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 are a 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.
Our vision is that when people think of the Riverland, they think quirky and 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 the Riverland region of 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 Riverland artists and thinkers: audio walking tours, immersive theatre, collaborative writing projects, video game jams, intimate concerts and creative based workshop tasters.
Part of Things has been dreamt up by Riverlanders in their 20s and 30s for our peers – other Riverlanders looking for connection, inspiration, opportunities and that something a bit weird and wonderful. We welcome champions, allies and participants of all ages.
Our space and programming reflects the specific tastes, interests and aspirations of Riverlanders looking for weird, wonderful and quirky experiences. We operate from Hawdon Chambers on the main-street of Barmera and make our space available for hire, as well as offering co-working desks. We also have a Mighty Networks virtual hub for events and connection.
Part of Things is a small business embracing self-help, self-responsibility, collaboration, curiosity, courage and creativity. Our programming is variously-scaled, responsive to identified needs and interests, and always evolving. We close up programming over the hot Riverland summer and kick back into gear over March – November. We are unashamedly focused on Riverland tastes, interests, ideas and futures in everything we do, and we love working with allies, champions and collaborators from other communities for shared benefit.
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, Brianna Obst, Shay Leach and other Riverland champions.
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 can 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 will finish in December 2022. Join in with our adventures to see what happens after that.
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 that anyone (you) can access and take over for your own ideas.
A mobilised community of Riverlanders 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 Riverlanders 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 based creative practitioner Alysha Herrmann. Part of Things has been co-founded by Alysha with creative & life partner Nic Tubb. Together they are taking on the responsibility and risk to bring Part of Things to life. Part of Things is currently registered as a small business owned by Alysha 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 at the budget 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 Riverland.
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 Brianna Obst and Shaylee 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 excited to be re-activating a space that was once the home of RYT into a new vision and resource for adults in the Riverland.
Join in and be Part of Things.
Part of Things 