Aboriginal Art Resource

Outback Students in Town

info — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:31:37 +0000

The group of 26 students and four teachers from Menindee Central School were taken to all of Sydney’s top attractions, including Taronga Zoo, Chinatown, the Opera House, and walked to Luna Park over the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Menindee students had 31 artworks in the Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery at Bondi Beach, with half sold on the exhibition’s opening night on Sunday.

“Some (students from Menindee) hadn’t been to the city or the beach before, so this made it possible for them to do that,” Principal Andrew Stevenson said. “There’s now an excitement about the annual trip to Sydney.”

Art Brings Outback Students on Journey to Sea

info — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:56:10 +0000

From a tiny school in the outback to a gallery by the shores of Bondi, the students of Menindee Central School have made an impressive journey.

For many of the 26 young visitors, the trip to Sydney is a collection of firsts: first train trip, first time to the city, first time to the beach, first time in a school almost as large as their township, and first time exhibiting their work in a gallery.

The exhibition will run at the gallery for a week, and all proceeds from their work will go back to the school’s art program.

The Sydney exchange is a powerful incentive for the children to reach a high standard at school, and Principal Brian Debus said there was evidence good behaviour was increasing as a result of such programs.

“It’s affected our outcomes. This year all the students who went on from year 10 are graduating,” he said.

Metro – Exhibition

info — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:44:51 +0000

Fibre artist and bush sculptor Janine McAullay Bott makes incredible objects. For Metamorphosis (until November 24), Bott joins another indigenous and Telstra Award-winning artist Dennis Nona, for a show that celebrates the transformation of everyday materials into magical models.

Indigenous Art

info — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:22:15 +0000

‘Metamorphosis’ features works by Nyoongah bush sculptor Janine McAullay Bott, Torres Strait artist Ken Thaidy snr and Aurukun artist Joe Ngallametta.

Exhibition

info — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:50:36 +0000

The bloodwood tree is a recurring motif in the latest exhibition by Ian Waldron.

Last year, Waldron became the first indigenous artist to win the Glover prize for landscape painting.

Tomorrow, Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, 31 Lamrock Avenue, Bondi Beach. On show until October 15. Free. Gallery open Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm.

Bloodwood Totem

info — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:40:40 +0000

Artist Ian Waldron explores the loss of indigenous language in striking totem paintings.

Until October 15. Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm, Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery

31 Lamrock Avenue, Bondi Beach, Free, 9300 9233

Couples Have Wedding Registries Down to a Fine Art

info — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:22:34 +0000

Coo-ee’s gallery manager, Mirri Leven, has sold works from $5000 to $25000, “It gives you something you and your guests can look at for years to come,” Ms Leven said. “It gives you something to remember the day by.”

Common Ground

info — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:07:00 +0000

Arone Raymond Meeks stands at the meeting point between gay and Aboriginal culture – and, he says, he’s loving it!

In Arone’s case, identifying as a gay Aboriginal allows for a dual, inclusive identity, one that draws on the way both gay and Indigenous Australians have been ignored, rejected or subsumed by dominant forces of society. He is an excellent example of someone with a fluid identity and illustrates how by unfixing identity, marginalised positions become connected instead of separate.

Arone was the first Indigenous Australian to be awarded a residency at the Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris. After six months he applied and was accepted for another residency that lasted four-and-a-half years. “It gave me a platform,” he says “to show both here in Australia through Coo-ee and the Australian Embassy in Paris… Because I had to leave France every six months for visa requirements I discovered the great galleries and churches of Pisa, Bologna, Elba, Italy, Edinburgh and Holland.”

Bloodwood Totem at the Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery

info — Tue, 15 May 2012 04:45:19 +0000

See the works of Ian Waldron as he explores the relationship between the physicality of the landscape; the cultural beliefs and traditions of Aboriginal Australians; and the loss of language from traditional culture. Exhibition runs until October 15.

Showcase of a Prize Winner

info — Tue, 15 May 2012 04:33:14 +0000

Bondi: Award-winning Indigenous artist Ian Waldron, winner of the Glover Prize in 2010, is showcasing his new exhibition Bloodwood Totem at the Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery in Bondi from September 25 to October 15.

For more information on Waldron and his exhibition, head to http://www.cooeeart.com.au/