THE National Gallery of Australia was abuzz this morning as the 2012 winners of the Wesfarmers Arts Indigenous Fellows and Leadership program as participants gathered in theKimberleygallery at the NGA for the announcement of their programs.
Director of the gallery, Ron Radford, praised the five-year initiative designed to boost the number of Indigenous Australians in professional roles within the visual arts.
The winners of the Wesfarmers Arts Indigenous Fellowship are freelance exhibition installer Bradley Harkin, from Adelaide and architect Kevin O’Brien from Brisbane.
Both will get to work with the NGA over a two-year period on a project of their choice.
While O’Brien could not be present, Harkin and the 10 leadership program enjoyed An impromptu explanation from Senior Curator of Indigenous Art, Franchesca Cubillo, on the differences between art from different regions in the Kimberley.
Cubillo had taken them all out for a treat the night before to Bangarra Dance Theatre’s “Terrain,” a parallel example of how our indigenous artists are leading the way.
On hand were former leadership program members, Robert Appo and Suzanne Barron, now back at the gallery as mentors to the 2012 program.
Another top performer in this highly productive fellowship program was 2010 Fellow, Jirra Harvey, now occupying a different role. Just a few weeks ago she set up her own marketing consultancy, Kalinya Communications, operating out ofMelbourne.
Harvey was delighted to tell me that her family inVictoriacame from the same mission as the girls in the film “The Sapphires,” also telling “CityNews” that she believes many Aboriginal artists have too few opportunities to rate their work and that, working through communities, her business would be able to assist in this.
Among the leadership program participants this morning was Deborah Knox from Boggabilla, Near the border between New South Wales and Queensland, a member of the Euraba Artist and Papermakers group that she said had been running since 1987.
Knox was excited at news just in from the festival Gourmet in Gundy (Goondiwindi) that one of her works had been purchased.
A Gamilaroi woman brought up in the Tamworth area, Knox returned several years ago to her father’s home town and took classes with Euraba. This, she said, was her first visit to Canberra and she was very excited at the prospect of taking back what she would learn at the NGA.
The Leadership program participants will enjoy behind-the-scenes workshops, lectures and group work with gallery staff, as well as arts and business industry professionals.
The full list is:
Chenaya Bancroft-Davis fromIpswich, Qld
Robert Fielding from APY Lands, SA
Shar Goodwin from CoffsHarbour, NSW
Amanda Hayman from Brisbane, Qld
Deborah Knox from Boggabilla, NSW
Faith Love fromDarwin,NT
Janice Murray fromDarwin,NT
Hannah Presley from Melbourne, Vic
John Saunders from Palmerston, NT
Bridgette Wolfe from Launceston, Tas.
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