Olive Pink Botanic Garden hosts a number of regular annual events such as the birthday celebration for the founder, Miss Olive Pink, in mid-March, the Bent and Twisted craft event in August, and the Desert Garden Fair in September.

We also have an exciting program of exhibitions, book launches, public talks, and dinner events. We also hold several native plant sales each year, so that members of the public can get to grow some of our more unusual or hard-to-get local native plant species. Please see the events calendar below for more information about these workshops. Keep your eye on the Events Calendar below to see what is coming up!

Kinetic sculptures wanted for new exhibition Things that go bump, spark, gush, whirr ..... in September 2008. Works in any medium that have some element of manual, solar, wind or water-driven movement are invited for a month-long exhibition September 16th - October 26th in the Garden plantings. Works will also be able to be sold, and will be part of a competition with Overall Winner and People's Choice categories. Download guidelines and entry from here.

Henry Smith - Overall Winner - Up the Garden Path 2008					Steve Anderson - People's Choice Winner - Up the Garden Path 2008
Al Bethune - Winner Recycled Materials - Up the Garden Path 2008					Franca Barraclough - Winner Desert Materials - Up the Garden Path 2008
Clancy McLeod - Winner Youth category- Up the Garden Path 2008

One of the key events for 2008 was the inaugural Up the Garden Path sculpture exhibition (May 30 - June 29), which showcased over fifty sculptures created by thirty local artists. The Overall Winner was Henry Smith with his rusted boat sculpture, Steve Anderson's irrigation pipe baskets won the People's Choice award, Al Bethune's White Gate won the Reccyled Materials category, Franca Barraclogh's installation Apparition... won the Desert Materials category, and Clancy McLeod's wire camels (bottom left) won the Youth category. The judges, Kieran Finnane and Tim Rollason praised the quality of the works submitted to the show. Their comments about the winning works can be downloaded here. Click here to download a catalogue of the exhibition.

The generous sponsorship by Great Southern Rail and by Brenden Meney Architects is gratefully acknowledged, as are the generous donations by Gail Woods and another local business (that wants to remain anonymous) that allowed us to purchase three of the artworks: Henry Smith's boat, Al Bethune's gate, and a scrap metal emu also made by Al Bethune.

In 2007 we showcased artwork of the Garden's founder, Miss Pink, in an exhibition entitled Art in the Garden – an exhibition of central Australian wildflower sketches by Miss Olive Pink 1930-1960. To see thumbnails of all of Miss Pink's sketches in the University of Tasmania collection, please click here. One of the other very popular exhibitions in 2007 was Arne Areye - all the plants exhibition of over 30 different bushfood and bush medicine plants painted by Arrernte artists as part of Irrkerlantye Arts.

A selection of some of the stunning artworks produced by Irrekerlantye artists for their Arne areye exhibition at Olive Pink Botanic Garden, Nov 2007	Sue Taylor led participants in a mandala making project at the Garden as part of the Shifting Ground Arts Festival in May 2007

Events Calendar

August 2008

August 5th & 7th In the footsteps of Miss Pink guided town walk lead by Miss Pink's biographer Prof.Julie Marcus. The walk will take you on a journey around town sites of significance for the Garden's founder, Miss Pink. A mini-bus will take participants between more distant sites. The walk will take around 90 minutes in total, and will start and finish at Olive Pink Botanic Garden where afternoon tea will be served. Cost is $25 per person, including afternoon tea and minbus travel. Seniors rate is $10, as this event is part of Seniors Month. For more information please ph 08 8952 2154 or e: garden@opbg.com.au

August 15th - Sept 9th This Place an exhibition of new works that explore the themes of change and place in a local context by Alice Springs artist Sally Mumford. These exquisite pencil drawings show the changing views from landmark hills close to town, as well as changes in iconic buildings around town. The exhibition opens at 6pm on Friday August 15th. All welcome!

August 24th Bent and Twisted craft fair 10am - 4pm. Be dazzled by the range of beautiful crafts put together by this group of local craftspeople. Glass, mosaics, quilting, papercraft, leatherwork, paintings, pottery and much more on display and for sale.

August 24th Plant sale 8am - noon with a good variety of local native shrubs and groundcovers for sale. A great time to be planting to extablish new garden areas before summer kicks in!

September 2008

Sept. 6th - October 8th Replant national touring exhibition of cross-cultural collaborative botanical works between Yolgnu and non-indigenous artists and botanists at the NT Herbarium. Opening 6pm Friday 5th September. All welcome!

Sept 8-12th Textures, Tinctures & Twigs. Philomena Hali working as artist in residence in the Garden creating an installation work using desert fibres, natural dyes and wood. Do come and see the work in progress!

September 16th - October 26th Things that go bump, spark, gush, whirr kinteic scupture exhibition opening with torchlight tours 7pm. All welcome!

September 20th Desert Garden and Sustainability Fair 8am - 4pm. An exciting day with many different organisations and businesses represented and showcasing information, products and interactive activites to suit adults and kids. There will also be a solar oven bake-off, plenty of gardening demonstrations, kids games, competitions, product promotions, and a huge native plant sale. The Fair is designed to promote sustainable living, gardening in our desert regions, conserving local biodiversity, and appreciating local bushfoods and bush medicines. ABC Radio will be broadcasting on site during the morning.

September 21st Desert Festival Wildfoods Gala Dinner under the stars at Olive Pink Botanic Garden with entertainment by Neil Murray and with guest appearance by Wildfoods Culinary Challenge judge, Stephanie Alexander. Tickets cost $120 each and are available from the Alice Desert Festival Office, ph 08 8953 6112 Fax: 08 8953 6110

Sept. 27th & 28th 10am-4pm Paper play with plant fibres weekend workshop run by locl artists Mandy Webb and Kate Lawrence. The workshops are free and interactive, and everyone is welcome to watch or to participate.

October 2008

until October 26th Things that go bump, spark, gush, whirr kinteic scupture exhibition on display amongst the Garden plantings.

October 1st - 5th Textures, Tinctures & Twigs. Philomena Hali working as artist in residence in the Garden creating an installation work using desert fibres, natural dyes and wood. Do come and see the work in progress!

October 10th - November 2nd Irrkerlantye artists exhibition with new works themed around water.