Welcome to our first Newsletter for 2020

Our Journey Continues...

Thank you for bee-ing so patient ... this has taken us ages to put together! We have been working hard to set up business structures for the next phase, as well as trying to find a work-life balance through these last few crazy and somewhat trying months.

2018 was all about restoration of the 1910 cottage and upgrading to make it compliant and energy efficient. We gained experience in writing grants (won and successfully acquitted two) and dealing with Councils (Two Development Applications approved) and starting to build the Hive mindset.

2019 was all about making connections and testing all the things we would like to provide in the future. We have learnt a bit about what it takes to run and promote events and gallery shows and what a lot of procedures need to go in place for such activities.

2020 is about building strong teams of volunteers and offering memberships to the Hive so that we can keep flying. We will be offering spaces for room bookings and events to co-exist with the Gallery. We will level up with our physical infrastructure and complete our carpark and Pergola area in order to begin offering workshops opportunities and a gift shop inside the beautiful building. We will do more live music, some theatre, more poetry, more heritage history, more special events. We will chase more grants. We will keep the Hive alive and strive to make it thrive as a truly community cultural hub for everyone.

Volunteers

Thanks to those who turned up for the 'Bee Part of the Hive' volunteer day recently. If you want to volunteer and you didn't make it that event, or even hear about it, please let us know. Email your name, mobile phone number, availability and expertise/job-type-preference to info@qbnhive.buzz with VOLUNTEER in the subject line.

There are three broad types of jobs we need doing:

1. minding the art gallery which will be open Thur-Sun 10am-4pm except Fridays which will be 10am-9pm;
2. food, drinks, door and generally help out at live music events (weekend afternoons or evenings and occasional weeknights);
3. communication - social media, media releases, website updates and drafting and distributing The Buzz. 

Nobody would work more than three hours at a time.

We will build a list of names, then a shared roster document and then get in touch when we have upcoming jobs that need doing so you know how to help. And if you want to help us in other ways then please don't hold back and tell us what and how! There's certainly plenty to do around here and 2020 is going to be our biggest year yet.

Members

We're working on this exciting offer and will come back to you soon!

Launching our Autumn Season with 

In the aftermath of a tempestuous summer, a new art show at The Queanbeyan Hive reminds that nature can provide nurture as well as torture. This exhibition features hauntingly beautiful paintings by Major’s Creek artist Jane Ahlquist and powerfully earthy pieces by Queanbeyan ceramicist Galia Shy.

Ahlquist’s evocative works tell of the mysterious healing magic of bush witches and angels and the enchantments of landscape. Shy is well known in the Canberra region for her works in stained glass. In this show her pottery skills shine through with a selection of exquisitely strong pieces using clay and ash.

Sat 14 - Sun 29 March 2020

New Opening Hours: Thur, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm and Fri 10am-9pm 

Paving with Good Intentions

Getting paving done or helping someone who is?

Fancy learning how to do it yourself and helping us at the same time?

We are preparing the back yard for our "Hexagons within Hexagon Paving Workshop" led by local master craftsman Brett Jacobsen (who so immaculately paved our gorgeous front courtyard and side path) on Saturday 21st March. It’s a chance for you to help us get a big job done, while learning how to do it yourself.

Why are we doing this?

When we changed the use of our commercial premises from ‘business’ to ‘gallery/retail’, it triggered a regulatory need to upgrade our parking spaces to be bitumen, concrete or paving in order to 'line mark' the 3 car spots! 

We have been collecting recycled pavers for this purpose. Some are originally from the fabled forecourts of the Tuggeranong Hyperdome. We’d love to pave the whole yard and drive like this, but at this stage we can only afford to do the required car park area.

Limited Spots for this Free workshop

What you will get: a free lesson from a master, morning tea and lunch. 

What we will get: your time and energy and a completed carpark!

Riverside Rythmns raised 8K for helping our wildlife! 

Thank you Omar Musa and the amazing performers you brought to the Hive to create this beautiful bushfire fundraising event so suddenly on 9 January. Thank you Eden Plenty, Cathy Diver, Lucy Sugerman, CJ Bowerbird and the bittersweet bliss of Endrey with band playing his last gig before leaving CBR for MEL. Thanks again to the stalwart volunteer Bee Team and especially Brendon Houlahan for doing the sound. And most of all thanks to everyone who came along and paid to see this, and bought food and drink, and bought artworks. Thanks to the brilliant generous visual artists who donated their works - Omar Musa among them. Massive love and deep gratitude from Queen Bee Helen and Hivemeister Simon. This event proved the power of the Hive at its best and has set a real benchmark for the quality and power and glory of our live events. The work that WIRES and Wildcare Queanbeyan are doing to help animals hurt by the summer's horrendous bushfires is super important and we salute them and were proud to support them through this event.

PS

Endrey has since returned on 1 March for a stunning solo gig and that hopefully won't bee the last time! Stay tuned for more amazing live music news as it's announced...