About the Event
The Boneyard is an ambitious year-long project by Erin Coates, developed through a residency at Albany’s Historic Whaling Station and anchored in her personal connection to Kinjarling / Albany and her family’s history as shell divers.
In response the Whaling Station site and archives, and inspired by the submerged bone piles left by decades of commercial whaling, Coates investigates the entanglement of human and animal histories weaving together personal family stories, WA’s whaling history, and the fragile relationship between humans and animals.
Through haunting imagery, sculptural forms, underwater film, and large-scale installation works, The Boneyard reflects on memory, extinction, and regeneration, creating a powerful meditation on the intersection of family narrative, natural history, and the remnants of whaling in Western Australia.
Join us onsite in the Historic Whaling Station gallery for retrospective drawing and small sculpture, and below the flensing deck for large scale suspended installation work.
For more information, contact Albany’s Historic Whaling Station on (08) 9844 4021 or email reception@discoverybay.com.au.
Join a Graphite Drawing Masterclass with Erin Coates
Friday 3 July 2026, 10am – 1pm
Join established visual Erin Coates for an intensive workshop focused on developing graphite drawing techniques and observational skills. This hands-on session will explore material preparation, composition planning, lighting, shading, and observation methods to help strengthen your drawing practice.
Participants will experiment with a range of graphite techniques including hatching, stippling, soft shading, and blending methods using specialist drawing tools. Guided by Erin, you will work from objects, bones, and reference imagery to compose and develop your own detailed drawing during the class.
Suitable for ages 16+ years. Ticket includes all materials and a light morning tea.
Booking is essential, as spaces are limited.
Join an Anatomical Collage and Graphite Workshop with Erin Coates
Sunday 5 July 2026, 10am – 1pm
Join exhibiting artist Erin Coates for an immersive workshop exploring collage and graphite drawing. Working with found imagery from vintage nature books, participants will learn how to build compelling compositions, generate creative ideas, and move beyond the challenge of the ‘blank page’ when starting a new artwork.
Through guided experimentation, Erin will demonstrate approaches to layering collage with graphite drawing, showing how imagery can be extended, transformed, and reimagined on the page. The workshop will focus on human and animal biology, encouraging participants to create richly detailed and imaginative works inspired by the natural world.
Suitable for ages 16+ years. Ticket includes all materials and a light morning tea.
