Currents of Practice

2026 World Wetlands Day Exhibition & Public Program

WETLANDS AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE: CELEBRATING CULTURAL HERITAGE

January 24 - February 2, 2026
Coolart Wetlands and Beyond

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Currents of Practice, an annual arts program that celebrates the deep relationship between wetlands, artivism, and creative expression.

Proudly supported by the Mornington Peninsula Shire’s Community Investment  Sponsorship program

Developed in alignment with the Ramsar Convention’s World Wetlands Day, the program brings together artists, scientists, educators, and community partners to draw attention to the ecological and cultural significance of the Mornington Peninsula’s internationally recognised wetlands.

Through exhibition, performance, and public conversations, Currents of Practice centres art as a conduit for environmental literacy, place based storytelling, and community connection.

CURRENTS OF PRACTICE ART EXHIBITION

& PUBLIC PROGRAM 2026

24 January – 2 February 2026

Selected artworks will be presented across Coolart Wetlands and Homestead, & The Revillaging Project.

The World Wetlands Day Exhibition will be open to the public across this full period.

Coolart Homestead will be open from 10am - 4pm.

Currents of Practice Exhibition (Free)

Public Program

Official Opening Weekend at Coolart Wetlands

Saturday 31 January 2026

Public program officially opens with formal proceedings. Bookings here

The program will include:

  • Welcome to Country by Jillian West

  • Dancers from the Ganga Giri troupe

  • Gidja Walker OAM launching her new book with a walk and talk (TBC)

  • Screening of Introducing Coolart by the late Graham Pizzey

  • Western Port Biosphere in conversation + bug dipping activities.

Sunday 1 February 2026

  • Q&A with Tracee Hutchison and participating artists in the Coolart Observatory. Bookings essential.

  • Local artist Mietta will present the second instalment of 'When The Water Stills' - a music and experiential storytelling series. Bookings essential.

Monday February 2 2026

On World Wetlands Day itself, The Revillaging Project, a participating site of Currents of Practice, will host a public celebration with artworks on display and a program of conversations. The full program comes into view Monday 12 January. Bookings will be essential.

World Wetlands Day at the Revillaging Project

The inaugural Currents of Practice exhibition and public program (January - February 2025) was held at Coolart Wetlands and Homestead, a Ramsar-listed site. Twelve artists presented site-responsive works spanning installation, photography, sculpture, sound, print making, textiles and works on paper. The program also included a public conversation hosted by broadcaster and writer Tracee Hutchison, and collaborations with Friends of Coolart, Western Port Biosphere, and local environmental groups.

The event welcomed significant visitor engagement and affirmed the importance of wetlands as places of inspiration, learning, and cultural storytelling. It also introduced a growing audience to the rich ecological heritage of Coolart and the wider Western Port environment.

Currents of Practice World Wetlands Day Art Exhibition Australia
Coolart Wetlands Currents of Practice Art Exhibition and Public Program curated by Rosa Mar Tato Ortega

In Situ Reflections

  • 'Currents of Practice beautifully embodies the Ramsar Secretariat’s global priorities of visibility, collaboration, and resource mobilisation. Through art and community, it amplifies the voice of wetlands - fostering partnerships, inspiring stewardship, and connecting local action to global environmental goals. It stands as a model for how creative practice can nurture both cultural vitality and ecological care on the Mornington Peninsula.'

    State Member for Hastings and Acting Speaker - Parliament of Victoria

  • "Importantly, Currents of Practice reinforced the role of wetlands as living classrooms and cultural landscapes. By situating temporary works within the house and its surrounds, the project invited reflection on place-making and our collective relationship with fragile ecologies. The success of this inaugural program signals strong potential for Currents of Practice to continue as an annual event, connecting local communities with national and international networks. It is a project that contributes meaningfully to Friends of Coolart and Mornington Pe ninsula Shire’s Arts and Culture goals of social cohesion, environmental awareness, and cultural participation, while affirming the Friends of Coolart’s commitment to stewardship of this treasured site."

    Julie Ebbott

    President Friends of Coolart 2025

  • "The Currents of Practice exhibition was a moving celebration of wetlands— places that quietly sustain life, store carbon, filter water, and support biodiversity across the globe. Here in Western Port, our wetlands are not only vital ecosystems, but part of an international network of significance. As a Ramsar-listed site on the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, Western Port is connected to wetlands across the world—supporting tens of thousands of migratory birds and reminding us that local care has global impact. Supporting this project aligned deeply with the Western Port Biosphere Foundation’s purpose: to inspire a positive future by connecting people and nature today. Through art, sound, and storytelling, Currents of Practice invited people to experience the wetlands in new ways, fostering the awareness, advocacy, and action that healthy ecosystems urgently need. We thank the artists, organisers and community who helped bring the wetlands to life through this powerful collaboration."

    Mel Barker

    Western Biosphere CEO

  • "From its inception, Currents of Practice presented as an inspired artist-led event deeply embedded in place, in practice and in resonant awe of the unique RAMSAR-listed Coolart Wetlands biosphere in Victoria’s Western Port. Led by Mornington Peninsula-based artist-activist Rosa Mar Tato Ortega, the event evolved into a profoundly moving homage to the wetlands and the frailty of the ecosystem it supports. My role in the inaugural public program as facilitator of the artist-led panel discussions enabled contributing artists to speak to the power and persuasion of their creative practice as mirror to the escalating stress-symptoms in our natural environment, and the role of the arts as a catalyst for social change. Currents of Practice landed with such deep connection, honouring and acknowledgement of the ancient wisdom and language of the land - and an empathetic invitation to consider the great existential question: how do we sustain life on earth? Together, we shared an opportunity to pause and reflect on the transcendental beauty of art as a universal language, and the hopeful aspiration of the artists lens to be the change we want to see."

    Tracee Hutchison

    Q&A and Public Conversation Facilitator