DECEMBER MINI ZINE 0.5
INTRO
I’m still getting used to writing about a month that hasn’t happened yet. I think December is the strangest one so far.Talking about the end of the year when it feels like 2025 has lasted the total of a month doesn’t feel right, but here we go. I won’t get too reflective now, I’ll save that for next month, which is our 0.6 mini issue, which means that it’s our last one we have funded, which means you must scan the QR code to the right so we can see if you want us to keep making these things. The QR code takes you to a form which is about 10 questions, asking you to give us some feedback on these minizines, if you think it’s beneficial to our beautiful city to continue making these; free, collectable, monthly, and anything else you wanna tell us on how we can make this better or if you’re loving them just the way they are.
November was great, we crawled up and down Crown Street like the silly little worms we are. All thanks to the amazing team at Speed Drive, thanks so much for creating such an amazing event. Seeing Wollongong turn up like that for live music makes me feel so happy to be a part in this community. Some highlights were definitely at VanQ. Garage Sale and locals Pictures with Yuki would of had to be my favourites of the day. Another thing that happened this month was I stepped out of my comfort zone to sit on a panel for Music NSW along with artist and illustrator Luke Player, and Lisa Diebold of Soft Power Studio. This was scary but so fun. We talked a lot about merch and how there’s so many ways to step outside the ordinary, to make something fun and earn yourself a bit of money as an emerging artist to continue doing your art. Which got me thinking and led to our purchase of a badge maker. It’s in the studio, we haven’t used it much yet but we plan on making some great badges to stick on your person or your things. Hopefully by the time you’re seeing this we will have some stuff online for a great stocking filler ;)
This month it’s all about being in that silly season sunny summer air. I’m sure you already have a bunch of things planned, the inevitable work Christmas parties and the like. But over the page we have a bunch of extra things that are happening in and out of town that will be worth getting yourself to. One of those things is an art exhibiton by resident poster and music guy Luke Player, happening at the Clifton School of Arts, from the 12th to the 15th of December. I’m 100% certain you either know Luke or have come across his work somewhere. He’s got an iconic retro Australiana style, the works he’s making for the exhibition are all screen printed and will be available for purchase after the show. If you’re looking to support local makers for your gift giving (which we think is maybe the only way) you gotta block 9am - 12pm on Saturday 20th December for Good Stuff Markets, at 70 Keira Street curated by Clay Wollongong. Which we happened to interview the founder and cover girl Hannah Barclay, for this issue. We talk building community in the Illawarra, how the environment shapes her practice and a little insight into the year that she’s had.
The end of year craziness is starting to get to us, I’m kind of lost for words and feeling quite ready to welcome a new year. And already feel like I’m in a slight holiday mode, I’m about to head off down to Victoria for Meredith Music Festival with a bunch of friends the day after next so this intro is feeling a little frantic. But if there’s anything you can do now it would be to scan the QR code and fill out the form pleeeeeease, we’d love to know if you’d like us to keep making these little guys and having your support in presenting our case would be amazing! See you in 2026 readers, if you’re new here welcome and thank you for reading, if you’ve read each and everyone one also thank you for reading and your continued support! We love doing this so much and hope to keep doing so, stay safe, have happy holidays and see you next year!!!!!!
If you want your event to be featured for January send an email to:
lewis@wanderer-magazine.com
editor AMBER-ROSE LAYTON
editor assistant LEWIS GARDINER
design AMBER-ROSE LAYTON
cover photo AMBER-ROSE LAYTON
interviewer AMBER-ROSE LAYTON
This project was funded by a Wollongong City Council Grant.
Written, designed, printed, folded & distributed all in house!
WOLLON-GUIDE
WEEKLY
MONDAY Ryan’s 2-4-1 meals, Ciro's $20 pizza night
TUESDAY Trivia @ La's, $10 burger night at Papi's, $5 Tacos @ Bar Cabron
WEDNESDAY North Gong Shnitty Night, Wing Night at Gringa
THURSDAY Joker Poker @ Principle Brewing, Free Live Jazz @ The Servo
FRIDAY TBH Friday’s Free Live Music
SATURDAY Free Live Music at RGBM and Dicey's Saturdays
SUNDAY RGBM Free Live Music
DEC 3: Lounge Sessions at La La La's w/ Lux Trevis (FREE)
Music and Tea - Jazz Stories (FREE)
DEC 4: Hot Pursuit At Howlin Wolf
DEC 5: Kate Watson & Matilda Langworthy "To Come Home" at Clifton School of Arts 5-8 DEC (FREE)
Skate film movie launch at Wombarra Bowlo
Shannon Lay at Frank’s Wild Years
DEC 6: TRANSMISSION INDIE SLEAZE PARTY at La La La’s
Yakka's Island Time! Tiki Party at Port Beirut (FREE)
Sam Allen and Miranda @ RGBM (FREE)
DEC 7: LIVE at Teddy's, North Gong Hotel w/ Sonic Reducer (FREE)
Liarna Peters at Society City
DEC 10: NEW BLOOD FINAL JAM
DEC 11: Fever Pitch at La La La’s
DEC 12: Luke Player 'Souvenirs' Exhibition Opening at Clifton School of Arts (DEC 12-15) (FREE)
DEC 13: Four On The Floormas at La La La’s
Paperboy at Society City
DEC 14: Fiona Johnson at Frank's Wild Years (FREE)
DEC 18: Limp Zine Zine Club at VanQ
PLUS Rent-A-Rack Market
Will Guthrie at Frank's Wild Years
DEC 19: Cytosis at Society City
DEC 20: Goodstuff Markets, Clay Wollongong
A Very L.O.W Christmas 2 at La La La’s
The Nowhere at Society City
DEC 21: BEATMEISTERS XMAS BASH at The Servo
DEC 24: Profannity at La La La's
DEC 27: The Engine at Dicey Riley's (FREE)
INTERVIEW WITH HANNAH BARCLAY
Hannah Barclay is an artist & business owner creating on Dharawal Country, her work deeply rooted in community, place & clay. She’s the founder of community ceramic studio Clay Wollongong, located on Keira Street, a creative space that now houses around 60 members worth of work, along with weekly classes & workshops. As well as running the studio, Hannah is a ceramic artist represented by Wollongong gallery Egg & Dart. She also hosts her own artist residency program & curates markets from the studio, further expanding opportunities for local makers. We chat about how living in the Illawarra has shaped her practice, the importance of creating accessible creative spaces, & the community she’s built from the ground up.
WANDERER: Who are you, what part of the Illawarra are you from, & what do you do?
HANNAH: Who am I? I don't even know anymore haha. My name is Hannah, I live in Wombarra. I've been here for 9 years & I’m an artist & business owner.
You had your Clay studio in Sydney. What made you want to set up here in Wollongong?
I was living in Wollongong & I realised that I didn't have a connection to Sydney–I was creating a community in Sydney, but I wanted to create it in my own community. So I got rid of it & set up Clay Wollongong. How was it starting that up? I sold my business in Sydney, so I used that capital to create my dream studio. I was looking for a while & then found an old vet, which was perfect. I'd used everything I had learned in Sydney & applied it. So it wasn't really starting from scratch, it was a lot easier, but a bigger investment & more risk.
Clay Wollongong has workshops & classes plus I saw the artist residency Burnt Dirt & Good Stuff Markets too. How would you describe your community & what it means to you?
I guess, creating a physical space where anyone from any background can come. It does cost to access our space, but we also offer, to have a free membership where you can volunteer your time, to make sure that people can access it from all demographics & socioeconomic places. It's about fostering relationships & friendships & a place for people to come & create together. We do a member's day, where we all get in there & make together & hang out from all different ages. We have 5 male members out of 60, so a small percentage but they're in there haha! You're making & creating new friendships that you'd never have otherwise–& it's over a common love of ceramics, which is really good.
What about Burnt Dirt? And the markets, why did you start doing that?
Markets [began] because we wanted to help all of our members get themselves out there & start selling their stuff–but we also wanted to create a market that was for makers who are a bit more alternative. A lot of markets are just open slather, we wanted to do something more curated. The residency was created to expose our members to artists. One of our staff was living with an artist & we had a room, so it was like, oh, this is an opportunity that we could really get behind. It [exposes] all of our members to working artists, showing them that lifestyle & it trickles down through our studio–where they’re seeing what the artist could make & what they do. We've had a couple of our members get redundancies & then just make, that's become their thing. They wanna leave their normal jobs & be artists.
How have you seen your own artistic practice grow from basing yourself in the Illawarra?
It gives me the space & clarity. I'm very influenced by the environment down here. It's such a small community of artists, [that] really pushes you to create. Also being supported by my gallery, Egg & Dart. They push me to produce art & back me. Without them, I probably wouldn't push myself as much as I do.
When you say the environment, what parts of the environment? Is it more the look & feel or the people around?
I think both. Especially where I live right on the ocean, the waves crash & my house vibrates, it's part of my psyche. Then you turn around & look up & everything's green & it allows you to have that space. It's a meditative space within your everyday. So I mean, it's pretty cliched to be like, Oh, the escarpment is so beautiful, but it is. That's why people live here because it’s part of it. It’s restorative. I need to have the influence of the environment on me. It makes me be creative. What about your ceramics? They're quite abstract, do you know what you're gonna make before you make it? It's all very intuitive. I have an idea in my head, but a lot of the time, I don't actually execute what I [thought]. It's very gestural & intuitive & how the clay's moving that day. Or... my time. If I have 20 minutes away from my baby, then I can go faster. But when she was little–the last six months–I did a whole body of work in my house while she was sleeping. So that was really fun. At the moment, I'm working on a fountain & that's just killing my brain haha. But how it'll turn out will be completely different.
How’s this year been for you, being a new mum?
The biggest & fastest year of my life. I feel like I can't remember it because I'm so brain dead. But, if I look at what I’ve achieved, it’s a lot. I did Sydney Contemporary while having a newborn... & kept running my businesses. Basically working full time while having a baby. It's been a big year but probably the best year of my life. It's the best thing ever. You're just so in love. You're so tired, but you're so in love & it's so nice. She's nearly 9 months old. It's wild. She's so cute, we love her. It's really nice in your experience & I feel like a lot of the head noise goes with normal life & that's really fun to put that into my work as well.