• Charles Sturt University student brings together six Mid North Coast artists to launch two-day exhibition aimed at sparking positive conversations around mental health

A Charles Sturt University student in Port Macquarie, who has spent the past few months gathering origami butterflies for a mental health awareness project, will soon see her hard work transformed into an art exhibition.

Earlier this year Bachelor of Social Work student Miss Ashley Whittington started the ‘Butterflies for Mental Health Month’ project.

The project aimed to inspire residents of the Mid North Coast to fold a target of 1,000 origami butterflies for a local art exhibition that would be displayed in September during Mental Health Month.

Miss Whittington’s vision will become a reality this week when six local artists display the artworks they have created from more than 5,000 miniature origami butterflies folded by community members.

Miss Whittington hopes the colourful and delicate display of origami butterflies will spark awareness and positive conversations around mental health.

The two-day art exhibition will be on display at Charles Sturt University in Port Macquarie on Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 September. The exhibition will be open to the public on Wednesday for two sessions between 10am and 11am and 12pm and 1pm.

The butterfly exhibition will then be displayed across the Port Macquarie-Hastings community during the rest of Mental Health Month and also during Artwalk 2020 (Thursday 1 October to Thursday 8 October 2020).

Miss Whittington’s Butterflies for Mental Health Month project has already received acclaim from the local community, having earned her the 2020 Mid North Coast Young Volunteer of the Year Award.

This project is proudly supported by Charles Sturt University, Lifeline Mid Coast, Endeavour Clubhouse, New Horizons, headspace, Neami, and Inpatient & Outpatient Port Macquarie Base Hospital (Mid North Coast Local Health District).

Members of the public must register via the Eventbrite website to attend the art exhibition. Each session will be limited to 20 people and places are strictly limited.

The face-to-face event will align with the COVIDSafe regulations, as stipulated by federal and state governments. Attendance will be tracked, social distancing requirements will be in place, and sanitiser will be available.