QVMAG x IWD2025 Celebrations
17 February to 7 March 2025
Queen Victoria Museum at Inveresk, 2 Invermay Road, Launceston
QVMAG’s International Women’s Day 2025 (IWD2025) program offers creative and reflective spaces, bringing together women from diverse backgrounds through FREE participatory art workshops, and discussions. Contribute to our progressive community artworks in A Tapestry of Stories and Shaping Femininity, and hear from inspiring women in science at our In Conversation with the Antarctic Women's Network.
The IWD2025 celebrations will culminate in a free morning tea event on Friday 7 March.
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HER-STORIES FROM ANTARTICA
IN CONVERSATION WITH THE ANTARTIC WOMEN'S NETWORK
Discover the fascinating and inspiring stories of women working in the extreme and remote environments of Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic.
Their roles span across a wide range of fields, from engineering and science to heritage conservation, each offering unique challenges and opportunities for innovation. Whether they’re conducting groundbreaking research, maintaining vital infrastructure, or preserving the history of one of the most untouched places on Earth, these women are shaping the future of Antarctic exploration.
These inspiring women are eager to motivate you to follow in their footsteps—after all, a woman’s place is in Antarctica!
Our guest speakers for the evening are:
- Karen Rees, Convenor (Tasmanian Antarctic Advocate, Dept of State Growth)
- Dr Miranda Nieboer, Artistic Director and Curator of Through our Eyes Exhibition (Tasmanian Polar Network)
- Dr Jennie Whinam, sub-Antarctic botanist and ecologist (former Antarctic and sub-Antarctic expeditioner)
- Sara Pearce, Engineering Services Supervisor, Mawson Station (Australian Antarctic Division)
- Lara Colrain, CEO Mawson’s Huts Foundation
You're invited to join us from 5pm for refreshments and an exploration of the progressive artwork created by community members during the QVMAG X IWD25 programme, with the event starting at 5:30pm.
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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Karen Rees is the Tasmanian Antarctic Advocate for the Tasmanian Government. Previously she served as Director, Antarctic Tasmania in the Department of State Growth and was responsible for the development and implementation of the State Government’s Tasmanian Antarctic Gateway Strategy. She is also the immediate past Chair of the Tasmanian Polar Network, a 75+ member strong incorporated industry association representing the Antarctic and Southern Ocean sector.
She is currently a board member of the Mawson’s Huts Foundation and the Convenor of the newly founded Antarctic Women’s Network.
Miranda Nieboer has been researching, writing, exhibiting, and lecturing on human inhabitation in extreme environments for more than 20 years. To pursue her long-term interest into how humans live, work, and thrive in Antarctica, she relocated from the Netherlands to Hobart in 2015. Moving further south, she joined the logistical traverse of IPEV and drove her tractor to Concordia Station in 2018. Miranda has a unique combination of Antarctic deep field experience; practical skills as building engineer; architectural knowhow; and longstanding academic expertise.
Last year, she was artistic director of the exhibition Through Our Eyes, which celebrated women and their personal and professional relationships with Antarctica. This exhibition invites the audience to experience women’s Antarctic landscapes in a way that simply says: “A Woman’s Place is in Antarctica.”
Dr Jennie Whinam was the Senior Botanist for Tasmania’s World Heritage Areas for 25 years. She has worked on the ecology, conservation and restoration of peatlands in Australia and the Subantarctic for 35 years. Jennie has participated in Antarctic and Subantarctic research and conservation programs on Heard Island, Macquarie Island, Casey, Davis and on the French Subantarctic Islands, Kerguelen and Ile Amsterdam since 1986.
Her research interests include biosecurity of Subantarctic islands as part of the Aliens in Antarctica Program, the impacts of pests and subsequent recovery of the vegetation as part of the Macquarie Island Vertebrate Pests Eradication Program, the impacts of climate change on the vegetation of Tasmania’s high country and on Macquarie Island. Jennie is Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the University of Tasmania.
Sara Pearce is a civil engineer with more than a decade of experience in delivering utilities in a design and construction company before moving to the Australian Antarctic Division where she is currently the Director of Engineering. More recently, Sara has returned from a winter in Antarctica where she took on a project engineering role across two stations, one for the summer and one for the winter.
Prior to heading south, Sara was the manager of infrastructure maintenance and operation looking after four self-contained cities across the breath of engineering. A career spanning 20 years’ experience, encompassing construction phases from design to delivery, Antarctica sits at her most-loved and challenging workplace so far.
Lara Colrain is a museum professional and cultural heritage specialist with a background in archaeology and the arts. She has experience in archival work, field archaeology and museum operations. Lara joined the Mawson’s Huts Foundation in 2023 as the Operations Manager of the Mawson’s Huts Replica Museum, later working alongside the former CEO on broader Foundation initiatives. Now serving as CEO, she is dedicated to conserving Antarctic heritage and preserving the legacy of Australian geologist and explorer Douglas Mawson’s scientific expeditions. She leads education and public engagement efforts and supports ongoing conservation expeditions to the Mawson’s Huts Historic Site in partnership with the Australian Antarctic Division.
ABOUT THE ANTARCTIC WOMEN'S NETWORK
https://www.antarctic.tas.gov.au/how_we_can_help/antarctic_womens_network
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ABOUT QVMAG x IWD2025
QVMAG’s International Women’s Day 2025 (IWD2025) program offers spaces and activities designed to inspire reflection on this year’s theme: Accelerate Action for gender equality.
From Monday 17 February, a series of events will bring together women, those identifying as women, and also men, each from diverse cultural backgrounds, culminating in a vibrant celebration on Friday 7 March.
The Object Gallery at the Museum at Inveresk will be transformed into a dynamic, participatory art space where two collaborative works will take shape: a large canvas woven with personal stories and a growing collection of clay figurines forming a community-built installation. As part of the celebrations, the Antarctic Women’s Network will lead an engaging discussion on women in Antarctic studies.
Throughout the program, local artists and QVMAG staff will lead workshops and drop-in sessions, filling the Object Gallery with creativity and conversation. At other times, the space will remain open for visitors to observe the artwork’s progress, reflect quietly, or engage in meaningful discussions.
Other IWD2025 programs include:
A Tapestry of Stories: Progressive Art Installation
Join us for one or more of our inspiring, free art workshops, led by local artists and a sensorimotor art therapist, where creativity and storytelling blend to create a large collaborative canvas.
Object Gallery | Museum at Inveresk, 2 Invermay Road
Various dates and times between 21 February and 3 March
FREE | Find out more and book your workshop here
Shaping Femininity: Progressive Clay Art Installation
Experience a blend of hands-on workshops and relaxed drop-in sessions, where you'll help create a powerful installation of female figures made from clay.
Object Gallery | Museum at Inveresk, 2 Invermay Road
Various dates and times between 17 February and 5 March
FREE | Find out more about this workshop series
IWD2025: Sharing and Celebrating
Join us for a free morning tea and the unveiling of the progressive artworks—a moment to celebrate our achievements, reflect on our journey, and be empowered to accelerate action for gender equality.
Object Gallery | Museum at Inveresk, 2 Invermay Road
Friday 7 March 2025 | 10:30am-12pm
FREE | Registration required - Click here for bookings
Image: Dr Jennie Whinam. Credit: supplied.