Narratives: Connecting Hearts, Minds and Nature

Friday 2 May to Sunday 11 May 2025

Opening event Friday 2 May 4-6pm

Open Friday-Sunday 10am-4pm

From Friday 2 May to Sunday 11 May 2025, The Little Red Cottage in Maleny welcomes the return of Narratives, an artist book exhibition celebrating storytelling through handmade, intimate works of art.

Presented alongside the Sunshine Coast Hinterland Writers Festival, Narratives: Connecting Hearts, Minds and Nature brings literary and visual arts together in a thoughtful and engaging exhibition experience. It invites visitors to slow down and discover the many forms a book can take, from finely bound works to sculptural accordion pieces and experimental paper-based artworks.

Following a strong response to the first exhibition in 2024, Narratives returns with more than 16 book artists, including artists whose works are held in major collections in Australia and overseas. Last year’s exhibition drew art lovers, festival visitors, and many people encountering artist books for the first time. It also caught the attention of the State Library of Queensland, which acquired several works for its collection.

This year’s exhibition continues that momentum, offering a closer look at artist books as a distinct and deeply personal artform. These works move beyond the familiar idea of a book as something simply read. They invite viewers to turn pages, notice textures, follow sequences, and uncover stories in ways that feel tactile, reflective, and unexpected.

Karen Shaw, Exhibition Curator, says artist books create a uniquely intimate experience. Their scale, materials, and structure draw people in and encourage a different kind of attention, one shaped by curiosity, touch, and discovery.

A public opening event will be held on Friday 2 May from 4pm to 6pm, giving visitors the chance to meet the exhibiting artists and hear more about their creative processes.

Set within the warmth of The Little Red Cottage and connected to the energy of the Writers Festival, Narratives offers a rich and rewarding encounter with storytelling through art.

Participating artists

Barry Smith, Barb Hart, Fiona Dempster, Jennifer Eurell, Judy Barrass, Karen Shaw, Kathy Sheehan, Katie White, Ken Munsie, Kim Herringe, Laur Anderson, Liz Farrell, Marie Farr, Michelle Vandermeer, Noela Mills, Peter McLean, Rae Bassett, Sandra Pearce, Sue Poggiollii, Suzie Haddock, Thomas Hamlyn Harris