The city of Sydney is now prime Australian real estate and home to world-renowned architectural icons. The suburb of Redfern has continued to be a prominent stage for contesting claims between Aboriginal people and the newcomers, right from the guerrilla campaign led by Pemulwuy in the late 18th century, throughout the social politics of the 20th century which has resulted in some significant firsts in housing, legal aid, childcare and health services. Despite this, or perhaps because of this, our people have remained largely socially and culturally disenfranchised in this city. Because of this lack of visibility, this lack of recognition, Corroboree Sydney began with the collective desire of a group of colleagues working in the cultural industry who collaborate and showcase heritage and dynamic cultural expression that is part of Sydney today, and by extension New South Wales Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander communities within the national context. We felt we lacked the opportunity to present a more holistic perspective in terms of the multi-artform practice of Indigenous artists in Australia’s gateway city, especially given that Sydney is now home to the largest population of Aboriginal people in Australia. We also felt there was this perception, especially among visitors coming to Australia but also many Australians, that Aboriginal art is dot painting or bark painting from further north. Corroboree is very much about the culture of Sydney and New South Wales communities. When people look at Sydney and don’t see much evidence of Indigenous culture, that’s what Corroboree is about, it’s about drawing that up from the ground. One of the best examples is that corroboree is a Sydney word, first heard by Europeans at a ceremonial site which is now the Royal Botanical Gardens. So the idea took shape as an annual festival with the participation of the organisations that the Aboriginal staff represented. We decided that for partner institutions to be in the festival, they either had to be Indigenous organisations or have a demonstrated commitment to Indigenous arts, evidenced by their employment and their programming record. So big institutions that don’t employ blackfellas or don’t have regular programs that showcase our arts are not part of Corroboree Sydney. The initial membership of nine partners was founded for the festival’s first year in 2013 and that included the Art Gallery of NSW, the Australia Museum, Bangarra Dance Theatre Australia, Blackfella Films, Koori Radio 93.7FM, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, State Library of New South Wales and the Sydney Opera House. In 2014 the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and the Australian National Maritime Museum joined the group and we have strong interest from many organisations to be part of the formal alliance of Corroboree Sydney institutions.
HETTI PERKINS—EDITED PRESNTATION
PUBLIC ART: ART & THE CITY
TOP Hetti Perkins speaking at PUBLIC Symposium, Perth. Photograph by David Dare Parker, 2015. LEFT Art Games, PUBLIC Salon opening, Victoria Park. Photograph by JEAN PAUL HORRE, 2015.
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