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National Indigenous Art Fair unveils festival line-up

By in Native

National Indigenous Art Fair unveils festival line-up

Sydney: get ready for two uniquely immersive days of Indigenous art, design, food, performances and culture at the National Indigenous Art Fair, 1 – 2 July 2023, at the Overseas Passenger Terminal on Gadigal Land in The Rocks.

The National Indigenous Art Fair (NIAF) is back for its fourth season with a new festival program celebrating the diverse range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and culture from across Australia and highlighting excellence in Indigenous performance.

“The art fair and festival program are designed to welcome, educate and engage visitors. It’s an occasion to meet remote community artists and hear their stories. It’s also a time to see some incredible performances and immerse yourself in the oldest continuous living cultures in the world. We make sure there’s something there for everyone to enjoy,” said Peter Cooley, CEO of First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation, organisers of the art fair.

The NIAF provides collectors and visitors with a rare opportunity to buy ethical, authentic art directly from remote and regional artists. Each year, alongside 50 stalls representing remote Indigenous Art Centres and Blak Markets stallholders, there is a vibrant festival program which includes an Indigenous smoking ceremony, First Nations live music and dance performances, a massive and colourful communal weaving project, art workshops, panel discussions, bush tucker cooking experiences and talks, and children’s storytelling, craft and dance workshops.

Early arrivals on both mornings will be able to participate in Indigenous smoking ceremonies and join a procession into the National Indigenous Art Fair, watching as every stall is blessed and cleansed for the day ahead.

Over the two days, visitors will enjoy singing performances byBarayagal,Radical Son andBow and Arrow. This year’s dancers are from theDjiriba Waagura Aboriginal Dance Group and Mui Mui Bumer Gedlam Dance Group from the Eastern Islands of the Torres Strait.

The Barayagal choir is an intercultural collective of 21 singers that gathers to sing songs of culture and stories at cultural events. Directed by Gamilaraay songwriter Nardi Simpson, they “sing to the place they are in and the places they all come from.”

“We’re excited to have Barayagal coming to our art fair to create the most beautiful singing and harmony in an atmospheric setting,” said Peter Cooley.

This year, the NIAF will also present a special 20-minute performance from Juluwarlu Aboriginal Corporation, interpreting one of the five Creation stories through movement and music from the desert of Western Australia.

Radical Son is a soul, hip hop, rapper and spoken word artist from NSW. His music is inspired and guided by his Indigenous heritage from the Kamilaroi nation of Australia and the South Pacific island of Tonga. Bow and Arrow are a contemporary First Nations electro-soul trio with Wirajurdi, Ngunawal and Gamilaraay heritage. Their music is inspired by stories from The Dreaming.

The cultural dance group Djiriba Waagura (the name means Two Crows), from the NSW South Coast, is known for providing captivating and energetic dance performances and cultural experiences that inspire connectedness. Mui Mui Bumer Gedlam Dance Group (which translates as deep sounds from home) performs traditional and contemporary Torres Strait Island dances.

For people keen on craft, there’s a chance to work alongside remote community and local Indigenous weavers on a communal weaving project, woven over the two days of the art fair. There’s also the opportunity to join a intimate paid weaving workshop with celebrated master fibre artist and painter, Regina Pilawuk Wilson of the Peppimenarti community in Northern Territory.

Larry Brandy, a proud Wirajurdi man, storyteller and author, will lead the children’s storytelling sessions over the weekend. In his energetic and interactive performances, children become kangaroos, emus and hunters as they learn how Indigenous people hunted and found food in earlier times.

Place Management NSW will also be presenting a children’s workshop on the Sunday at Cadmans Cottage Forecourt. There will be interactive dance and cultural adornment workshops for children by Jannawi Dance Clan. Meanwhile, the team from IndigiGrow will run children’s planting workshops where they mix their own soil, pot a native plant and take it home after learning how to care for it.

The 2023 NIAF will also feature cooking demonstrations of some flavourful dishes using Australian bush foods and native spices. Food trucks will deliver a delicious atmosphere, with fresh flavours from the BBQ.

“The art fair is always a great day out for people of all ages. It’s also a wonderful way to begin celebrating NAIDOC Week which is all about Indigenous culture and achievement,” said Peter Cooley.

The fourth annual art fair is presented by Sydney-based First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation, in partnership with the Port Authority of NSW, Destination NSW, University of Technology Sydney, Place Management NSW, the City of Sydney, Indigenous Business Australia, Nelson Meers Foundation, Mannifera Foundation, Herbert Smith Freehills, Macquarie Group, the federal government’s Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support Program and all the dynamic Aboriginal businesses who are participating in 2023.

The National Indigenous Art Fair will be held at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, The Rocks, from 10.00am to 5.00pm on Saturday, 1 July and Sunday, 2 July 2023.

All for a gold coin donation to support remote artists attending the event. The Overseas Passenger Terminal is easily accessible by public transport and on foot from Circular Quay.

  • Event: The National Indigenous Art Fair
  • Date: Saturday 1 July – Sunday 2 July 2023
  • Time: 10.00am – 5.00pm
  • Location: Overseas Passenger Terminal, 130 Argyle St, The Rocks, Sydney
  • Entry: Entry by gold coin donation
  • Website: niaf.com.au/

/Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here.

First Voices: Montana tribes working to keep elders’ stories alive

By in Native

First Voices: Montana tribes working to keep elders’ stories alive

A project that keeps the ancestral stories passed down through Native American tribes alive and gives young people a chance to express themselves through digital performance and filmmaking will be expanding to the Crow reservation next fall.

First Voices works with students at reservation high schools and tribal colleges. The students work with tribal elders and storytellers to produce the videos.

“I came to know that a lot of the elders were dying, and it made me very sad because if the elders are dying the stories are dying. What are the young people holding onto?” says Preeti Vasudevan, founder of the project.

Preeti Vasudevan_1.1.2.png
Preeti Vasudevan

That was the impetus for forming First Voices—to keep the stories passed on through oral traditions to tribal elders and knowledge keepers alive in their first language.

“It’s harder to find than you might imagine. Many are second-language speakers. Very few are first-language speakers,” says Vasudevan.

The students do much more than just record interviews. They bring the stories alive though performance art.

“For the students who are involved with creating a digital story, they get this deep dive with all these professional artists into different artistic disciplines, and they get to find their way to tell the story. We don’t come to them and say, ‘here is what you are going to tell.’ And then also the finished stories become an educational resource,” says Mary Serbe, who is also involved with the project and hosted a recent fundraiser at Kirk’s Grocery in Billings.

Shandiim Kaline is a member of the Northern Cheyenne who worked on the project during her senior year at Lame Deer High School.

“It was a way for native kids or teenagers to get their art out there to be creative. Before ‘Reservation Dogs’ before any of that, natives didn’t really have a voice. And if we did, most media was insensitive about their presentations. To me, it was a good way to have the outlet with our art.”

Henry Real Bird, a noted Crow poet and storyteller, spoke at the event. He talked about the importance of the project as it moves to the Crow reservation.

“To be able to tell the stories and the rhythms that are in the stories and to be able to pass them on like old times,” Real Bird says.

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Henry Real Bird

Those involved with the project say it serves several purposes—one of course is keeping these tribal stories from the past alive, another is the experience the students involve gain for their futures.

‘It builds leadership, team building, confidence—it heals trauma—and also helps build skill sets like I can make a film and do choreography,” says Vasudevan.

For more information about the First Voices project,click here.

Business accelerator boosts Montana’s Native American entrepreneurs

By in Native

Business accelerator boosts Montana’s Native American entrepreneurs

MISSOULA — An organization dedicated to promoting Native creativity is launching a six-week online business accelerator program for Native American artists and entrepreneurs from the Salish and Kootenai tribes in Montana.

Creatives Indigenous, organized by the indigenous magazine Native Max, aims to equip participants with essential skills to elevate their businesses to new heights.

“We initiated this program two years ago in the American West, and we are thrilled to extend our support to Montana’s Salish and Kootenai tribes’ artists and entrepreneurs,” said program manager Brenna Ortiz. “Native American groups encounter numerous hurdles and setbacks when it comes to advancing their businesses, and our aim is to provide the necessary support they need to succeed.”
The curriculum includes in-depth exploration and the practical application of topics such as business opportunity analysis, business model development, leadership, team building, and managing cash flow.

It also looks to empower Native American groups by addressing the unique challenges they face in scaling their businesses, according to the organizers.

This year, the program has attracted 26 businesses from Montana. Leading the program is Kelly Holmes, a Native American woman with extensive experience in the media and fashion business.

Holmes said the program’s distinctive feature lies in its strong foundation rooted in Indigenous values.

“I am excited to collaborate with our partners on this program,” Holmes explained. “Our objective is to empower Native creative entrepreneurs, providing them with the confidence, knowledge, and resources necessary to generate revenue, achieve financial success, and ultimately create more employment opportunities within their communities.”

The program will culminate on July 22 with a fair at the SKC campus where participants will showcase their businesses and products. The event also will serve as a platform for entrepreneurs to network, gain exposure and celebrate their achievements.

“What makes our programs unique is how we incorporate and integrate Indigenous knowledge and values into the curriculum,” said Holmes.

Photography Exhibition Visitors Offer Their Thoughts on Martin Parr’s

By in Photography

Photography Exhibition Visitors Offer Their Thoughts on Martin Parr’s

Visitors are urged to share their reactions to images showcasing English documentary photographer Martin Parr’s view of Scottish life and Scottish stereotypes in a new exhibition taking place this summer.

Martin Parr will be displaying his satirical view of Scotland in an exhibition at the grand Pollok House on the south side of Glasgow in Scotland. The exhibition features a selection of works from Parr’s exhibition, Think of Scotland, which was originated by Aberdeen Art Gallery and shown as part the reopening gallery program in 2019 following a £30m redevelopment. Martin Parr, originally from Surrey, is best known for his books of photography, most notably, The Last Resort, a depiction of people and life at the seaside in New Brighton during the 1980s.

When I heard of this exhibition style, I was keen to find out what local visitors thought about their depiction through Parr’s images. Participatory art is designed to actively engage and involve audiences, encouraging interaction with a body of work. This is something which I am very much interested in within my own practice as a photographer, as collaborating with communities can help to break down barriers, promote dialogue, and widen perspectives. The ultimate goal is to foster a deeper connection between the audience and the artists’ work. Participatory practice is not commonplace in major photography exhibitions. In most cases, some viewers might leave their thoughts through a line of text in a visitors book. However, in this particular exhibition, they are actively encouraged to provide individual comments on every single image on display.

Visitors to the exhibition are asked to contribute their voice by leaving comments about the images on display. The labels for each photograph have been designed as a notebook, and visitors are encouraged to contribute by writing their reactions to the images spanning a period from the 1990s to the 2010s that explore leisure activities and national Scottish stereotypes.

Printed on the front of each notebook, along with the image title, are sample comments to prompt viewers with their own writing. I wondered how much this influenced the thoughts of each person who opened the notebook to leave their own comments, as the prompts were overwhelmingly positive. When reading the names cited in each prompt, I learned that they were left by staff members from the Trust, with a prompt label even written by Susie Parr, Martin’s wife. I can’t help but think that a notebook with just the image title on the outside with an invitation to leave thoughts inside would have been a more impartial way to seek responses.

Upon looking through the notebooks, I found that many of the responses are indeed positive. There are many who have used the notebooks to leave general comments on the exhibition as a whole and others who have left positive comments about how beautiful Pollok House is. For those who have commented so far on individual images, there were a mix of feelings, such as one commenter who found the images: “All very interesting, but I wonder how the people in the photographs feel about their portrayal.” Depicting any social group, including the working class, in a way that perpetuates stereotypes or diminishes their dignity is potentially harmful or disrespectful, even if this is intended to be satirical.

In true Glaswegian humor, one commenter simply wrote “Taps aff” in response to the Burntisland image, a common response translating to tops off, to the fact that Scottish people have a more flexible description of weather conditions we consider to be hot. One viewer commented that this image was “Very much an accurate representation” of Scottish people. Another viewer commented “Burnt’ Island indeed,” a notion of true Scottish humor.

Some pressing inquiries came in response to the cupcakes image. “Why are the cupcakes sad,” one viewer wanted to know, while another asked, “Why is this in a gallery,” seemingly in response to their analysis of the quality of the close-up image shot with direct flash.

A firm favorite image of the exhibition seemed to be the Barrowlands image, which one viewer stated: “Shows Glaswegian life and what Glasgow is all about. Composition is excellent too,” while another commented: “I think this could be staged! You don’t stop in the middle of the street to read a newspaper!” Perhaps this viewer believes that this image does not conform to their understanding of documentary photography.

Further contributions will be made by local community groups, who have been as part of a community outreach program being trialed by the team at Pollok House. I will make a point of revisiting towards the end of the exhibition run to read through the labels again to gather the thoughts of a higher number of visitors.

Context matters for the location of exhibited artwork, and Pollok House presents an intriguing choice for participatory art. As one of Scotland’s grandest Edwardian homes, now managed by the National Trust for Scotland, it holds historical significance as the ancestral residence of the Maxwell family. Pollok House showcases renowned art by El Greco and Blake, complemented by opulent Edwardian furniture. It is situated in Pollok Country Park, a beautifully maintained 146-hectare greenspace south of Glasgow City Centre, and former winner of Best Park in Europe.

Stuart Mackinnon, National Trust for Scotland Operations Manager for Pollok House, said of the exhibition: “The labels aim to encourage participation and to engage with a diverse range of people to widen access and interest in art by asking visitors to explore their own reactions and share their thoughts and reflections about the images on display.”

In my view, widening participation and diversifying audiences cannot be achieved in a meaningful way while charging admission to interact with the work on display. This exhibition can only be viewed by paying to enter Pollok House, which has a standard entry cost of £8.50 per person or £6 on a concessionary rate. That acts as a barrier, which limits access for those who cannot afford the entry fee, especially at a time where people across the nation are tightening their spending due to the cost of living crisis. I couldn’t help but make a connection between this fact and the working class people depicted in the images. Can you encourage widened participation and charge an entry fee? Whatever the case, choosing a gallery space that requires an entry fee feels antagonistic when considered alongside the satirical content of Parr’s work. Perhaps that was intentional. To help make this a true, widened access participatory experience, this article gives further space for anyone with an internet connection to comment. 

The Martin Parr: Think of Scotland exhibition will show at Pollok House until Sunday August 27, 2023 and be available for viewing from Thursday to Monday each week.

Lead Image: GB. Scotland. Glasgow. Eating place in Paddy’s Market. 1999. Martin Parr. All article images courtesy of Magnum Photography.

News: Pride Month is Looking a Little Less Fabulous This Year

By in Art World News

News: Pride Month is Looking a Little Less Fabulous This Year

This June is looking a little less rainbow-colored than previous Pride Months.

After years of brands voicing their allegiance to the LGBTQ+ community through distinctive ad campaigns, packaging and events, conservative activism is leading several to sit on the sidelines (or at least not promote their campaigns through press releases and announcements). In the wake of Bud Light receiving backlash for partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, many companies seem to be holding back for fear of finding themselves in the middle of a culture war.

Those concerns are not entirely unfounded. Target, North Face and Adidas have all encountered backlash in the weeks running up to Pride Month for featuring trans-friendly summer clothing in their advertising and merchandising. Some conservative activists are unearthing months- and years-old advertising campaigns in their zeal to raise Cain.

According to a recent study from Collage Group, a majority (61%) of LGBTQ+ consumers believe either all or select brands should be involved in celebrating Pride Month. Another 29% are indifferent to brands’ involvement. Comparatively, 88% of non-LGBTQ+ consumers are either in support of brands’ Pride Month involvement or are indifferent to it, according to the study. The implication: acknowledging Pride Month through marketing is not likely to result in a large backlash. 

Perhaps accordingly, several companies are forging ahead. Procter & Gamble has signed on as a presenting sponsor of IHeartMedia’s fourth “Can’t Cancel Pride” concert event. The event, which will take place at the IHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles and remote locations around the country, will be streamed on IHeartMedia’s YouTube channel. 

The “Can’t Cancel Pride” concert began during the COVID-19 pandemic as Pride events were canceled around the world. The concert series has raised more than $11 million for LGBTQ organizations including GLAAD, The Trevor Project, National Black Justice Coalition, SAGE, CenterLink and OutRight Action International. This year’s program will “focus on the achievements of the past, the urgency of the present moment and hope for the future,” according to a release. 

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, meanwhile, is bringing back its “BrunchOUT” annual drag brunches. The series of events, which feature performances by national and local drag queens throughout the U.S., kicks off in June in Nashville. BrunchOUT proceeds will support The Trevor Project, which aims to prevent suicide among LGBTQ+ young people. 

“Since Kimpton’s inception, we have supported the LGBTQ+ community and created spaces where people can not only gather and connect, but also feel comfortable and embraced for being their most authentic selves,” said Kathleen Reidenbach, SVP of Marketing and Commercial for IHG Luxury & Lifestyle Americas and Kimpton Global, in a statement.

Among food brands, Noodles & Company is bringing back a Pride-themed, rainbow rice crispy dessert. Packaging on the dessert will include a QR code leading consumers to information about LGBTQ+ history and other facts. The company is also encouraging LGBTQ+ customers to submit photos that the brand can share on its Instagram stories. (Noodles & Co. has also pledged to donate up to $30,000 to Out & Equal, which advocates for LGBTQ+ workplace equality.)

Jones Soda will adorn its bottles with a collection of Pride-themed labels created by LGBTQ artists. In addition, the artists will share their art and stories through an Augmented Reality code. 

“We have always had a passion for people, creativity, and our community at Jones. It’s reflected on our labels every day,” said Curt Thompson, director of marketing at Jones, in a release. “The Pride community has been part of who we are this since our early days as a company.   We are thrilled to feature content on our packaging where we can celebrate Pride through stories and art all summer long.”

LGBTQ activists are quick to point out that their community needs corporate allegiance more than ever. The ACLU has identified more than 400 pieces of legislation restricting LGBTQ+ rights – particularly those of transgender minors – have been introduced in state legislatures this year.

Regardless, this year’s generally muted marketing will not do much to head off the accusations that many brands have been performatively “rainbow-washing” with their Pride Month marketing efforts in previous years … or in future years, should the marketers re-engage with the celebration. 

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