the cupboard
welcome to my tiny cupboard!
It's tiny and I love her ❤️
Here you’ll find me running art hangs, pop up workshops and collabs with other clever clog creative people!
After 18 years of teaching English as a Second Language then English through art - I decided during a battle with breast cancer that I would make the jump and start teaching art from a home studio!
From my converted master bedroom turned tiny studio, to my kitchen dining, to a cafe and climbing three flights of stairs, a warehouse, a cafe, an event space, another studio and finallllly <<drum roll>> my very own studio, a tiny cupboard to call my own.
From my cupboard, I run weekly workshops for kids and adults but I also hold pop up workshops like my Art Yum Cha for adults as well as a whole bunch of Holiday Hangs.
about the classes
aka art hangs 🎨
I’m defo not your typical art class - with a background in teaching English as an additional language - I’m a strong believer in visuals for all!
My art hangs are like an art tapas. Each week I share a new medium, a new (living) artist, their story, their techniques and processes and then I share a little demo of how I think they did it and we play with the process - so each art piece will look different - no cookie cutters here. Kids and Big kids are inspired to tap in, breathe out and go with their gut. It’s definitely process vs product art.
I want to inspire kids and adults to think about art outside the cupboard. I want adults to give themselves permission to take a break from adulting and breathe. I want kids to feel confidence even when art doesn’t go to plan. To learn what to do in those moments. Accept it. Leave it. Or make it something else. No shame! And I want them to know art is not just about a pretty piece of realistic looking art but about a way to tell a story and about feeling things.
The rule: I want you to try it but if it doesn’t make you happy. Choose happy (aka go back to a medium you love and do that! But Yay for trying).
what's with the name?
true stories,
it's because I taught in a cupboard 😊
For 5 years while I was teaching English through Art to new arrival refugees, I legit was given a cupboard to teach in. 7.5m x 3.6m.
15 non English speaking kids at a time x 4 a day for 3 days a week. No sink. No storage. Just tables, chairs, a shelf for the resources I needed for the day and 15 iPads. Oh and a window. Sounds horrible right? BUT it wasn’t. It was there that I learnt - you don’t need fancy equipment and lots of space to make awesome art - just great ideas and a little spark to get it going.
This has led to my whole jam. Breathing out. Channelling your inner kid and bliss. Child friendly art materials (budget friendly too) and awesome art.
I’m all about the shrieks and squeals, the cups of tea and biscuits over art - and the whole community jam.
other thangs
as well as all this,
I love me a good collab ❤️
I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the The Art of Education, Tarra Warra Museum of Art, The Philippine Embassy in Canberra, Philippine Tourism in Australia and New Zealand, Bluescope Steelx Australian
Institute of Architects x The Entree Pinays, The City of Greater Dandenong, Glen Eira Art Gallery, Glen Eira Libraries, Springvale Library, Art Jams with Ernst & Young as well as PEXA and Bunjil Place.
Sometimes, just sometimes, I’ve even thrown a birthday party or run professional development for teachers who don’t feel very arty!
need more of my vibe?
check out 🌈
✌️Past interviews and podcasts
✌️My personal artist website www.yazgate.com.au
✌️My instagram
✌️My YouTube for free workshops during my Camp Quarantine with Miss Yaz during the 2 year lock down.