Indigenous arts and culture - News and events

Events | Featured projects | Call for entries | Announcements

Events

Brian McKinnon: The Art of an Accidental Man - Melbourne

15 September – 10 November 2009

An exhibition by Brian McKinnon, of the Yamatji/Amangu people. Two series reconstruct Indigenous identity, appropriating imagery from Ancient Sumerian and Indigenous designs to imagery borrowed from Ellsworth Kelly and Emory Douglas. McKinnon's revolutionary zeal is tempered by sadness. In a recent black and white work canvases are chained together in reference to Indigenous chain gangs. Mossenson Galleries Collingwood.

Wardarnji Aboriginal Cultural Festival 2009 - Fremantle, Western Australia

14 November 2009

Since 1993, the Wardarnji Aboriginal Cultural Festival is celebrated where the Derbarl Yerrigan or Swan River meets the salt water, this area for thousands of generations has been known by the local Nyoongar people as Walyalup or Fremantle. Wardarnji 2009 will give you a glimpse of Aboriginal culture as you watch the traditional Middar (dance) of Australia's first people, taste bush tucker and hear the stories of our people passed down, generation to generation, through story telling and music. Fremantle Esplanade Reserve.

Menagerie: Contemporary Indigenous sculpture - Sydney

5 September – 15 November 2009

Thirty-three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists who have each produced outstanding sculptural works depicting a variety of animals are included in this ground breaking exhibition. Menagerie includes fibre works, ceramics, wood carving and mixed media among the variety of techniques used by the exhibiting artists. Object Gallery.

Tayenebe - Hobart, then touring

until 29 November 2009

Tayenebe means 'exchange'. Over the past three years more than twenty-five Tasmanian Aboriginal women have journeyed together across the island in a process of cultural retrieval of the techniques of basket making. Tayenebe includes contemporary fibre work made during the project alongside historical pieces from the Museum's collection as well as a video and blog. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.

2008 Parliament of NSW Indigenous Art Prize - New South Wales tour

January – 29 November 2009

The 2008 Parliament of NSW Indigenous Art Prize is toured by Museums & Galleries NSW. The Prize recognises the great wealth of artistic excellence in NSW Indigenous communities, and the exhibition also awards the COFA Professional Development Award, supported by the University of NSW. The exhibition continues from strength to strength with entries and audience attendance increasing each year. Various locations.

Kimberley Aboriginal Artists, Sharing Difference on Common Ground - Perth

23 October – 29 November 2009

The Kimberley Aboriginal Artists was established with the aim of sharing the richness and diversity of their art, language and identity. This exhibition and accompanying publication will present a selection of the art being produced currently by artists in each of the four art centres: Mangkaja, Mowanjum, Waringarrim and Warmun. Holmes a Court Gallery.

Gunybi Ganambarr, barks & sculpture - Sydney

28 October – 5 December 2009

Under the tutelage, whilst living on their country, of artists like Gawirrin Gumana and Yumutjin Wununmurra from his mother's Dhalwanu clan, Gunybi Ganambarr has begun to assume ceremonial authority. He has combined that with a startling innovative flair to produce groundbreaking sacred art that is at once novel and still entirely consistent with Yolnguu madayin (law). Annandale Galleries.

Emily Kame Kngwarreye - Melbourne

29 October – 6 December 2009

Emily Kame Kngwarreye is one of Australia's most important and famous female artists. Hailed as a modernist 'genius', she has been compared to Rothko and de Kooning. An Anmatyerre elder from Utopia in the remote central desert region of the Northern Territory, Emily first took up painting on canvas in her late 70s. She quickly became one of the leaders in the contemporary Aboriginal art movement, transforming her style several times during her short career of eight years. Today she is known as one of the greatest abstract painters of the 20th century. DACOU Australia, Phillip Court, Port Melbourne.

ANU Indigenous Art Collection - Canberra

12 November – 20 December 2009

This exhibition is a selection from the ANU's now extensive collection of sculptures and paintings, including bark paintings, and prints. The Australian National University has been pioneering in its support of indigenous culture. With its 1978 award of a Creative Arts Fellowship to Narritjin Maymuru from Eastern Arnhem Land, the ANU was one of the first public institutions in Australia to so actively encourage indigenous artists. The university has continued to engage with this rich and important art through initiatives such as the School of Art Print Workshop's collaborative print editions, through its acquisition policy and through commissions such as the Pukamani poles by Benny Tipungwuti. Drill Hall Gallery.

Jettison Wove - Queensland

Touring Atherton, Yarrabah, Lockhart River, Erub Arts Centre, Darnley Island, Torres Strait: 22 October – 3 November; Thursday Island: 8 February – 5 March 2010

Jettison Wove is an exploration of contemporary weaving by Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait artists. The artists combine the use of discarded and man-made materials with time-honoured techniques and forms to create vessels imbued with a permanence not previously associated with their traditional weavings of natural fibres. Various locations.

Dhari a Krar: Headdresses and masks from the Torres Strait - Canberra

Ongoing

Dhari a Krar, meaning 'headdresses and masks' in the western Torres Strait language of Kala Lagaw Ya, brings together a diverse collection of masks, headdresses and dance objects from the late 1800s to the present. The exhibition explores their continuing significance to Torres Strait Islander cultures. National Museum of Australia.

Featured projects

Perth's new Noongar Radio Station

October 2009

Perth's new Indigenous radio station, Noongar Radio (100.9 FM) was launched in Perth on 5 July 2009. The Indigenous Broadcasting Program (IBP) funds the Indigenous organisation PEEDAC to run the station. It received $340,000 from IBP in 2009–10. The station was launched as part of the 2009 NAIDOC week celebrations.

Craft Australia launches on-line forum right way - the future of Indigenous art and design

September – 20 November 2009

Craft Australia has launched its biennial national on-line forum right way - the future of indigenous craft and design. The forum discussions examine Indigenous design education led by Alison Page, ethical engagement led by Kevin Murray and authenticity for Indigenous designs led by Trish Barnard. As background to these discussions, each of the forum leader's papers, from the Selling Yarns conference held at the National Museum of Australia in March of this year, are presented.  The online forum title came from seeing Indigenous artists with the slogan on t-shirts at the 2008 Darwin Indigenous Art Fair and the extensive interest that was generated around the issues of sustainability, ethical craft and design practice.

Call for entries

Music Bound Quick Response Travel Fund - national

Ongoing

The Music Bound Quick Response Travel Fund aims to help Indigenous music coordinators attend professional development opportunities in Australia. The objective of this program is to support Indigenous arts workers to have greater access to industry development opportunities.

Young Indigenous Writers' Initiative

Ongoing

In 2008, the Federation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages (FATSIL) announced the launch of the Young Indigenous Writers Initiative. The Young Indigenous Writer's Initiative is a mentoring program run by FATSIL that helps young Indigenous writers to develop writing skills and get work published. The aim of the program is to foster and promote the next generation of Indigenous writers in Australia.

Indigenous Media Training Scholarship - New South Wales

Ongoing

This scholarship offers Indigenous people in NSW the opportunity to enrol in Metro Screen training courses. Scholarships are awarded on a first come, first served basis. Courses are listed on the Metro Screen website.

Announcements

15th annual Deadly Awards

October

The Deadlys honour the best Indigenous performers in a variety of fields including music, film, sports, the arts and education. Former Australian Idol contestant Jessica Mauboy received four awards, including Female Artist of the Year, Single of the Year for her hit Burn and Album of the Year for Been Waiting. Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu was voted Male Artist of the Year for the second year running, while 80-year-old singer-songwriter Seaman Dan was honoured with the Jimmy Little Life Achievement Award.

Indigenous remains to be returned from Vienna - Kimberley region, Western Australia and Moreton Bay, Queensland

12 October 2009

The remains of 17 Indigenous Australians were handed over to a delegation of Aboriginal people from the Kimberley region in Western Australia and Moreton Bay in Queensland at a ceremony in Austria. The Pathology and Natural History Museum in Vienna is handing over the remains. Some of the remains will be brought back to the National Museum of Australia. More than 1,000 Aboriginal ancestral remains are held in museums around the world. Since 1990, more than 1,150 Indigenous remains have been brought back to Australia.

Restoration of Men's Museum - Yuendumu, Northern Territory

12 October 2009

The Men's Museum at Yuendumu will receive $200,000 to repair, restore and reopen the historic museum including sealing the building from dust.

Cultural Ministers Council Communique - Indigenous art, music and intellectual property

9 October 2009

Cultural Ministers of the Commonwealth, all States and Territories endorsed an Indigenous Australian Art Commercial Code of Conduct for the industry and agreed to an Indigenous Australian Art Charter of Principles for Publicly Funded Collecting Institutions. The code and charter fulfil recommendations of the Senate Inquiry into Indigenous Visual Arts. Ministers also discussed progress in the implementation of the Indigenous Contemporary Music Action Plan and considered delivery options for an Indigenous Intellectual Property Toolkit.

Minister welcomes support for Indigenous Art Code of Conduct

October 2009

Minister for the Arts Peter Garrett welcomed endorsement of the Indigenous Australian Art Commercial Code of Conduct by Australian and New Zealand cultural ministers. Speaking after the Cultural Ministers Council meeting in Adelaide, Mr Garrett said that Ministers' endorsement of the Code is a significant milestone in achieving a strong and ethical Indigenous visual arts industry in Australia.

The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island scoops awards

2 September 2009

Chloe Palmer has won the Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction with her book, The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island (Hamish Hamilton) as part of the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards. The book has also the NSW Premier's, Australian Book Industry and Indie Book of the Year awards for non-fiction and a Davitt crime writing award. At the Melbourne Writers Festival, The Tall Man also won the Ned Kelly Prize for true crime and the inaugural John Button award for non-fiction writing. The Tall Man documents the story of Cameron Domadgee's death on Palm Island and the investigation by Brisbane lawyer Andrew Boe, who worked on the case pro bono for the Palm Island community.

Warwick Thornton wins 'most outstanding script' at AWGIE Awards

31 August 2009

Alice Springs filmmaker, Warwick Thornton was awarded the Major AWGIE for the most outstanding Australian script of the year for his film Samson and Delilah, at the 42nd Annual Australian Writers' Guild AWGIE Awards. Thornton was the writer, director and cinematographer of Samson and Delilah, which was also awarded the AWGIE for Original Feature Film.

New national approach to preserve Indigenous languages

August 2009

Indigenous languages will live on for future generations of Australians under a new approach being taken by the Australian Government. The new National Indigenous Languages Policy is aimed at keeping Indigenous languages alive and supporting Indigenous Australians to connect with their language, culture and country.

ACT Artist Danie Mellor Wins National Telstra Art Award

August 2009

Canberra based artist Danie Mellor has been awarded the national Telstra Art Award, at the 26th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, for his work titled From Rite to Ritual. He was presented with the $40,000 Telstra Award tonight by Professor Marcia Langton, Chair, Museums and Art Galleries Board of the Northern Territory, and Telstra Country Wide Group Managing Director, Brett Riley at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) in Darwin. Measuring 2.07m x 1.54m the mixed media on paper artwork features intricate layers of imagery with Aboriginal people and Indigenous animals placed against a setting that is littered with elements of European culture.

Pathways & Protocols: a filmmaker's guide to working with Indigenous people, culture and concepts

August 2009

Screen Australia published a comprehensive guide for all filmmakers working with Indigenous content and communities, titled Pathways & Protocols: a filmmaker's guide to working with Indigenous people, culture and concepts. Pathways & Protocols is essential reading for all filmmakers shooting in Australia.

Seeking comments on Indigenous heritage law

3 August 2009

Heritage Minister Peter Garrett released a discussion paper for public comment on Australian laws to protect Indigenous heritage. Mr Garrett said this is an opportunity for the public to contribute ideas on making the Commonwealth's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 (ATSIHP Act) more effective as a way to protect traditional areas and objects significant to Indigenous Australians.

Key online resources

• Aboriginal Art Directory
• The Black Book - Indigenous Portal
• Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
• Message Club - Indigenous online space for children
• Message Stick - ABC online
• Vibe (the Deadlys)
• Centre for Appropriate Technology
• Reconciliation Australia
• The Institute for Aboriginal Development
• IAD Press - National Indigenous Publishing
• Indigenous Community News Network
• Indigenous language map

Indigenous peoples

• Eora: Aboriginal Sydney, 1770-1850
• Garma
• Indigenous Australians - online exhibitions at the Mitchell Library
• Mission Voices - Koorie
• Narungga people, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
• Nyoongar people - Murdoch University
• Sacred Ground
• Wallumedegal - Aboriginal History of Ryde
• A brief Aboriginal History of Ryde
• Bundle (also known as Bon-del, Bundal, Bundell or Burreach)

Arts and culture

• Twelve Canoes
• ANKAAA - Northern Territory Top End and Kimberley Indigenous art centres
• Adjahdura Land
• Desart - Indigenous art centres in Central Australia
• Dust Echoes
• iDIDJ Australia
• Koori Heritage Trust - Victoria
• Bruce Pascoe with AIATSIS, The Little Red Yellow Black Book
• Ngaanyatjarra Regional Arts
• Queensland Indigenous Arts Marketing and Export Agency (QIAMEA)
• Roebourne Art Group
• Indigenous Torres Strait Islander Art
• Tiwi Art
• UMI Arts- Far North and West Queensland
• Us Mob
• Warlukurlangu Artists' Aboriginal Association
• Magabala Books

Media and broadcasting

• Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA)
• Imparja Television
• Waru - hosted by PY Media in APY Lands