In celebration of International Women’s Day 2025, Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf partnered with artists Mel Booth, Bridgit Stehli, and Australian designer Lee Mathews to host a community appliqué workshop, culminating in a collaborative artwork. This meaningful piece will be auctioned to raise funds for The Women’s Housing Company, an organisation supporting single women and women with children experiencing housing insecurity across New South Wales.
Female-led practices have historically been marginalised, and this reality inspired Mary Cassatt’s three-panel mural, Modern Woman (1893), which challenged traditional views of women as passive and compliant. The (artwork) collaborative work celebrates the strength and ingenuity of contemporary women and is an opportunity to honour women from the past, and the role they played in the passing of knowledge across multiple generations.
The artwork is currently on exhibition, at Woollahra Gallery before being auctioned on Thursday 19th June, with funds going towards The Women’s Housing Company.
Mel and Bridgit’s artistic practices explore the evolving perception of women, centring on the female gaze throughout their works. Exhibition partner Lee Mathews is known for her commitment to social welfare initiatives and her dedication to high-quality natural textiles and sustainable practices.
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When | Thursday 19 June, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Where | Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf
Cost | Free
Capacity | 100
Transport and parking | The Gallery can be reached via public transport (buses 324, 325 or 326, or walk from Edgecliff Station or Double Bay Wharf). After-hours parking is available at Council Chambers (536 New South Head Rd, Double Bay NSW 2028). If you are arriving via UBER or Taxi please request a drop-off or collection at the Council Chambers.
Image credit | Mel Booth in collaboration with the Woollahra community, Apple of perseverance, 2025, 175x140cm, raw linen.
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