News

Eight years since they last toured Oz, London legends Madness are set to make a very welcome return on Mon 10 Apr, touring in celebration of their latest studio album Can’t Touch Us Now.

Part half-time show, part community parade – Before the Siren is a celebration of the inaugural AFL women's competition, girl gangs, women's teams and their fans on Sunday 19 February at Fremantle Oval. Commissioned by Perth International Arts Festival, Melbourne artist Lara Thoms and Perth art duo Snapcat have been working on-site at Fremantle Arts Centre to create this footy frenzy. We caught up with Lara ahead of the show.

We’ve put together a quick list of tips for our UB40 concert on Tuesday 10 January. Find out where to park, what you can bring and what food and drink options are on offer.

Frank Norton: Painter and Collector celebrates the life of one of WA’s most influential art figures. Frank Norton was the first Official War Artist for the Royal Australian Navy and the Director of the Art Gallery of WA for 18 years (1958–1976), overseeing the development of a new home for the gallery and remaining a prolific artist in his own right. Available alongside the exhibition is a book written by City of Fremantle Art Collector Curator André Lipscombe detailing Norton’s career and enduring contribution to the WA art scene.

Find out what's on at Fremantle Arts Centre from January to March 2017 in our complete digital guide.

Our shop FOUND at Fremantle Arts Centre is brimming with beautiful, unique gifts for that last-minute Christmas shop. Filled with the largest range of locally made wares in WA, FOUND stocks jewellery, textiles, woodwork, ceramics, toys, beauty products, prints, books and more.

We’ve put together a Christmas gift guide to inspire those final presents for loved ones. FOUND is open 9am–5pm daily this holiday season.

Fremantle Arts Centre Artist in Residence Manabu Kanai (JPN) enjoys a challenge. The adventurous artist has exhibited across the globe, including Melbourne, Japan and Slovakia and has a PhD from Tokyo University of the Arts (2015).

Ever wandered through a familiar environment and discovered something completely new? Artist in Residence Elyssa Sykes-Smith (NSW) plays with our perception and response to spaces through her Mind Walks series. These meditative, sightless journeys see the artist guide blindfolded participants through Fremantle, encouraging people to explore places purely through touch, sound and smell.

This week we spoke to Kate Weedon-Jones, a much-loved tutor in our art courses program and long-term employee in the FOUND Shop. Kate’s been working in textiles for almost 40 years and has been involved with FAC since the early 1980s. Here she shares the story behind her textile practice and how she first discovered the technique of shibori.