By Tanya Steele
A little support from the community goes a long way and advice from local artists, social media and a council grant have made it possible for a young artist to attend a major wearable art festival in Queensland.
Young Yarra Ranges origami artist April will be able to head off to experience wearable art later this year after successfully securing a Youth Pathways Grant from the Yarra Ranges Council this month.
“I am stoked to have been invited backstage at the upcoming Australian Wearable Art Festival up in Queensland in August!” read April’s post on social media on 19 February.
“And thanks to Yarra Ranges Council, I have just been awarded a Youth Pathways grant to help me get there,” it said.
On the weekend of 9 to 11 August, The Australian Wearable Art Festival will see April and her mother Rachael travel to Queensland for an exciting opportunity to see a range of wearable art up close and behind the scenes.
The festival is in its fifth year and celebrates artists and designers to create and wear unusual and unique materials.
April has been crafting in the origami space for several years and has recently branched into creating wearable pieces.
Support from her community has led to the exciting invitation to Queensland and the young artist said after she made an origami skirt and her mum posted it on socials, a local artist reached out to suggest that she enter it into some competitions.
After discovering the wearable arts festival in Queensland, April said she then found out that she was too young to enter.
“When we emailed the Australian Wearable Art Festival, Wendy (from AWAF) suggested that I seek sponsorship to attend and tour backstage,” she said.
“I’m loving making origami outfits so would love to enter one when I am old enough.”
With the help of her family April then began the process of applying for a grant through Yarra Ranges Council to help cover some of the cost.
No stranger to grant applications, Mum Rachel spotted that there was a ‘Youth Pathways’ category available.
“The grant will cover entry to the festival for us both which is awesome as well have lots of other expenses to get there too,” said Rachel.
Yarra Ranges Director of Communities, Leanne Hurst said that the Youth Pathway grants are designed to help support the development of young people, which in turn helps build strong and inclusive communities.
“The grants help our younger people build their potential while developing skills that align closely to whatever their passion or career aspirations are,” she said.
April said making a skirt out of origami was a process of experimentation that began in 2023.
“I started experimenting with making origami fabric – I managed to do it but then couldn’t make it work as a skirt,” she said.
“I took a break from that project, then revisited the next year with new ideas – just in time for my homeschool formal.”
“I made it work and wore it to my formal – along with the rest of the outfit I made.”
April said she began learning origami when she was five and started selling it when she was seven, moving on to online sales and paid workshops by the time she turned 11.
“I started asking Mum for a lemonade-type stall out the front of our house and she suggested origami,” she said.
“Since then, I moved on to selling at markets, in shops and building a website.”
April said she loves building her business and loves creating products that people want to buy.
“I love creating new origami art,” she said.
The young artist is currently working on running workshops in the hills and on her next outfit and said she has about half of it ready.
“I’ll post it on my socials when it is ready,” she said.
“I am so excited to be teaching my first origami fabric/pleating workshop in a few weeks.”
If you are or know of a younger person who would benefit from the Youth Pathway Grants, please visit the Yarra Ranges council website for more information or to apply at https://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Community/Grants/Apply-for-Monthly-Grants. “
