For the first week of May, Textiles takes over the School of Art with a jam-packed program of exhibitions, workshops, artist talks and a symposium.

Two major exhibitions will open on Thursday 5th May in the School of Art Main Gallery and Foyer Gallery. Opening at 6pm in the main gallery, Ailan Buumer is an exhibition of drawings, design, fabric and fashion by artists from Erub Arts, Erub (Darnley Island) Torres Strait. Dr Mathew Trinca, Director of the National Museum of Australia, will speak on the night.

In conjunction with Ailan Buumer, artists Florence Gutchen and Jimmy Kenny Thaiday will hold two free workshops on Friday 6th May, from 10am-12pm and 2-3pm, where participants can try some drawing, design and ghost net activities. A Ghost Net Workhop will also be held as part of Fix and Make at Hotel Hotel on Sunday 1st May, exploring traditional weaving techniques and how to make large-scale woven artworks from discarded fishing nets. Hear more about Erub Arts at an Art Forum floortalk in the SoA Gallery, 1-2pm on Friday 6th May.

Covet 2 by Canberra based artist group Networks Australia will be showing from 3-14th May in the SoA Foyer Gallery, and the artists will give a floortalk at 2pm on Saturday 7th May.

The ANU School of Art Textile Symposium is on Thursday 5th May, 2-5pm, in the SoA lecture theatre. Speakers include artists Belinda Von Mengerson, Jemima Parker, Monique Van Nieuwland, Lucy Irvine and Naomi Zouwer, and curators Cecilia Heffer, Jason Kochel, Mel George and Jilda Simpson.

The symposium takes place in conjunction with Group Exchange: 2nd Tamworth Textile Triennial, curated by Cecilia Heffer, which will be showing at Craft ACT Craft & Design Centre. Group Exchange presents the vibrancy of contemporary Australian textiles and explores the forces that drive current practitioners, and the history of development and change in the discipline.

Also at Craft ACT, previous ANU visiting artists Ruth Hingston and Jodie Hatcher present connect with your nature, showcasing the results of their 2015 residencies in Namadgi National Park, and Alchemy exhibits the work of ANU Textiles Workshop graduates Tara Bromham and Emilie Patteson.