Part of Things is a space to bring new ideas to life. It is an experimental gathering place inspired by DIY culture, contemporary & experimental art, entrepreneurial thinking, community service and a ferocious pursuit of “how could this be better?”
We have a physical gathering place, ideas hub and creative nook on the main street of Barmera, South Australia. Our upstairs space at Hawdon Chambers has co-working desks, workshop and intimate sized event space, exhibition and presentation spaces, a small resource library, kitchenette and toilets.
We are in the business of bringing local creative ideas to life.
Our vision is that when people think of regional South Australia, they think quirky and inspiring creative experiences in the same way that when people think of Melbourne, they think of fancy coffee.
Our mission is to nurture a creative and connected generation of doers in and from regional South Australia.
We organise projects, events, gatherings, meetings, workshops, mentoring and everything in between to achieve this mission. We present quirky, unique and memorable experiences created and curated by regional artists and thinkers: audio walking tours, immersive theatre, collaborative writing projects, visual arts exhibitions, video game jams, intimate concerts and creative based workshop tasters.
Part of Things was dreamt up and initiated by Riverlanders in their 20s and 30s for our peers – other regional folk looking for connection, inspiration, opportunities and that something maybe a bit weird and wonderful. We welcome champions, allies and participants of all ages and we are exploring ways to share our model and ways of working in other locations across regional SA.
Our space/s and programming reflect the specific tastes, interests and aspirations of regional folk looking for weird and wonderful experiences they can’t have anywhere else. We operate from home offices, our cars, libraries, community spaces, and unexpected nooks, and we make our physical space in Barmera available for members and non-members to activate with their own ideas.
Part of Things embraces self-help, self-responsibility, collaboration, curiosity, courage and creativity. Our programming is variously-scaled, responsive to identified needs and interests, always evolving and always prioritising local leadership.
We are in the process of transitioning from a non-incorporated initiative under the auspice of founder Alysha Herrmann to an independent and standalone legal structure as a non-distributing cooperative (a type of not for profit organisation). As a non-distributing cooperative we can provide an organisational structure that is greater than any individual member. This enables people who are Part of Things to progress their ideas without the financial and administrative burden and risks of setting up something bigger than they need, or before they are ready. Together we can do more with what we have and where we are.
We tend to close up Riverland programming over the hot Riverland summer and kick back into gear over March – November. We are unashamedly focused on the tastes, interests, ideas and futures of regional South Australia in everything we do, and we love working with allies, champions and collaborators from other communities for shared benefit.
History
Part of Things was founded in 2019 by award winning Riverland writer, creative producer and community organiser Alysha Herrmann, with practical and moral support from Nic Tubb, Ella Winnall, Bri Obst, Shay Leach and other Riverland champions, including the early and ongoing contribution of Kirste Vandergiessen.
Part of Things started with a two-year community lease (ie. cheap rent) from the Berri Barmera Council to test the idea at Hawdon Chambers Barmera and see what we could grow together.
We signed the first lease in December 2018 and collected the keys in January to begin designing and bringing the space to life. We held five public workshops between February – April 2019 to open up the process of planning things.
We officially opened to the public August 2019 and our experiment continues. We signed the second lease in December 2020 which finished in December 2022. We signed a third lease in December 2022 for the next four years. Join in with our adventures to see what happens next.
Part of Things is:
A curated program of events and activities that bring people together to discover and try out new things.
A co-working and small events space in Barmera that anyone (you) can access and take over for your own ideas.
A mobilised community of creative regional folk reimagining the future together.
A place to casually hang out that isn’t a pub or somewhere you have to always pay to be.
A hub for creative regional folk to grow their skills, networks, projects and ideas.
Some behind the scenes nitty gritty:
Part of Things is the heart and brain child of Riverland-born and Mount Gambier based creative practitioner Alysha Herrmann. Part of Things has been co-founded by Alysha with creative & life partner Nic Tubb. Together they took on the responsibility and risk to bring Part of Things to life. Part of Things is currently attached to Alysha’s sole trader ABN but operates with a not-for-profit (or profit-for-purpose) model, meaning that all profits go back into supporting the vision and mission of Part of Things. Our vision is aligned with shared ownership models and we welcome transparency. If you’d like to know more about the model or you’d like to have a look behind the scenes just ask.
Many others are contributing time, energy, equipment and love to make Part of Things work during these early stages of its life.
So to be clear – Part of Things has no on-going funding or other financial support to exist. Buying a ticket to an event or a workshop, hiring a co-working desk or giving us a financial tip is what will pay the bills to make Part of Things sustainable and able to offer more programs. We also collaborate with councils, not-for-profit organisations and other businesses to attract funding for special projects and we are working on longer term income strategies from ticket sales, merch and other products. We are still right at the beginning of this journey and experimenting with what works and what doesn’t in the unique context of our regional communities.
If you love what we’re doing and want to say thanks, you can buy us a virtual coffee here.
If you want to contribute financially in a bigger way, more regularly or as a sponsor to make more programming, events, activities and awesomeness happen contact us here.
Alysha was supported and assisted by the fabulous creative brains of ex-Riverlanders Bri Obst and Shay Leach to develop the original pitch for Part of Things to the Berri Barmera Council enabling us to take over Hawdon Chambers and bring the idea to life to date.
Alysha, Nic, Shay and Bri are all proud alumni of Riverland Youth Theatre and would like to acknowledge the personal significance of re-activating Hawdon Chambers – a space that was once the home of RYT – as Part of Things.
The current leadership team of Part of Things in 2024 is made up of Alysha Herrmann (Riverland/Mount Gambier), Eliza Wuttke (Port Lincoln), and Kirste Vandergiessen (Barmera), with ongoing behind the scenes support from Nic Tubb (Mount Gambier). Part of Things is a network of creatives, thinkers, and doers.
Join in and #bepartofthings
Part of Things 