Creating Creative Careers for Aboriginal Curators in the New England North West

The Create the Curator project is in its final stages this week as three emerging Aboriginal curators put their new skills into play, preparing for their first group curated show. Three Perspectives, an exhibition of selected works from Aboriginal artists in the Gomeroi region will be opening at Weswal Gallery Tamworth on the 28th of February at 6pm.

The emerging curators from the New England North West region have successfully completed the three-part professional development project to build up their skills, experience and networks while gaining significant insight into the various environments curators work in.

“I have learned so much in relation to the technical and legal side of curating and exhibition.  This includes protecting the integrity of not only the gallery reputation but also the integrity of the artist and their artworks which is vital especially in the passing of knowledge and practices in Indigenous art making and preservation of art collections” said emerging curator Lyniece Keogh.

Professional curators Sandra McMahon (Weswal Gallery, Tamworth), Caroline Downer (Arts North West), Rachael Parsons (NERAM, Armidale) and Sharni Jones (The Australian Museum, Sydney),  have worked with Lyniece Keogh (Tamworth), Kylie Benge (Moree) and Raquel Clarke (Moree) through a series of workshops and site visits. These visits have included a variety of creative spaces from, Aboriginal owned and run galleries, regional galleries, commercial galleries to community spaces throughout the Armidale, Tamworth and Moree region.

“This is an excellent opportunity for experienced arts workers to develop into regional Aboriginal curators enabling them to promote not only their own skills but also that of other regional Aboriginal artists” said Project Manager Lorrayne Riggs.

“This project is the result of community consultation and identifying a real gap in the market for regional Aboriginal curators, it will promote long term cultural, social and economic outcomes”.

The program was created as a result of the government’s Create NSW funding initiative and aims to engage and promote regional Aboriginal artists, arts and culture by introducing more Aboriginal people to curatorial positions in regional NSW. 

Rivers to Ridges and the Stories in Between Exhibition Opening

Rivers to Ridges and the stories in between documents the stories of 20 Elders, 4 artists and the Aboriginal history of our region in multimedia format.

Feature artists have used the stories to inspire new works in a variety of mediums including virtual reality, song and sculpture in order to share the stories with the broader Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community.

This project is part of the Arts North West Aboriginal Cultural Support Program. This program supports and delivers projects that embed the knowledge and stories of our area, enabling our communities to reconnect and rediscover the unique cultural identity of the New England North West.

Artists include:
Loren Ryan (Tamworth)
Ronella (Dolly) Jerome (Tenterfield)
Jade Porter (Moree)
Anthony (Jack) Conlon (Gunnedah)
Videographers Brendan Blacklock (Blacklock Media) & Tim Leha (The Kainga Project).

The exhibition will be opened by Gomeroi man Peter White with a ceremony by Len Waters

Successful Regional Arts Fund Applications Announced

What a great way to wrap up 2018 with the announcement of the following successful Regional Arts Fund applications from the New England North West region.

Miyay Miyay: A Creative Collaboration

Miyay Miyay: A Creative Collaboration is a two-year project comprising of the creative development of a performing arts piece based on the Gamilaroi version of ‘Miyay Miyay’, the ‘Seven Sisters’ songline, and is inspired by Country and the landscape of the New England North West. Central to the project will be an artistic collaboration between two key Gamilaroi artists – writer Cathy Craigie, and dancer Katie Leslie. In its entirety, this project will comprise of research and development, a creative residency, mentorships, documentation, presentation, further creative development and regional tour components.

New England Writers Centre Stories Connect

Stories Connect is an innovative and creative multi-arts project aimed at forging fruitful connections between the newly- Regional Arts Fund NSW - List of Projects Funded 2019 Page 2 resettled Yazidi refugee community in Armidale and the broader community, through the creation and sharing of stories. With a mix of writing and illustration workshops for school-aged children, story, songwriting, poetry and photographic narrative workshops for young people, and storytelling/sharing sessions for adults and children. The project will be delivered in partnership with Settlement Services International, who will facilitate consultation with the local refugee community, Armidale Regional Council, and Arts North West.

Screenwave Nextwave: Building a Network for Regional NSW Youth Film Development Regions

Screenwave will partner with Mayfly Media and Got Ya Back Productions across two years to develop Nextwave’s youth film and mental health education program in the Riverina and Upper Hunter – adding to the current regions of Mid North Coast, New England and Northern Rivers. Nextwave will train mid-career filmmakers as workshop facilitators, educating more young regional Australians with employable creative skills. The program will raise the profile of screen arts in regional NSW schools, build capacity for teachers to support student filmmakers and see the production of original films to be distributed nationally.