The Unscripted Twillingate Digital Arts Festival is pleased to announce the following workshops – stay tuned for updates in the coming weeks!
Yarn Bombing to Blogging: The Rock Vandal Tells All with Nina Elliott
Local street artist, yoga instructor and blogger Nina Elliott (aka The Rock Vandal) will share tips and tricks for cultivating creativity from the various artists she’s encountered on her blogging journey. This workshop will touch on what inspires those artists, how they share their work online, tips and tricks, and tools they use. Participants will then be able to assist Nina in the installation of one of her famous yarn-bombs! They can then apply what they learned by sharing their yarn-bombing experience on social media. Seasoned bloggers and those just starting out alike, here’s your chance to learn about the ins and outs of art blogging!
Battling the Elements: Embracing Harsh Conditions in Nature Photography with James March
Trying to get that perfect shot out in the wild while dealing with the elements is challenging, but oftentimes rewarding. James goes over 8 tips for braving the harshest of conditions, from researching locations in advance, to what safety gear to bring, to ensuring your camera is protected. He also speaks to the basic principles of producing images in the wilderness, and how to return from an expedition with satisfying results. This session is geared towards photographers at basic to intermediate levels.
Taking Action Somewhere, Taking Action Anywhere with Jerrold McGrath
Join strategic designer Jerrold McGrath in an exploration of what it means to live in a world of machine learning and artificial intelligence. As we turn over our information to apps, software and machines that increasingly make decisions for us, we are challenged to understand the world differently and solve problems facing us in new ways. Already, software like Alexa and Siri help us in our homes to turn on lights, access the weather and news reports, and browse restaurants near you. Jerry will explore two worlds with us: the world at large, which he calls “anywhere”, and the specific communities we live in, like Twilllingate, which he calls “somewhere”.
In a three-hour workshop we’ll explore how those of us existing “somewhere” can more clearly observe what is around us, and share it with those who exist “anywhere”. There will be fun activities to explore digital artistic activism; ways of observing and ways of sharing our reality using everyday tools such as collage work, and also technology such as Twitter bots, chatbots, online troll hunting, crowd sourced data sets (just think of icebergfinder.com) and culture jamming.
How do we add to, and steer, the conversation that is created by artificial intelligence to tell our story? How do we hack the message and how do we create joy and playfulness amidst the toxicity that exists on many digital platforms? This workshop is for anyone with a curious mind, and an awareness that artificial intelligence is changing our world. It’s also for you if you love playful interactivity, and use art in ways to talk about your own “somewhere”.
Fire, Food & Photography with Crystal Anstey
Presented by Experience Twillingate, this session will take participants on a walk to Batrix Island, foraging and photographing flora and fauna along the way. Upon arrival, the guide will start a fire where participants will have the opportunity to prepare and cook a feast; featuring local seafood, foraged edible plants, and local vegetables – the best of the season. There will be a tutorial on creative plating, and the opportunity for participants to photograph their plated and garnished meals for some truly unique social media content! An award-winning gourmet sea-to-plate experience!
Social Media Strategies for Small Businesses with James March
In 2019, an online presence is crucial to steady sales and growth for small businesses. Leveraging various platforms, from Facebook to Instagram to Google Ads, business owners are now able to hone in and engage with their potential customer base with tremendous ease.
The objective of this workshop is to present a multi-faceted approach to online marketing. Want to find your customer niche? Want to organize a local craft market with like-minded businesses? Want to automate your marketing tasks so that it takes up very little of your time per week? All of these opportunities and more will be covered. James March breaks down the steps that will ensure a successful growth strategy for your online presence, no matter your interests or skill level as a content maker.
