Lake Macquarie City Council will celebrate National Reconciliation Week by hosting a free screening of the film Putuparri and the Rainmakers at Lake Macquarie Arts Centre on June 1.
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National Reconciliation Week celebrates the rich culture and history of Australia’s First Peoples and is bookended by the two important dates of May 27 and June 3.
May 27 is the anniversary of the 1967 referendum in which Australia voted to amend the Constitution to allow Aboriginal Australians to be included in the census, and June 3 is Mabo Day, which commemorates the High Court of Australia’s landmark Mabo decision in 1992.
Lake Macquarie City Council Manager Community Planning John Ferguson said Reconciliation Week was a significant time for all Australians.
“National Reconciliation Week is a time for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians alike to acknowledge our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and explore how we can best continue our reconciliation journey,” Mr Ferguson said.
Filmed over 10 years, Putuparri and the Rainmakers explores Aboriginal peoples’ sacred connection to country through the story of Tom ‘Putuparri’ Lawford, a Wangkajunga man caught between his modern life in Fitzroy Crossing and his destiny as a cultural leader.
ART EXHIBITION
CELEBRATING the works of over 60 Aboriginal and non-indigenous artists, and revealing the diversity of approaches to cross-cultural art practice, thought-provoking exhibition Black, White & Restive was launched at the Newcastle Art Gallery on May 27.
Highlights of the exhibition, which runs from May 28 to August 7, include the immersive Always Walking Country 2013 by Lynette Wallworth, Martumili artists from Western Australia and New York-based singer Antony (aka Anohni), as well as Gordon Bennett’s The Nine Ricochets (Fall Down Black Fella, Jump Up White Fella) 1990 and Michael Nelson Jagamara and Imants Tillers’ Fatherland 2008.
Collaborative works from a Community Art Project involving artists, Newcastle Art Gallery staff and students from Newcastle and within the Hunter region will be displayed in the Gallery’s SMART SPACE throughout the exhibition. The aim of the Community Art Project was to teach artists of all ages to broaden their experience of contemporary indigenous art, local culture and heritage.
Free guided tours will be held every Saturday and Sunday during the exhibition at 11am from the Newcastle Art Gallery shop. Exhibition curator Una Rey and artist and writer Nicole Chaffey will lead a briefing on June 7 for Foundation to Year 12 educators, exploring learning opportunities on offer for students. Rey will also introduce key themes of the exhibition at the Gallery on June 4 from 2pm.
Find out more information at www.nag.org.au
