At the Canberra Contemporary Platform Tensions and Connections by Tess Carlton & Isabella Roberts investigates practices of materiality, craft and collection, demonstrating bodily interactions with the tactile natural world to attempt to re-establish our connection with place. Tensions and Connections will be on display until Sunday May 18. The Canberra Contemporary Platform is at Furneaux Street, Manuka. Gallery hours are Friday to Sunday, 11am-5pm.

To celebrate its 45th birthday, the Megalo Print Studio presents Megalo: 45 Years of Print: an exhibition that displays works from Megalo’s archive and explores the studio’s significant contribution to social and political activism as well as artistic collaboration and innovation in Australia, and internationally. The exhibition will run until June 8. The Megalo print studio is at Wentworth St, Kingston. Opening hours 9.30am-5pm,  Tuesday-Saturday.

The Canberra Symphony Orchestra presents Beethoven’s Violin. Two performances featuring Beethoven’s iconic Violin Concerto in D major being brought to life by the full orchestra and one of Australia’s leading concert violinists Anna da Silva Che,. The program will also feature compositions from Peggy Polias and Ravel. The concerts will take place at Llewellyn Hall on Wednesday May 14 and Thursday May 15 at 7:30pm. For more information visit the Canberra Symphony Orchestra website.

At the Q theatre – the Queanbeyan performing arts centre, Neil Simon’s musical theatre Sweet Charity follows the adventures of Charity Hope Valentine, a hopeful dance hall hostess who is looking for love and a better life. Despite disappointments in her romantic endeavours, Charity remains resilient and continues to search for her happily ever after. Sweet Charity will be performed until Sunday May 18. For further information & performance times visit the Q theatre website.

Photo Access’s Huw Davies Gallery has two new exhibitions: Firstly, Kai Wasikowski’s The Bees and the Ledger investigates themes of industry, migration and work through the portrayal of the artist’s who maternal grandmother Natalia Broadhurst devoted the majority of her labor to study, growing food, keeping bees and caring for family. Then An Satong Kawaran by George Calvelo connects memories of a life left behind with new experiences unfolding during the artist’s transition to a new country. Both exhibitions will be on display from Thursday May  15 until June 14. Photo Access is at Manuka Circuit, Griffith. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10am-4pm.

At Strathnairn Arts there’s Matriarchy: an exhibition where Jessika Spencer works with both traditional and contemporary fibre art techniques to explore themes of land management, cultural heritage, and sustainability. The exhibition will run from Wednesday May 7 until Sunday June 1. Strathnairn Arts gallery hours are 10-4pm Wednesday to Sunday.

At the National Library of Australia two author conversations. Firstly, on Friday May 9 at 6pm, internationally acclaimed Irish novelist Colum McCann will be in conversation with Nicole Adbadee on his new novel ‘Twist’. Then on Wednesday May 14 from 6pm first nations author Anita Heiss will launch her new novel Red Dust Running. For further information on both these events visit the National Library of Australia website.

The latest Canberra Rep theatre production is Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit. An improbable farce featuring psychics, séances and dabbling in the unknown all in the name of research. Where seeing ghosts is just the beginning of unwittingly unleashed chaos. Blithe Spirit will be performed from Thursday May 1 until Saturday May 17. The Canberra Rep theatre is at Repertory Ln in Acton. Further information and performance times are available from their website.

At the Canberra Contemporary two new exhibitions. Am I in your way? extends Raquel Ormella’s career-long focus on the visual cultures of protest and resistance through drawings, flags and performance works, exploring bodily resistance and protest languages. Amala Groom’s The Lodge is the third moving image work in Amala Groom’s Raised by Wolves series. Autobiographical in nature, the series explores the relationship between alchemy (spirit) and science (matter), following the belief that life is a marriage of these forces, with the human being as the ultimate construct between them. Both exhibitions will be on display from Saturday May 3 until July 12. The Canberra Contemporary is at Queen Elizabeth Terrace, Parkes. Gallery hours are Friday to Sunday, 11am – 5pm.

The next Geoff’s Jazz will be long time collaborators Mike Price (guitar) and Daryl Pratt (vibraphone) team up with the saxophone powerhouse John Mackey for a night of playful jazz music making. The performance will be on Wednesday May 7 at 7pm at Smith’s Alternative. For more information go to the Smith’s Alternative website.

The German Film Festival is coming to Canberra. The festival will showcase the best in contemporary German cinema featuring key selections direct from the 2025 Berlinale, as well as thought-provoking dramas, insightful documentaries, comedies and family films. The festival will screen at the Palace Electric cinema in New Acton from Wednesday April 30–May 28. Further information and the schedule of screenings is available from the Palace cinemas website.

At Rusten House in Queanbeyan there’s FAKE & FAMOUS: an exhibition that brings together a diverse collection of works in which artists reinterpret famous painting, photography, sculpture, and mixed media masterpieces through their own creative lens. The exhibition will be on display until Saturday May 24; Rusten House is at Collett St, Queanbeyan.

At the Drill Hall Gallery there’s Eye to Eye: an exhibition that brings into focus Susan Taylor and Peter Jones’s art collection on the advent of the collection’s 25th anniversary. This Canberran couple’s collection of art was seeded from an initial interest in mid-century modern design and early twentieth century avant-garde art. The exhibition will run until June 15. The Drill Hall Gallery is at  Kingsley St Acton, Opening hours are Weds-Sun 10am-5pm.

Photo Access’s Huw Davies Gallery has two new exhibitions: Firstly, Alex Walker’s Light  Intersection is a site-specific exhibition exploring the role of light in photography and architecture. Then Nudes by Skye Thompson reimagines the overlooked material of 8mm home films as a space for reflection and repair. Both exhibitions will be on display from until Sunday May 10. Photo Access is at Manuka Circuit, Griffith. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday 10am-4pm.

At the Canberra Glassworks two new exhibitions. Firstly, Arum by Sydney-based designer, Tom Fereday is a solo show of glass products that uses his vast knowledge of manufacturing processes. Then Meander by Katie-Ann Houghton explores the relationship between form and pattern, drawing inspiration from architectural details. Both exhibitions will be on display until June 8. Canberra Glassworks is at Wentworth Avenue, Kingston. Gallery hours 10am-4pm Wednesday to Sunday.

M16 Artspace has three new exhibitions:

Firstly, in Dreamworlds, Isabelle Mackay-Sim & Gemma Brown lean into the idea of world-building, and create abstract sculptural groupings that tread the line between sculpture and diorama.

Then, The Forest Passage by Alex Flannery uses digital and film cameras to examine the hidden world of animal pathways winding through thick bush.

And, lastly, in Pizza Box Studio, Karl Lorenz transforms humble materials into gallery-ready art where small-scale, handcrafted landscapes invite viewers to experience both the personal and the infinite.

All three exhibitions run from Thursday April 17 until Sunday May 11.

M16 is at Blaxland Crescent, Griffith and Gallery hours are 10am – 4pm, Tuesdays – Sunday.

Craft and Design Canberra has two new exhibitions. The 2024 Artist-in-Residence exhibition showcases the work of 4 artists completed as part of the annual Craft + Design Canberra Artist-in-Residence program at Gudgenby Ready-Cut Cottage in the Namadgi National Park.

With Moth by Sue Peachey is a body of work that pairs utilitarian objects observed in the outbuildings of the Lanyon Homestead with endemic moth species.

Both exhibitions run until Saturday May 31. Craft & Design Canberra is in the North Building on London Cct in Civic. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Saturday 12pm -4pm.

Tuggeranong Arts Centre has three exhibitions.

In Walking with the Gardener, embroiderer Sharon Peoples and printmaker Peter McLean have set out to be immersed in, and record, the lush environment of Mt. Wilson.

Meander  by Lynne Flemons is a body of work that explores the creeks that flow through the Gudgenby Valley in Namadgi National Park through drawings made on site and paintings developed in the studio.

Pixel and Thread by Networks Australia is an exhibition showcasing the diverse ways digital technology can enhance creativity for textile artists and makers. The Networks Australia artists experiment with technologies like artificial intelligence, photography, programming, and automation, skillfully weaving them into their textile creations.

All three exhibitions will be on display from Friday April 11 until June 7. More information is available from the Tuggeranong Arts Centre’s website.

At the National Library of Australia there’s Fit to Print: Defining Moments from the Fairfax Photo Archive selected by Mike Bowers. This exhibition features images printed from the original glass-plate negatives to explore how the pioneers of press photography in Australia developed their storytelling skills while also creating a lasting record of Australian society in the opening decades of the 20th century. Fit to Print  will be on display until July 20. The National Library is open from 9am-5pm daily and for more information visit the National Library of Australia website.

The Belconnen Arts Centre has five new exhibitions:

Bountiful Botanicals by Members of the Botanical Art Society of Australia focuses on and celebrates biodiversity in the crops that have been closely associated with the human species over thousands of years.

In Through the Small Window, Lesley Andersen is responding to patterns found in ordinary household textiles to create small works that evolve through the methodical and rhythmic process of piecing together shapes, colours and textures built from hand-made oil and cold wax papers.

In Circumnavigating ‘Bush Capital’ from the (bike) saddle Sophie Baker literally looks down on The Capital from mountain bike paths to create works that observe the interconnectedness of our environment, its creatures and people.

Nana Saab’s Study for Stars reclaims industrial materials to transform them into something that is completely transcendental.

Botanical Systems by Paul Summerfield is an exhibition of digitally created textural details, light-filled spaces, dappled shadows, technobabble seeped in tradition and imagined ancient cultures.

All five exhibitions will be on display from Friday March 28 until May 18. Belco Arts Gallery hours are 10am–4pm, Tuesdays–Sunday.

At the Canberra Museum and Gallery Outer Space: Stromlo to the Stars celebrates the 100-year anniversary of Mount Stromlo Observatory. Immersive digital interactives, unique objects, and oral histories bring to life the groundbreaking discoveries and hidden history of this remarkable institution. Outer Space: Stromlo to the Stars will run until November 16. At the Canberra Museum and Gallery, cnr London Circuit and City Square, Canberra City. Opening hours are Monday-Friday: 10am-4pm & 12-4pm on Saturday-Sunday.

At the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House Behind the Lines 2024: the year in political cartoons. This year’s exhibition theme is ‘No guts, no glory’, reflecting a year where the Olympic and Paralympic Games were held, and in Australia’s daily news sporting analogies were drawn between politics and the issues affecting our everyday lives.  Behind the Lines 2024 will run until December 2025.

At the National Gallery of Australia the exhibition Ever Present: First Peoples Art of Australia is a celebration of First Nations art and cultures, providing a visual dialogue into Australia’s complex histories with over 260 historical and contemporary works of art by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from across Australia. Ever Present will be on display until August 2025. Gallery hours are 10am-5pm daily.