Ozculture Newsletter - Australia's Culture and Recreation Portal

culture.gov.au | June 2008

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June - Reconciliation and Indigenous Australia This month, events all over Australia focus on Indigenous Australia and reconciliation. In light of the Australian Government's formal apology to members of the Stolen Generation on 13 February, the year 2008 marks a milestone on the road to reconciliation. In the lead-up to NAIDOC week is Sorry Day (26 May) and National Reconciliation Week (starting 27 May). 27 May marks the anniversary of the 1967 Referendum, when more than 90 per cent of Australians voted to remove clauses from the Australian Constitution which discriminated against Indigenous Australians. 3 June marks the anniversary of the 1992 High Court of Australia's judgment in the Mabo case. NAIDOC week starts on 6 July. NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee', and its origins trace from the Day of Mourning in 1938. Today NAIDOC Week is a celebration of Indigenous history, culture and achievements, with events held around Australia. Each year, a theme is chosen to reflect the important issues and events for NAIDOC, and in 2008 the theme is Advance Australia Fair? Dance, festivals, photographs, song, voice, history and arts in many forms show us the cultural and historical sites and stories significant to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This Indigenous spirit is evoked all over Australia. Immerse yourself, appreciate and celebrate! New and revised Australian Stories In addition to our main article, Australian Indigenous cultural heritage, please also see our new and revised Australian Stories: Australian Indigenous Film Reconciliation Sorry Day and the Stolen Generations	Quick links Home News feed Australian Stories News Design & architecture Digital media & film Festivals & conferences History & identity Indigenous arts Language & literature Performance Resources & funding Sport & recreation Visual arts Websites - new
Featured event Mathinna - Melbourne, Brisbane, Wollongong, Canberra, Newcastle, Sydney 16 May - 23 August 2008 Bangarra Dance Company's Mathinna is inspired by a young girl's journey between two cultures. Born on Tasmania's Flinder's Island in 1835, adopted into the household of Governor Sir John and Lady Franklin, sent to the Queen's Orphan School and ultimately abandoned with her people at Oyster Cove, Mathinna's story is one of vulnerability and searching in an era of confusion and intolerance. More...
Featured website Nyungar interpretive history Whadjuk Nyungar land stretches from the Swan River to Rockingham and from the sea to the hills. Murdoch University is located in close vicinity of this land. This site examines Whadjuk Nyungar history in terms of the concepts of Nyittiny (cosmology), Boodjar (land), Moort (family relations), and Katitjin (people's knowledge).
News snippets Design and architecture culture.gov.au/news/design.htm Concrete Culture - Sydney 29 May - July 5 2008 In this group exhibition, Asian and Australian artists and architects Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, Richard Goodwin, Ou Ning, Ashok Sukumaran and Squatspace show works which probe the complex relationship between public and private spaces in rapidly evolving cities. More...
Digital media and film culture.gov.au/news/digitalmedia.htm Melbourne International Animation Festival - Melbourne 16-22 June 2008 Animation from around the world will be shown during the 8th edition of the Melbourne International Animation Festival. More...
Festivals and conferences culture.gov.au/news/festivalsandconferences.htm Darwin Fringe Festival - Darwin 18-29 June 2008 The Darwin Fringe Festival in 2008 is about culture on the edge; culture on the edge of explosion, extinction, the mainstream, the market, the ocean and Australia. It is about pushing boundaries, ideas and the realm of what is possible. More...
History and identity culture.gov.au/news/historyandidentity.htm Aboriginal Cultural Cruise - Sydney Set sail on a journey to discover the stories of the Eora, Cadigal, Guringai, Wangal, Gammeraigal and Wallumedegal people. Come ashore on an island in Sydney Harbour to a traditional welcoming ceremony. Learn the Aboriginal names and meanings of significant Sydney landmarks. Explore Sydney's waters on this unique cultural harbour cruise. More...
Indigenous arts and culture culture.gov.au/news/indigenousarts.htm Ricky Maynard, Portrait of a Distant Land - Hobart 26 April - 22 June 2008 A poetic and powerful exhibition of sixty new works from one of Australia's leading Indigenous photographers. Portrait of a Distant Land provides a visual record of Tasmania's physical and social landscapes, following Indigenous song lines and ochre trails, tribal movements and historical displacement routes, and creating a form of visual diary derived from collective oral histories. More...
Language and literature culture.gov.au/news/languageandliterature.htm National Script Workshop 2008 - National 30 June - 11 July 2008 The residential workshop programme offers playwrights the opportunity to develop their writing over a two-week period of intensive work with the country’s finest directors, dramaturgs and actors. More...
Performance culture.gov.au/news/performance.htm Impulse - Adelaide 28 June - 5 July 2008 Impulse is a new collaborative production between two of South Australia's acclaimed artistic groups, celebrating the unique and often unpredictable relationship that exists between music and dance. More...
Resources and funding culture.gov.au/news/resourcesandfunding.htm 2020 Summit - Final Report 31 May 2008 The Prime Minister announced the public release of the Final Report of the Australia 2020 Summit on 31 May 2008. This report is intended to provide a record of the Australia 2020 Summit and recommendations on each of the discussion areas for consideration by the Australian Government. More...
Sport and recreation culture.gov.au/news/sportandrecreation.htm Katherine Ultra Challenge 2008 - Northern Territory 28 June 2008 A multi-sport event with competitors covering a 100 km course traversing the spectacular Katherine River corridor in six different sports. More...
Visual arts and crafts culture.gov.au/news/visualarts.htm Ian Friend: Thirty Years of Works on Paper 1977-2007 - Brisbane 24 April - 29 June 2008 This is a timely survey exhibition showcasing Queensland artist Ian Friend's meditative, abstract work. Friend often draws inspiration from literature and poetry, as he muses over the essence of human existence and personal and universal histories. More..
Websites - new culture.gov.au/news/websites.htm Australia's heritage Heritage is all the things that make up Australia's identity - our spirit and ingenuity, our historic buildings, and our unique, living landscapes. Discover Australia's heritage on the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts' heritage website. More..
Portal news OzIndigenous Search Project The Portal's OzIndigenous Search Project aims to enable a single search across online Indigenous collections on participating agency websites. By using the OpenSearch protocol, a single search will perform parallel searches against all of the publically available information held online by these agencies. Participants in the Project include the Northern Territory Library, the National Film and Sound Archive, the University of Sydney's PARADISEC and the State Library of Queensland. For more information on this Project please contact the editor. Subscribe to our RSS news feed for all the latest weekly updates on news and events - and pass the word on to others about how the Portal promotes arts, sport and culture news and events. Feedback is welcome - just email editor@culture.gov.au.
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