 January - 2 February), in-situ artist talks, a public Q&A at the Coolart Observatory, and a workshop led by Kate Gorringe-Smith. Together, these elements celebrate wetlands while opening longer conversations toward the 2027 theme, Wetlands for Sustainable Cities.
Friends of Coolart (FOC) and Western Port Biosphere will also present their own programming, with bookings (including the Q&A with Tracee Hutchison) via https://coolart.org.au/coming-events/
On 2 February, The Revillaging Project will open its gates as part of the 2026 World Wetlands Day celebrations, inviting community to gather in conversation, care and connection with the wetlands that sustain life on the Mornington Peninsula.
The morning program will be a guided conversation facilitated by broadcaster, author and filmmaker Tracee Hutchison, with contributions from Gidja Walker OAM, Indigo McKeon and The Revillaging Project owner Josh Melnick.
Gidja will provide a framing introduction, setting context for the wider World Wetlands Day program and offering insight into the 2027 theme, Wetlands for Sustainable Cities.
Introducing Gidja Walker OAM - ecologist, artist, natural systems educator and long-time advocate for wetlands across the Mornington Peninsula’s fragile wetland and coastal ecologies. As part of Currents of Practice 2026, Gidja will launch her new publication Fringe Dwellers of Wurnmarrinh, created in collaboration with Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and the Western Port Biosphere. The publication explores the ecological significance of saltmarsh through decades of field-based research.
Her contribution at Tootgarook situates local wetlands within the wider network of the Western Port Ramsar-listed wetlands and the UNESCO-designated Mornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere Reserve - interconnected systems of stewardship, knowledge and resilience shaping more sustainable futures for both people and nature.
What to bring to the Revillaging Project
A hat, water bottle, and a small cushion or pillow for indoor seating.
Separately ticketed workshop
A gentle, all-ages workshop combining guided walking meditation and the creation of a collective offering to the wetlands. Through intention, movement and symbolic action, participants will create a collective ephemeral mandala as a shared act of care and presence.
Please note: Elizabeth West’s workshop tickets are limited and must be booked separately from general entry.
For updates and program information, visit https://coolart.org.au/coming-events/ and follow https://www.instagram.com/currents.of.practice/
Presented on Bunurong / Boon Wurrung Country.
Lineup
Tracee Hutchison
Tracee Hutchison is a broadcaster, author and filmmaker known for creating thoughtful public conversations at the intersection of culture, community and place. She will facilitate the guided dialogue for the World Wetlands Day morning program.
Gidja Walker
Gidja Walker OAM is an ecologist, artist and natural systems educator, and a long-time advocate for Western Port’s fragile wetland and coastal ecologies. She brings decades-deep knowledge of place, stewardship and community-led care. Image credit: Noa Fletcher
Indigo McKeon
Joining us this morning is Indigo McKeon, a proud First Nations multidisciplinary creative based on Bunurong / Boon Wurrung Country. With deep ties to The Revillaging Project, Indigo’s work spans music, education, landcare and cultural production — creating spaces of care, presence and connection. Indigo may also share a song as part of the morning’s gathering.
Josh Melnick
Josh Melnick is co-founder of The Revillaging Project, a regenerative community hub in Boneo committed to land care, ecological restoration and living systems thinking. For World Wetlands Day, Josh will speak to the on-ground work he’s been developing alongside Gidja Walker OAM to support local wetland regeneration and community stewardship.
Elizabeth West
Elizabeth West is an ecological artist and art therapist whose practice explores the relationship between creativity, wellbeing and environmental care. Working across participatory projects, guided walking practices and installation-based outcomes, she invites gentle forms of engagement that deepen connection to place and the more-than-human world. Her work centres deep listening, embodied awareness and reciprocity, often using creative process as a way to reflect on landscape, memory and responsibility. For Currents of Practice 2026, Elizabeth will lead an interactive workshop combining guided walking meditation with the making of ephemeral offerings to honour and bless the wetlands.
Kate Gorringe-Smith
Award-winning WAMA (https://wama.au/) artist Kate Gorringe-Smith leads a free art quilt workshop in the Shearing Shed, creating a communal quilt of care and comfort. Free ticketed via Coolart. https://coolart.org.au/coming-events/
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