The 2017 Wednesday Lunchtime Live season at the Wesley Music Centre will open on February 15 at 12.40pm with a program of music for string quartet by Antipodean composers performed by the Canberra String Quartet: Barbara Jane Gilby, violin; Pip Thompson, violin; Lucy Carrigy-Ryan, viola; Alex Voorhoeve, cello. Entry $5 or donation. Refreshments $2. 20 National Circuit Forrest. Phone 62327248 for more information or visit wesleycanberra.org.au.

The Hive is The Street Theatre's script/performance development program. In its search for contemporary regional and Australian writers, The Street has developed a place for the gathering of theatrical ideas and minds and to provide fertile ground for Canberra to develop a distinctive and strong voice. Applications close 14 February 2017. For further information on the program and guidelines, residency dates and applications visit thestreet.org.au/take-part/hive.

Tuggeranong Arts Centre's Visual Arts program has begun the year with two exhibitions exploring the theme of animals. In 3 Memories, 3 Animals and a Hunk of Wax, Julia Higgs uses sculpture, drawings and print making to explore the relationship between humans and animals and our dominance over them, a dominance that is ascertained by people killing animals and eating them in excess to become stronger. Seek is an exhibition and curated retail event with textiles by animal rights campaigner Gabriella Tagliapietra. By depicting the peace and tranquility of animals fortunate enough to exist in their natural environment she poses the belief that all animals deserve the right to exist, without experiencing harm or cruelty from humans. Both exhibitions continue until February 25. tuggeranongarts.com.

Continuing her exploration of lichens and miniature microcosms, , former artist in residence at the CSIRO National Research Collections Natalie Maras is presenting her third solo exhibition Far Flung Universe at the Visitors Centre of the Australian National Botanic Gardens until March 13. It unifies delicate lichen forms with rustic earthy textures in a range of wall hung pieces and sculpture. The title of the exhibition references current speculation about the unearthly origin of lichen. It also references the capacity of lichen to circumnavigate the globe and reach alpine regions, deserts and volcanic island outposts. parksaustralia.gov.au/botanic-gardens/do/whats-on.html.

There are three exhibitiions now on at M16 Artspace. In Gallery 1, Kurt Brereton's Orpheus Island employs labour intensive embroidery (hand stitching) on oil painting, encaustic paintings, installation and performance video to draw attention to coral bleaching on Great Barrier Reef. In Gallery 2, Polarising Colour is an installation by Canberra artist David Keany and Ukrainian sound designer Georgiy Potopalskiy resulting from many years' experimentation and research into the aesthetic possibilities of light waves and polarising filters. And in Gallery 3, The Plate Show is a group exhibition curated by Katie Hayne and Ursula Frederick. It's version two of the Bookplates exhibition, which was held at Electric Shadows Bookstore in 2015 and includes contemporary art responses by local artists to the dinner plate. All exhibitions end on February 26. m16artspace.com.au.

Coincidences, an exhibition by John Wardle Architects (JWA), is on at the Nishi Gallery until February 17. It's an exploration of the work of JWA carried out by a series of architectural photographers and one artist, including Sharyn Cairns, Earl Carter and Erieta Attali. The exhibition interrogates the boundaries between public and private spaces and the ephemeral borders that connect and divide them. newacton.com.au/place/nishi-gallery.