“Represented in these works are the sun, the giver of life and many health benefits. The eagle and the crow – represent the cultural totems of the Kulin nation. The eagle is known as Bunjil the creator god – the all father. The crow is known as Waa, Bunjil’s helper in creating the lands and lores. Watching over the planet.”
Donna Blackall (Yorta Yorta/ Taungurung) Mutual Realities, Art Gallery of Ballarat, 2020
Ballarat is proud to be invited to share in the knowledge of Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung peoples, on whose land Ballarat sits. Working in close collaboration with representatives of Traditional Owner communities, and all other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups who call Ballarat their home, we seek to work to support the sharing, documentation and act as witness to the reinstatement of traditional crafts.
FIRST NATIONS PEOPLE FIRST
Visiting Ballarat as part of the Ballarat Heritage Festival 2021, Dr Carol McGregor is an Indigenous artist who works with multimedia including ephemeral natural fibres, paint, clay, metal, and paper.
Her recent art practice involves the revival of the traditional possum skin cloak as an art form and a way to strengthen community and individual identities. Carol has worked extensively with south-east Queensland Aboriginal communities facilitating workshops teaching and sharing the knowledge and skills around possum skin cloak making. In May 2021 she travelled to Ballarat to share her knowledge and experience of documenting and sharing Indigenous Australia’s intangible cultural heritage.
Carol has exhibited widely and her work features in national and international collections. She is currently the Program Leader of the Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art unit at the Queensland College of Art, Griffith University. Her work, Wreath for Oodgeroo, was exhibited at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.
tarni jarvis - the craft of intangible cultural heritage
Young Djab Wurrung Gunditjmara designer, Tarni Jarvis, was one of only 9 VCE students across Victoria invited to display her work, Parramal Puna Punai, or Little Emu Girl, in the annual Top Design exhibition held at Melbourne Museum in the category of Product Design and Technology.
Tarni dedicated over 100 hours to create her garment from ethically and sustainably sourced materials and was inspired by artworks seen in the Koori Heritage trust and Koori fashion designers like Lyn-Al Young.
A message to the 9th China-Suzhou Craft & Design Cultural Expo, 2020
Due to the impact of the global pandemic, there have been interruptions to the flow of information and skill-sharing around the world. The 9th China-Suzhou Craft & Design Cultural Expo represented an important moment on the UNESCO Creative City calendar which was sadly cancelled.
Instead the international Expo has called for video pieces to be submitted, highlighting the important but intangible cultural heritage we have in our city.
We were pleased to be able to support the Expo by supplying information about the work of Dr Deanne Gilson. Deanne graciously gave us her time to explain her practice, the connection to land, soil and through to her generations past.