Artist Stories
James Waterton Collection
'Mums and Bubs'
STORY: Mother and child walking through nature watching nature and child grow together surrounded by beautiful things
Jhana Gray Collection
'Always Was, Always Will be' (NAIDOC 2020)
STORY: This painting, 'Our Connection’ , represents the connection between Indigenous People of Australia and the land and water, that continues to this day. Through protecting and balancing the resources that the land and water have to offer, they in return provide the essentials we need to survive.
'Diversity'
STORY: This painting is called 'Diversity', this painting represents the diversity of the land from the desert to the coast, the water ways, fauna and flora that flourish and the land that always was and always will be occupied by the Indigenous people of Australia.
Aleerah Baker Collection
'Land Life / Acknowledgement of Country'
STORY: Land Life shows and signifies the importance of the land in which we live. It is my Acknowledgement of Country pictorially. I Acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I work and live, I pay my respect to all Elders past, present and future and thank them for their care of the land in which I currently get to enjoy.
'Coastal'
STORY: This piece shows the beauty and importance of the coastal area to our people. The center represents the communities that reside on the coastline and the connection they have to both the land and water in these areas. Each component being as important as the other and both working in conjunction with each other to achieve balance for these communities. Our People, Our Home, Our Story.
'Healing Pathways'
STORY: My artwork represents four important regions – saltwater (food & hunting), rainforest (protection and fresh water), coastal (healing properties of the Sun and salt air for our airways) and inland (herbal medicines and journey lines) and the benefits each region provides to our health. The centre represents optimal health through connections (storytelling) with our mob. When we stay connected to community & country, practice traditional cultural ways we become whole and HEALING comes.
I see healing for our people is through cultural connection with one another and country. When we take pride in our cultural identity, connection to country, and involvement in community we know these are the important factors of our overall health. I believe our focus as a culture, to achieve healing, is to return to our traditional ways.
I see healing for our people is through cultural connection with one another and country. When we take pride in our cultural identity, connection to country, and involvement in community we know these are the important factors of our overall health. I believe our focus as a culture, to achieve healing, is to return to our traditional ways.
'Which Way, Our Way'
STORY: Which Way, Our Way depicts the journey we as Indigenous people take through our life. Which way is a term our mob use to ask each other how we are. The meeting places represent the different mobs we encounter during our life that helped us, inspired us, or just cared enough to ask us how we are. The lines and dots show Our Way, the guidance and support we received from family, friends, teachers, work colleagues and mentors that helped us connect, identify with who we are and achieve success, Our Way.
'Jarjums'
STORY:This piece shows our babies big & small, our future generations, their health and happiness through education, inclusion, family connections and health opportunities available in our country today. A picture of hope for all!
'Coming Together'
STORY: This piece shows the ultimate goal of Reconciliation in our Country. How beautiful Reconciliation could look & feel like is shown through the line upon line of dots in each state & territory of our country. The colours acknowledge my people as the first Australians and the central meeting place represents us all finally coming together.
'Sorry'
STORY: This piece represents the recognition that is needed by all Australians to acknowledge our history of the stolen generations - shown through the hands of the children. The trauma - in the dots in many colours that is still present today in families and the generational effect this has had on my people – large family meeting places prominently displayed in day to day lives. Now is the time to ACKNOWLEDGE and to say SORRY.
Danielle Leedie Gray Collection
'Education'
STORY: This illustration represents the Elders, Teachers and Mentors (in the larger circles) working with Schools and Educational facilities to help close the gap.