Teacher Professional Learning | Unconventional Weaving with John Brooks

To coincide with our upcoming exhibition, Are you lonely tonight? I'm so lonesome I could cry (Fri 3 Jul – Sun 30 Aug 2026), ACCA Education is delighted to share our first teacher workshop of the season.

Join artist John Brooks for a hands-on workshop exploring the rich traditions of weaving and loom-based practices through a contemporary lens. Teachers will be introduced to innovative fibre-based approaches, encouraged to experiment with a range of materials and techniques, and invited to consider how textile practices continue to evolve within contemporary art.

Participants will learn fundamental tapestry techniques while exploring colour, shape and texture, using makeshift looms to create assemblages. This engaging workshop offers practical ideas and inspiration for integrating textiles, fibre arts and soft sculpture into the classroom, supporting both skill development and creative exploration.

John Brooks is a Melbourne/Naarm-based artist of Irish/English descent, originally trained as a weaver. He works in soft materials, incorporating drawing, sound, sculpture and video to explore the relationships between human beings and non-human entities. He also teaches at RMIT and is involved with the Handweavers Spinners Guild of Victoria.

This professional learning session equips teachers with adaptable classroom activities and curriculum-aligned approaches that foster experimentation, material inquiry and creative thinking across the Victorian Curriculum F–10, VCE Art Making and Exhibiting, VCE Art Creative Practice study designs and Visual Art Studio. Pre-Service Teachers are also welcome.

Learning Outcomes

By participating in this workshop, teachers will:

• Develop practical skills in contemporary weaving, tapestry and loom-based textile techniques using a range of materials and processes.

• Explore how traditional fibre practices can be reinterpreted through contemporary art-making to support creative and conceptual inquiry.

• Experiment with colour, shape, texture and assemblage to generate and refine visual ideas.

• Strengthen their understanding of material exploration, experimentation and reflective practice as key components of contemporary art education.

• Gain practical strategies for integrating textiles, fibre arts and soft sculpture into classroom programs across the Victorian Curriculum F–10: Visual Arts and VCE Art studies.

• Support students to investigate, develop and resolve artworks through an iterative creative process, documenting experimentation and evaluating artistic decisions.
  
  Where: ACCA
  
  TICKETS
  Teacher $25 + GST
  Pre-Service Teacher $20 + GST
  Free for regional teachers
  

Regional teachers, we’re pleased to offer a limited number of free spots for teachers in government schools. To secure a free ticket, please email education@acca.melbourne and tell us a little about yourself and your school community.

Image: John Brooks, 2 ded sticks, 2025, dimensions variable. Photograph: Sam Roberts.