Indigenous arts and culture - News and events

Events | Featured projects | Call for entries | Announcements

Events

Walking with Spirits - Beswick (Wugularr) Community via Katherine, Northern Territory

walking with spirits Wugularr NT

Walking with Spirits. Image courtesy of Djilpin Arts.

1 August 2009

Presented by Djilpin Arts in partnership with the Australian Shakespeare Company, Walking with Spirits is Beswick Community's annual open cultural celebration. Held 20 km from the Community at the spectacular wilderness location Malkgulumbu, Walking with Spirits features traditional corroboree from several Arnhem Land languages together with songs and stories told in dance, music, puppetry, fire and film. Initiated by the community in 2002, are invited to camp for the weekend, open to the public only once a year. Beswick (Wugularr) on the Central Arnhem Road, 107kms from Katherine by sealed road.

Art & Heart: the art of Darryl Pfitzner Milika – a retrospective: 30 years on - Adelaide

12 June – 2 August 2009

As a senior artist in his 60th year, Darryl Pfitzner Milika has been honoured by Tandanya, the National Aboriginal Cultural Institute with a retrospective survey of his public and private practice. Darryl Pfitzner Milika has been practising his art in a variety of mediums for over 25 years: he has been the creator, the designer and principal artist or "special guest" contributing artist for three of Adelaide's most outstanding public sculptural works. Tandanya.

Garma Festival - Gulkula via Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory

weaving garmaWeaving, Garma 2005. Culture Portal file photograph.

7–11 August 2009

Regarded as Australia's most significant Indigenous cultural exchange event, the Garma Festival attracts around clan groups from north east Arnhem Land, as well as representatives from clan groups and neighbouring Indigenous peoples throughout Arnhem Land, the Northern Territory and Australia. The ancient sound of the yidaki (didgeridu) is a call to all people to come together in unity. This call will announce the annual Garma, the largest and most vibrant celebration of Yolgnu (Aboriginal people of north east Arnhem Land) culture in recent memory. Gulkula.

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair - Cairns, Queensland

21–23 August 2009

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) is Australia's newest art fair and the only one dedicated to offering the best contemporary and traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art from Queensland. Showcasing work from several of Australia's leading Indigenous art galleries alongside Queensland's Indigenous Art Centres, CIAF welcomes art collectors, dealers, gallerists, first-time buyers and those wanting to immerse themselves in the best Indigenous art from this region. Tanks Art Centre.

Ricky Maynard: Portrait of a Distant Land - Sydney

Ricky Maynard: Wik Elder, Arthur, 2000

Ricky Maynard: Wik Elder, Arthur, 2000. Image courtesy of the Stills Gallery.

4 June – 23 August 2009

Ricky Maynard is a documentary photographer based on Flinders Island in the Bass Strait, between Tasmania and mainland Australia. Portrait of a Distant Land comprises a selection of 60 images from six bodies of work developed over more than two decades of practice. The series are The Moonbird People (1985-88), No More Than What You See (1993), Urban Diary (1997), In The Footsteps Of Others (2003), Returning To Places That Name Us (2000) and his latest and on-going series, Portrait of a Distant Land (2005– ). Museum of Contemporary Art

Freedom Day Festival - Kalkarindji, Northern Territory

21–23 August 2009

(Dates not confirmed)

The Wave Hill Walk Off was the beginning of the modern land rights movement and one of the most significant events in Australian and Northern Territory history. Freedom Day is the name given by the Kalkarindji community to the yearly commemoration and celebration of the walk-off from Wave Hill cattle station in 1966. Kalkarindji is about 460 kilometres south west of Katherine via the sealed Victoria and Buntine highways.

Yvonne Koolmatrie: Eel Traps - Adelaide

7 August – 6 September 2009

Yvonne Koolmatrie has lived all her life in Ngarrindjeri country, which ranges from the Coorong, a wetland wilderness at the mouth of the Murray River upstream to the present-day farming communities of South Australia's lower Murray Riverland. The subtle scent, form and hue of Koolmatrie's Eel traps, elegantly woven from native grasses, palpably evoke the environment of the Murray River. Samstag Museum

Alice Desert Festival - Alice Springs, Northern Territory

11–20 September 2009

First held in 2001, the annual Alice Desert Festival runs for ten days in September and showcases the successful arts sector of central Australia through a range of professional and community events. Signature events include bush foods, wearable arts, cabaret, Bush Bands Bash and Desert Voice, a showcase for the many choirs in Central Australia, including choral singing in Indigenous languages. Organised by Red Hot Arts Central Australia.

2007 and 2008 Parliament of NSW Indigenous Art Prize - New South Wales tour

Milton Budge, Ration day times

Milton Budge with Ration day times. Image courtesy of Parliament of New South Wales.

January – 25 September 2009

The 2007 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.

Desert Mob art and cultural festival - Alice Springs, Northern Territory

6 September – 18 October 2009

Share the story and history of the Aboriginal arts phenomenon in Central Australia. Desert Mob is an Aboriginal art and culture festival event, held in Alice Springs. The art reflects the expansive cultural landscape that is the inspiration of the stories. The annual exhibition, presented by the Araluen Art Centre at the Araluen Cultural Precinct, features art works from Aboriginal art centres in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia, which are Aboriginal owned and governed, non-profit organisations. Araluen Arts Centre.

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.

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

Ken Thaiday Snr, Shark Mask

Shark Mask. Image courtesy of National Museum of Australia.

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

Aboriginal cultural cruise

July 2009

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.

Sacred Ground

July 2009

Sacred Ground is a critically acclaimed documentary which tells the true story of Adjahdura Aboriginal people of the Yorke Peninsular, South Australia, fighting to save their ancestor's burial grounds and other ancient sites from destruction.

Breakthrough

June 2009

A new pilot initiative of the Cultural Ministers Council to provide funding for emerging Indigenous musicians or groups to record a high-quality EP. Three successful applicants will receive up to $25,000 (GST exclusive) each to record a high-quality, broadcast-standard EP including a selection of their best original tracks for broadcasting and commercial release.

Holding our tongues

June 2009

Holding our tongues is an ABC Radio National Hindsight project about the long and painful task of reviving Aboriginal languages. The project features audio examples of language and archival video, and invites contributions. The Holding our tongues website will be an ongoing project, aiming to bring as many language revival and maintenance resources as possible together in one place.

Ningenneh Tunapry education guide

May 2009

The Ningenneh Tunapry education guide, and the new Ningenneh Tunapry exhibition in the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, looks at the following themes: Ningenneh Tunapry; naming an exhibition and the languages of the Tasmanian aboriginal people; Oral stories: past and present (creation stories, contemporary poetry, music); Traditional life continuing culture: necklace making, basket weaving, mutton-birding; Secondary historical perspectives; Repatriation of Aboriginal remains; Recognition: Stolen Generation stories: the apology, land rights; Art: contemporary and traditional; and Indigenous land management. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.

Mulka Project

April 2009

Mulka Project, a spin-off from Yirrkala's Buku-Larrnggay art centre, is one of the first moves by remote communities into presenting video arts. Young Yolngu film workers first premiered their work, some short, experimental films, at the Garma festival near Yirrkala in mid-2007, later winning a prize at the Telstra Indigenous Art Award. It is now a cultural venture in its own right with funding, supplying footage for exhibitions and commercial film productions; and recording of cultural heritage footage. It also acts as an archive for early films taken by anthropologists which are available for viewing at the centre. The Mulka Project is being guided by its co-director Wukun Wanambi, an artist of Buku-Larrnggay and a leader of the Marrakulu clan.

The Institute for Aboriginal Development (IAD) press

April 2009

The Institute for Aboriginal Development (IAD) press presents a list of dictionaries and language resources covering several Indigenous languages. Indigenous languages included are Alyawarr, Anmatyerr, Arrernte, Gamilaraay Yuwaalaraay, Kaytetye, Ngaanyatjarra & Ngaatjatjarra, Pintupi Luritja, Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, Warlpiri, and Warumungu.

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

Aboriginal Dancer

Aboriginal Dancer. Image courtesy of FATSIL.

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

Indigenous contemporary musicians receive breakthrough

15 July 2009

Five Indigenous music groups have received funding to accelerate their musical careers through the Breakthrough program: Busby Marou, an alternative/country style band from Queensland; Leah Flanagan Band, a country/folk/world music band from the Northern Territory; Microwave Jenny, a folk/jazz vocal duo from NSW; Stiff Gins, a folk/country duo from NSW; and Street Warriors, a hip hop/rap band from NSW. The musicians will have the opportunity to make a high quality recording of their work. Breakthrough is a pilot initiative of the Cultural Ministers Council.

Eleven Indigenous Australians honoured in 2009 National NAIDOC Awards

11 July 2009

The 2009 National NAIDOC Award winners are:

Increased funding for the Indigenous visual arts sector

8 July 2009

Arts Minister Peter Garrett announced that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art centres and arts industry organisations will receive an injection of almost $10 million to assist with building a stronger and more sustainable Indigenous arts sector. Mr Garrett said 86 activities will be funded by the National Arts and Crafts Industry Support (NACIS) program's 2009-10 competitive funding round including 13 organisations which will, for the first time, receive triennial funding.

$3.3 million boost to Indigenous heritage protection

7 July 2009

More than $3 million in Australian Government funding will help identify, protect and share Australia's Indigenous heritage. Funding for 50 Indigenous heritage projects through the Australian Government's Indigenous Heritage Program, was announced by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett. Mr Garrett said funding will help community groups and individuals to identify, conserve and promote the heritage values of places important to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Mr Mark Bin Baker to chair the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Board (ATSIAB)

14 May 2009

Arts Minister Peter Garrett has announced the appointment of Mr Mark Bin Baker, who will chair the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Board (ATSIAB). 'Mr Bin Baker is a significant figure in the preservation of Australian Indigenous culture through the arts, much of his adult life having been dedicated to encouraging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to claim, control and enhance their cultural inheritance. He was recognised for this lifetime of work in 2007 when he was awarded the NAIDOC Person of the Year and in 2008 when he was nominated for Australian of the Year' Mr Garrett said.

Indigenous music experts on Breakthrough Panel

7 May 2009

Christine Anu, Rhoda Roberts and Rob Collins are applying their expertise to assess applications for the Indigenous contemporary music program, Breakthrough.

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